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Suncom lights up the Southeast with Firefly Wireless phone

SUNCOM LIGHTS UP THE SOUTHEAST WITH FIREFLY WIRELESS PHONE
New Wireless Phone Keeps Parents and Their Children Connected

RICHMOND, Virginia. – February 3, 2005 – Offering parents peace-of-mind and an inexpensive way to help stay in touch with their children, SunCom Wireless today announced it will offer the Firefly, a first-to-market wireless phone created for parents, but designed for their children.

Firefly, developed by Chicago-based Firefly Mobile Inc., is a wireless phone without a number pad. Measuring no larger than a business card and weighing only two ounces, Firefly is designed for the smaller hands of children aged eight to 12 years and lights up, like a firefly, when in use. It features three parent-programmable buttons that allow kids to make a one-touch call, so they are always just a button push away from mom or dad. Firefly features a variety of parental controls, including the ability to program outgoing numbers and to pre-program the phone to only receive calls from a list of approved phone numbers. Firefly's buttons are password-protected, enabling parents to control Firefly's calling features.

“Today's parents want their children to have the sense of security that comes with a wireless phone, while maintaining the ability to supervise its use,” said Michael Kalogris, chairman and chief executive officer of SunCom. “Kids will love Firefly's cool design and compact size, while parents will enjoy the reassurance it provides in being able to reach or be reached by their children.”

“Our research groups with parents told us that providing a mobile phone to their kids would be appealing and useful in managing their hectic lives and keeping them connected with one another. However, there were no mobile phones on the market that met parents' stringent requirements for both cost control and how the phone would be used,” said Fred Bullock, chief marketing officer, Firefly Mobile. “Firefly has responded to these needs and provides parents with the ability to direct mobile phone usage and removes the hesitation they felt around the unlimited freedom of simply handing their kids a mobile phone.”

Firefly will be available in a package for $200 that includes 1,200 minutes usable for up to one year, or it may be purchased as an addition under a SunCom Family Plan.

About SunCom

SunCom is an award-winning wireless carrier operating in the Southeast. The company provides digital wireless communications services in an area covering 14.3 million people in the Southeastern United States and 4.0 million people in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information about SunCom products and services, visit http://www.SunCom.com or call 1-877-CALL-SUN.