media release 22 March 2001

Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) Limited (Hutchison) today announced the successful acquisition of additional spectrum in the 2.1 GHz band at a total cost of $196.1 million as part of the Federal Government's auction of spectrum licences.

Hutchison has acquired licences for 15 MHz of paired spectrum in Sydney and Melbourne and 10 MHz of paired spectrum in each of Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

The additional spectrum acquired today complements Hutchison's existing spectrum licences which include:

City              Acquired 1998     Acquired 2000     Acquired 2001
                  800 MHz           1800 MHz          2.1 GHz
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Network           Orange One        3G                3G

Sydney            10 MHz            15 MHz            15 MHz
Melbourne         10 MHz            15 MHz            15 MHz
Brisbane          10 MHz            10 MHz
Adelaide          10 MHz            10 MHz
Perth             10 MHz            10 MHz

Commenting on the announcement, the Managing Director of Hutchison, Mr Barry Roberts-Thomson, said:

"The successful acquisition of 2.1 GHz spectrum provides us with additional flexibility without the need to acquire or build additional infrastructure. The spectrum acquired today is complementary to our existing holdings and the attractive prices paid will enable us to generate better returns from our overall spectrum investments."

"Hutchison is in the advantageous position of moving straight to a 3rd Generation network without the problem of a legacy national 2G network. We are on-track to be an early entrant in the delivery of third generation (3G) services in Australia which we believe will create the next wave of growth in mobile telecommunications," he said.

Information about Hutchison

Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) Limited has over 10 years of involvement in Australian telecommunications and its goal is to be a leading provider of wirefree services. The company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in August 1999 and is indirectly 58% owned by Hutchison Whampoa Limited, a Hong Kong-based company with operations which include an international telecommunications business operating throughout Europe, Asia, Israel and India.

Hutchison launched its own wireless service, using CDMA technology, called Orange One in mid-2000. This world first service is the home phone that can go mobile. It operates on Orange's own purpose-built CDMA network. When you make a call the network knows the location of the handset. Calls are charged at local rates when the caller is at home (called LocalZone) and mobile rates apply when the calls are made outside the LocalZone. The Orange One CDMA network provides coverage to around eight million people in and around Sydney and Melbourne.

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