News

KYOCERA WIRELESS CORP. ANNOUNCES SIGNIFICANT EXPANSION IN LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN HANDSET MARKET

In 12 Months, World's No. 4 CDMA Handset Manufacturer Doubles Customer Base Adding 15 Latin American Customers in 12 Countries

SAN DIEGO - Sept. 25, 2003 - Kyocera Wireless Corp. (www.kyocera-wireless.com), a leading global manufacturer of CDMA wireless handsets, recently began providing its phones to Venezuelan CDMA carriers Telcel and Movilnet, marking important customer wins in a period of heavy expansion for Kyocera in the Latin American market. Since October 2002, the company's active customer base in Latin America has grown from fifteen carriers in seven countries to 30 customers in 19 countries today.

Kyocera has launched products in many new markets including Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela. Growing confidence in the Kyocera brand among CDMA carriers, along with Kyocera's most comprehensive and diverse product line to date, have led the company to greatly expand its product portfolio in the region. Products currently selling in Latin America include Kyocera's 7135 smartphone for the corporate high-end market, the Opal series and 3200 series for the mid-level market, and the 2300 and 1100 series for the entry-level market.

With its growing Latin American customer base, Kyocera registered 171 percent sales growth across the region during fiscal year 2002, representing a 231 percent increase in shipments. This expansion in Latin America has been complemented by substantial increases in marketing activity and sales support services in the region.

"The recent growth in Latin America demonstrates Kyocera's commitment to establishing flexible, mutually beneficial relationships with our carrier partners," said Lee Ittner, vice president of international sales, Latin America for Kyocera. "Many carriers in the region have expressed that Kyocera's product offering provides a diverse range of devices in every price point to offer their customers better choices when shopping for mobile phones."

As one of the only 3G technologies available in Latin America, CDMA carriers are providing next-generation services via handsets from Kyocera to a growing population in the region. These handsets, enabled with CDMA 2000 1XRTT technology, were the first 3G phones deployed in Latin America and offer consumers feature-rich applications including GPS functionality, email, color screens, ring tones and photo downloads.


About Kyocera Wireless Corp.
Kyocera Wireless Corp. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyocera International Inc., which acquired QUALCOMM Incorporated's CDMA consumer wireless phone business in February 2000. Kyocera Wireless Corp. is a leading supplier of innovative, feature-rich CDMA handsets and accessories for customers worldwide. 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, 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, 2003, Kyocera Corporation's consolidated net sales totaled approximately US$9 billion (JP¥ 1,069,770 million) with net income of approximately US$348 million (JP¥ 41,165 million).


2003 Kyocera Wireless Corp. All rights reserved. Kyocera is a registered trademark of Kyocera Corporation. All other trademarks and product names are the property of their respective owners.



CONTACTS:
John Chier, Kyocera Wireless Corp.
phone 1-(858) 882-3543
e-mail: jchier@kyocera-wireless.com

Valerie Christopherson
Bock Communications, Inc./
Kyocera Media Relations, Latin America
phone +1 (714) 540-1030 ext. 14
e-mail: vchristopherson@bockpr.com