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Associate Carrier Group Taps KYOCERA Wireless for First Handset

Group Secures First Domestic Launch of the Slider Remix™ KX5 Music Phone

SAN DIEGO -- (August 24, 2005) -- The Associated Carrier Group (ACG), an alliance of independent tier-two and tier-three CDMA wireless carriers, and Kyocera Wireless Corp., a leading global manufacturer of CDMA wireless phones and devices, today announced the domestic debut of the highly-anticipated Kyocera Slider Remix™ KX5 wireless phone. The feature-rich, music-enabled handset is exclusively offered for a limited time by the recently united ACG, and is also the first phone offered by the alliance.

"By forming the ACG alliance, our members collaborate with manufacturers - like Kyocera - to provide cutting-edge products, quicken market entry and to leverage costs," said Greg Latour, president of ACG. "It's proving to be a smart and successful alliance for our member companies, which ultimately benefits our customers. We are pleased to be the first in the U.S. to offer the Slider Remix."

The Kyocera Slider Remix KX5, a continuation of Kyocera's popular line of sliding phones, unites a digital music player, 1.3 megapixel camera and enhanced gaming capabilities with a large, vibrant color screen on the phone's signature sliding faceplate. Slider Remix also features an expandable memory slot for TransFlash™ cards up to 512MB, providing for hours of listening at the gym, on the bus or in the office. The removable memory card also allows the latest songs (MP3 or AAC formats) to be easily shared between the phone and other devices.

"Slider Remix takes our popular Slider series of phones to a new level of style and functionality, making it an even more noticeable extension of a user's lifestyle," said Jim Kelly, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Kyocera Wireless Corp. "Combining the in-demand slider design with a music player and a high-resolution camera will appeal to the social, 'on the go' mobile phone users who want to enjoy music files and high-res images in a unique handset."

Slider Remix features the unmistakably-Kyocera "pinwheel" user interface for easy navigation between the phone's various features. The integrated 1.3 megapixel digital camera features a built-in flash and 5x digital zoom to expand picture-taking options, all accessible via one touch of a dedicated "easy access" camera button on the side of the phone. Slider Remix's 176x220 pixel, 262,000-color TFT screen is ideal for viewing images, surfing the Internet or playing 3D games, which can be downloaded via BREW® or Java™. Integrated MMS capabilities makes sharing 15-second video clips and high-resolution images a button push away.* The stylish handset is piano black with silver keys and directional pads while measuring 4.8cm x 9.8cm x 2.2cm and weighing 110 grams.

The Kyocera Slider Remix KX5 also offers a full suite of Genuine Accessories by Kyocera™ including the Kyocera Music Dock - a sync and charging cradle that plays music from the phone directly through any desktop speakers or headphones - and the Kyocera K500 Gamepad, an eight-directional gaming controller for an incredible console-like gaming experience.

* Optional features at an additional charge.
† Not available with some carriers.

About Associated Carrier Group, LLC (ACG)
ACG was formed to benefit both its members and the consumer by facilitating efficient production and marketing of devices as well as increased competition. The consortium enables its members to work with manufacturers, suppliers and other vendors to develop and procure, for its customers, scarce or unobtainable products in a timely fashion through economies of scale and standardization of coding and other features. Members include Bluegrass Cellular, Carolina West Wireless, CellComm, Cellular South, First Cellular of Southern Illinois and Midwest Wireless. More information is available at www.associatedcarriergroup.com.

For more information about ACG, contact:
Tanya Rankin, Cellular South
601.974.7134
e-mail: trankin@cellularsouth.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, 2005, Kyocera Corporation's consolidated net sales totaled approximately US$11 billion (JP¥ 1,180,655 million) with net income of approximately US$429 million (JP¥ 45,908 million).

 

© 2005 Kyocera Wireless Corp. Kyocera is a registered trademark of Kyocera Corporation. Slider Remix and Genuine Accessories by Kyocera are trademarks of Kyocera Wireless Corp. TransFlash is a trademark of SanDisk Corporation. BREW is a registered trademark of QUALCOMM, Inc. Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All other marks are properties of their respective owners.

Contacts

Kyocera Wireless Corp.
Brad Shewmake
phone: 1-(858) 882-2028
e-mail: shewmake@kyocera-wireless.com

 

LPI Communications for Kyocera Wireless
Leasa Ireland/Melody Brue
phone: 1-(310) 796-1936
e-mail: leasa@lpicommunications.com