Mumbai, May 4, 2000 - Orange, Mumbai's leading cellular service provider and rediff.com, India's favourite website, through a strategic alliance have launched WAP services using the WAP (Wireless Applications Protocol) technology. This is the first time that a cellular service provider in India will enable its customers to browse high quality Internet content of their choice on their mobile phones, thus unleashing the power of the Internet on their palms through the much-awaited WAP facility.

Orange customers can access rediff.com on WAP-enabled handsets for the latest news updates including business news and breaking news, a new calendar service, daily horoscopes as well as BSE and NASDAQ stock indices by dialing into the Orange home page on the handset and then choosing the information required.

The tie-up will leverage rediff.com's editorial and e-commerce expertise in creating quality content for WAP. Rediff.com also offers Orange customers a special calendar service, which is a free on-line "event manager" to schedule, keep track of appointments and tasks.

The introduction of WAP by Orange and rediff.com will be the first stage of 'convergence' at the customer's end, and is an upgrade of the existing value-added Orange Text Messaging services.

Mr. Ajit Balakrishnan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, rediff.com said, "We are pleased to ally with Orange for initiating WAP services in India. Both rediff.com and Orange have constantly pioneered innovative technologies in their respective fields, and it is only natural that we spearhead the wave of the future. The full power of the Internet will be available through the WAP technology to all Orange customers, anywhere and at any time."

Mr. Asim Ghosh, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Hutchison Max Telecom Ltd. said, "This tie-up with rediff.com is a natural step for Orange in its commitment to offer its customers leading edge services in leading edge time. Watch this space-there is more to come!"

WAP helps present data through a simple, convenient interface minus heavy graphics on mobile receivers such as mobile phone screens, using the Wireless Markup Language (WML). It enables users to easily surf the Internet and pull up content of their choice.

WAP technology will enable powerful applications for mobile customers like--get the latest in news, views, and weather reports on an almost real-time basis; make payments for utilities like electricity and telephones; conduct m-commerce transactions for shopping, travel, ticketing, etc; notifications of e-mail and bills.

About Orange

Six years ago, Orange articulated a bold vision: A vision of people staying connected wherever they are; a future of a wire-free world. This new service is an example of Orange's vision being put into practice. From the outset, Orange has broken the mould of traditional mobile phone companies.

Orange aims to be the first global communications brand with common access to a range of services and products across an international footprint. With 10 million customers by May 2000, the footprint of the Orange brand will cover almost 100 million people in eight countries.

Hutchison Max Telecom, with its premium brand Orange, is the leading cellular service provider in Mumbai. Hutchison Max Telecom is part of the telecommunications division of Hutchison Whampoa Group.

About rediff.com

Founded in 1996, rediff.com has features such as Rediffmail, a fast web- based email service, Rediff Shopping which plays host to India's most popular retail outlets and brands and Rediff Search with access to 200 million documents on the web. Rediff.com has tied up with Dun & Bradstreet for Rediff Money to provide the latest stock movements and has an alliance with automartindia.com for their Auto channel. Rediff.com has pioneered the e-commerce initiative in India. Currently, Rediff users can buy Railway passes, movie tickets and a whole host of exciting shopping offerings at ease of a click.

Rediff.com recorded 70 million page views for the month of March 2000. At a recently concluded opinion poll of Internet users conducted by Outlook-MDRA across six cities, rediff.com was voted the most popular among Indian websites as also the most popular e-commerce website in India. Rediff.com has received numerous recognitions including the PC World Reader's Choice "Best Indian Website" award consecutively for three years and the "Most Popular Website" award at the India Internet World 1998 exhibition and conference.