BT Cellnet launch GPRS Servic

British Telecommunications PLC
19 April 2001


            BT CELLNET TO LAUNCH UK'S FIRST CONSUMER GPRS SERVICE

         New data network available to customers from 18th May, 2001

BT Cellnet today announced the launch date of its consumer GPRS (General
Packet Radio Service) service. GPRS will allow customers to experience
affordable, 'always on', access to the mobile Internet.



The always on capability of GPRS greatly enhances the performance of the
mobile Internet and viewing WAP pages. GPRS handsets are always connected to
the network, putting an end to dialling in to access e-mails and WAP services.
Reading and replying time is free, customers will only be charged for
information sent and received.  Later in the year, customers will also be able
to access traditional webpages via their GPRS devices.



Two consumer GPRS tariffs will be available at launch.  A basic introductory
service costing £3.99 per month will allow users to download data at 2p per
kilobyte.  The value bundle costing £7.99 per month gives users 1MB of
downloads every month, any additional data downloaded is charged at £3.99 per
MB, charged pro-rata to the nearest kilobyte.  A single WAP page contains
approximately 1 kilobyte of data, whilst an e-mail of 100 words contains
approximately 2.5 kilobytes. The GPRS monthly subscription does not include
voice calls and is charged in addition to regular monthly voice tariffs.



Customers connected to the GPRS network will only pay for data downloaded and
sent, and not for time spent online, this means that sending a 100-word email
via GPRS will be cheaper than sending a 160-character SMS text-message over
the GSM network. Customers will also be able to answer voice calls whilst in
the middle of emailing or using WAP services without losing the data and can
resume their data session on the page they were viewing once the voice call is
complete.



Stuart Newstead, BT Cellnet's general manager wireless data, said, 'BT Cellnet
is leading the way in mobile Internet services and with GPRS the mobile
Internet has become faster, cheaper and more accessible. We are delighted to
be the first UK operator delivering always connected and always on, data
services to UK consumers.'



The Genie portal will be the default WAP homepage for users accessing mobile
Internet content and services from their new BT Cellnet GPRS devices. With the
improvements in the delivery speed and always on capabilities of the network,
Genie content will be further enhanced to allow for even more innovative
content and applications, like interactive games and instant messaging. Most
recently, Genie has launched the UK's first WAP flight check-in service with
British Airways, as well as interactive WAP betting and games with Ladbrokes,
E4 and Digital Bridges.



The BT Cellnet GPRS service will initially be available with the Motorola
Timeport 260 GPRS phone costing £199 (inc VAT).  Further handsets and PDAs
from other manufacturers are expected to become available shortly afterwards.



The Motorola T260 is available from the 18th May from selected branches of The
Carphone Warehouse, The Link, BT Cellnet stores, the BT Cellnet online store
and Hugh Symons.



                                    -ENDS-





For further information and photography, please contact:

BT Cellnet Press Office        01753 565656

Gavin Spicer, Marina Burke, James Sherwood
Le Fevre Communications        020 7563 6400



NOTES TO EDITORS:
About GPRS

BT Cellnet launched corporate GPRS services in June 2000.  There are more than
35 corporate customers using GPRS and 500 individual users.

GPRS is a new data network that has been developed alongside BT Cellnet's
existing digital network.  It uses the existing radio base stations linked to
a new network based on 'packet' technology.  On existing 'circuit switched'
networks, the user dials the number required, and the network connects the
call, allocating a circuit between the two parties until the call is ended.
With packet technology, the user will log into a data network - typically a
company LAN, or an Internet Service Provider - and then send and receive data
as and when required throughout the day.  The GPRS network is only utilised
when data is being transmitted, but the user retains a virtual connection to
his chosen computer network throughout the day.



The benefits of GPRS:

*    The user can be 'always connected, always on-line' to the data network

*    GPRS provides high-speed data transmission.

*    The network is used far more efficiently than circuit switched networks.   
     It is only used when data is being transmitted, which will reduce the cost 
     of mobile data

*    GPRS is based on the Internet Protocol (IP).  This provides ease of
     connectivity from mobile data terminals to the Internet and to IP-based
     Company Intranets.



BT Cellnet's GPRS core network system is being implemented by Motorola, the
leading supplier worldwide that can provide a complete end-to-end commercial
GPRS network solution including Internet infrastructure technology from Cisco
Systems Inc. and GPRS-capable handsets.  The world's first GPRS data transfer
over a live network was made by BT Cellnet on Motorola's GPRS system solution
in November 1999  Motorola has supplied the BT Cellnet mobile network since
1985.



About BT Cellnet



*      Today BT Cellnet has approximately 11.2 million customers using its
       voice services including over 1.5 million customers with Mobile Internet
       enabled phones

*      BT Cellnet is a wholly owned subsidiary of BT plc.

*      www.btcellnet.net


About Genie

Genie, BT's mobile Internet portal, is owned 75 percent by BT wireless with
the remaining 25 percent owned by BT group.


Genie currently has web and WAP portals in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany,
Italy, Spain, France, Hong Kong, Japan and a WAP portal in Malaysia with more
than 4 million registrations in total. Genie.co.uk served more than 89 million
WAP page impressions in March 2001.