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KYOCERA Wireless Takes Top Honors With 2006 Best Device Vendor Award From Cricket® Communications

CDMA-Only Phone Manufacturer Touted As Best Handset Provider for Top Sales Performance, Marketing and Channel Programs, and Technical Support

San Diego, CA -- (January 11, 2007) -- Cricket Communications today announced it has selected Kyocera Wireless Corp. as Cricket's Best Device Vendor of 2006. Kyocera Wireless was awarded this honor to recognize the company's exceptional partnership with Cricket, particularly highlighting sales performance, operational excellence, strategic initiatives, marketing and channel programs, and technical support.

Cricket customers responded to Kyocera's wide range of mobile phones, ideal for budget-conscious to entertainment-centered individuals, ideal for taking full advantage of Cricket's flat-rate unlimited calling and texting plans. Cricket service launched in 14 new markets across the U.S. in 2006, supported by six new Kyocera handsets made available through the company's retail stores and Web site.

"Cricket's Best Device Vendor Award recognizes excellence in the performance of our device vendor partners, highlights best practices and thanks them for their support," said Sergio Garcia, director of device strategy and product management for Cricket. "Maintaining strong relationships with our device vendors like Kyocera Wireless enables Cricket to provide a well-supported comprehensive product line offering that supports our unlimited value proposition."

Kyocera's 2006 lineup with Cricket included the K323 compact camera phone with Bluetooth® wireless technology; KX9e silver flip phone; Xcursion KX160 color cameraphone with Bluetooth; Slider Remix music phone with Bluetooth and a 1.3 megapixel camera; and Candid I and II, both simple, camera-centric flip phones.

"We're honored to receive this award from Cricket and see this recognition as a strong testimonial to the efforts we make for all of our customers to be the best handset partner possible," said Lee Ittner, executive vice president of global sales and marketing for Kyocera Wireless. "Kyocera has made great strides in the last year to customize our offerings to best fit our customers' needs - from our product lineup to our sales and marketing promotions for both the staff and consumers - and we look forward to more continued success with Cricket in 2007."

For more information about Cricket and the Kyocera mobile phones currently available to Cricket customers, please visit www.mycricket.com.

About Kyocera Wireless Corp.
Kyocera Wireless Corp. is a leading supplier of innovative, feature-rich CDMA wireless devices and accessories for customers worldwide. Kyocera Wireless maintains an operating belief in the genius of simplicity and strives to make the wireless experience as simple and intuitive as humanly possible. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyocera International Inc., which acquired QUALCOMM Incorporated's CDMA consumer wireless phone business in February 2000. Based in San Diego, the company is ISO-14001 and ISO-9001 certified and has won city, state and federal awards for its environmentally friendly manufacturing and recycling practices. For more information, please visit www.kyocera-wireless.com.

Kyocera Corporation (NYSE: KYO), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of advanced ceramics. By combining these engineered materials with metals and plastics, and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of telecommunications equipment, semiconductor packages, electronic components, cameras, laser printers, copiers, solar energy systems and industrial ceramics. During the year ended March 31, 2006, Kyocera Corporation's consolidated net sales totaled approximately 10 billion US dollars (1,181,489 million yen) with net income of approximately 596 million US dollars (69,696 million yen).

About Cricket® service
Cricket is a simple, affordable mobile phone service offering customers and local businesses flat-rate, unlimited service over a high-quality, all-digital wireless network. Designed for customers under-served by traditional communications companies, Cricket is the pioneer of unlimited minutes with no long-term commitments or credit checks required. Cricket offers customers access to a variety of the latest handsets and feature-rich mobile applications such as unlimited text, instant and picture messaging, popular games, ring tones and wallpapers. For more information on Cricket visit www.mycricket.com. Cricket is offered by Leap Wireless International, Inc., Alaska Native Broadband 1 License, LLC and LCW Wireless, LLC. For more information on Leap, visit www.leapwireless.com.

 

© 2007 Kyocera Wireless Corp. All rights reserved. Kyocera is a registered trademark of Kyocera Corporation. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and the use of any such marks by Kyocera Wireless Corp. is under license. Cricket is a registered trademark of Cricket Communications, Inc. All other marks are properties of their respective owners.

 

For more information, contact:

Kyocera Wireless Corp.
Brad Shewmake
phone: 1-858-882-2028
e-mail: shewmake@kyocera-wireless.com
Leap Wireless
Greg Lund
phone: 1-858-882-9105
e-mail: glund@cricketcommunications.com