| media release September 27, 2000 |  |
agreement with USA
Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) Limited has signed Australia's first international roaming agreement for CDMA services with a USA carrier.
Hutchison completed the agreement with Sprint PCS 1, a leading provider of wireless services in the USA. The Sprint PCS Group currently provides services to more than 8 million subscribers and expects this number to exceed 10 million by year end.
The agreement paves the way for Sprint's CDMA customers to use (roam onto) Hutchison's Orange One network, when visiting Australia. Hutchison launched the Orange One network in July this year. It provides coverage to around 8 million people in and around Sydney and Melbourne.
"This is an important development for the Orange One business as it provides access to a new, offshore customer base," Hutchison Managing Director, Mr Barry Roberts-Thomson said.
The Sprint agreement complements Hutchison's existing international roaming agreement for CDMA services which was signed with Hutchison Telecommunications (Hong Kong) in 1999.
Reciprocal roaming in the USA via the Sprint network will not initially be available to Orange One customers as they would require triband handsets which are not yet supported by Hutchison in Australia. Triband handsets are necessary because the two networks operate at different radio frequencies. Sprint customers already use triband CDMA handsets and therefore will not be constrained in using the Orange One network.
Sprint and Hutchison are now progressing with a technical implementation plan to enable the commencement of roaming early in 2001.
media contact
Melina Reed, National Manager Public Affairs, Orange
(02) 8902 0554 Orange One (office & mobile)
Trish Fox, Public Affairs Manager, Orange
(02) 8902 3250 Orange One (office & mobile)
Orange products and services are provided in Australia by Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) Limited.
1 The agreement was entered into by Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) Limited and WirelessCo, LP a Delaware Limited Partnership by and through its general partner and agent, Sprint Spectrum L.P. ("Sprint PCS")