News

Kyocera Wireless Corp. Continues its Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean

Company Continues to Expand its Handset Presence Working With More Than 30 Carriers in 19 Countries

Rio de Janeiro -- (May 27, 2004) - Kyocera Wireless Corp. (www.kyocera-wireless.com), a leading global manufacturer of CDMA wireless handsets, announced today that 2003 proved to be an exceptional year for the company's Latin America division. The company reported that in fiscal year 2004 (April 1, 2003-March 31, 2004) it increased revenue by 135 percent and increased shipments by 173 percent across the region versus the previous fiscal year. Continuing to expand its presence, Kyocera is currently working with 31 carriers in 19 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, with more than 18 different handset models.

"Last year proved to be an incredible year for Kyocera in the Latin America region. This year continues the strong trend with 300 percent growth in the first calendar quarter of 2004 compared to last year's first quarter," said Lee Ittner, vice president of international sales, Latin America, for Kyocera. "We are continuing to build strong relationships with more than 30 carriers in the region and the company continues to provide diverse handset offerings at affordable prices to consumers all over Latin America and the Caribbean."

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

Kyocera soon will launch the Koi(TM) high-resolution camera phone and the KX440 push-to-talk handset in many of these markets, in addition to the recently announced SE44 Slider(TM) handset with BREW(TM) capabilities. The Kyocera Koi is a next-generation multimedia phone featuring a 1.2 megapixel camera -- four times the resolution of existing VGA camera phones -- allowing consumers to shoot, download and print high-quality images up to 10.2 cm x 15.2 cm. Additionally, users can send high-resolution images over the air, store up to 300 images to identify incoming callers and download games, ringers, contacts and more. The Kyocera KX440 is the first CDMA push-to-talk phone to be introduced in the Latin America region. The phone has an integrated loudspeaker, single-button push-to-talk functionality, a 65,000-color display, ruggedized housing and a large battery for longer use.

The Kyocera SE44 Slider is a tri-mode digital cellular handset that incorporates assisted-GPS and CDMA2000 1X technology as well as analog functionality. The phone comes standard with BREW 2.0 capabilities, allowing for easy download of games, ringers, contacts and much more (subject to service provider availability).

Kyocera will be demonstrating its latest mobile phones at the 2004 CDMA Latin America Regional Conference at the Sofitel Hotel, Floor E in Rio de Janeiro, May 26 - 28, 3004.

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, 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, 2004, Kyocera Corporation's consolidated net sales totaled approximately US$11 billion (JP¥ 1,140,814 million) with net income of approximately US$655 million (JP¥ 68,086 million).

© 2004 Kyocera Wireless Corp. All rights reserved Kyocera is a registered trademark of Kyocera Corporation. Koi and Slider are trademarks of Kyocera Wireless Corp CDMA2000 is a trademark of the TIA. BREW is a trademark of QUALCOMM Incorporated. All other trademarks and product names are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACTS:

Kirsten Brundahl
Bock Communications, Inc./
Kyocera Media Relations, Latin America
phone: +1 (714) 540-1030 ext. 24
e-mail: kbrundahl@bockpr.com

Natasha Marvin
Kyocera Wireless Corp.
phone: +1 (305) 468-8366
email: nmarvin@kyocera-wireless.com