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Leap's Cricket Customers Can Now Rock While They Talk Using the KYOCERA Slider Remix KX5 Music Phone

Stylish Bluetooth-Enabled Handset Lets Users Take Pictures and Videos While Enjoying Their Favorite Tunes or Talking with Friends on the Go

SAN DIEGO - (December 7, 2005) - Kyocera Wireless Corp., a leading global manufacturer of CDMA wireless phones and devices, and Leap Wireless International, Inc. [NASDAQ: LEAP], a leading provider of innovative and value-driven wireless communications services, today announced the immediate availability of the Kyocera Slider Remix KX5 for Cricket® customers who want to take their music, camera and mobile phone with them in one simple device for their on-the-go lifestyles.

An attractive addition to Kyocera's popular line of "slider" phones, the Slider Remix unites a 1.3 megapixel camera, a digital music player and games with a large, vibrant color screen on the phone's signature sliding faceplate. The handset is the perfect choice for social mobile phone users who want to enjoy their music files, high-resolution images and short video clips quickly and easily without sacrificing style. With an expandable memory slot for microSD™ cards up to 512MB, hours of today's most popular .MP3, .WMA or .AAC formatted songs can go on the road, to the gym or in the office. As the first Bluetooth-enabled Slider Remix on the market, the phone allows Cricket customers to talk hands-free and wire-free while in their cars or simply walking down the street.

"For heavy mobile users like Cricket customers, Slider Remix is the perfect combination of a music player, camera, and phone to eliminate the need for carrying multiple lifestyle devices," said Lee Ittner, executive vice president of Global Sales for Kyocera Wireless Corp. "While we wanted to make Slider Remix an all-inclusive consumer electronics device, we also know it's important for it to be stylish as well as easy-to-use. Benefits like Bluetooth wireless connectivity and one-touch music access ensure that Cricket users will have a fun, pain-free experience using this phone."

"Kyocera's Slider Remix is a welcome addition to our handset line-up for Cricket customers," said Nitu Arora, vice president of product development for Cricket. "The enhanced features and functionality of the Slider Remix coupled with its sleek design will appeal to a large number of our customers who are looking for the latest, coolest mobile handsets. We believe that Slider Remix will be especially popular with our growing number of customers who enjoy our unlimited picture and text messaging services."

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 directly over the air using Cricket Clicks™. Integrated MMS makes sharing 15-second video clips and high-resolution images a button push away* and the handset is also compatible with Cricket's new roaming service, Travel Time™, which launched in all markets in June.

The Kyocera Slider Remix KX5 also offers a full suite of appealing Genuine Accessories by Kyocera™, most notably the Kyocera Music Dock, a synchronization cradle that doubles as a phone charger and features a jack to attach personal speakers and utilize the phone's music features; a stereo music headset with music controller; and the Kyocera K500 Gamepad, an eight-directional gaming controller for an incredible gaming experience.

Measuring 1.88 in x 3.85 in x .86 in and weighing 3.88 ounces, the Kyocera Slider Remix KX5 with Bluetooth wireless technology is now available at all Cricket retail and authorized dealer locations for $299.99. The purchase of a phone is also available with a $100 mail-in rebate during the holiday season. For more information, please visit www.mycricket.com or www.kyocera-wireless.com.

*May result in additional charge

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).

About Leap
Leap [NASDAQ: LEAP], headquartered in San Diego, Calif., is a customer-focused company providing innovative mobile wireless services targeted to meet the needs of customers under-served by traditional communications companies. With the value of unlimited wireless services as the foundation of its business, Leap pioneered both Cricket and Jump™ Mobile. Cricket® service offers customers unlimited anytime minutes for a flat-rate within a Cricket calling area over a high-quality, all-digital CDMA network. Designed for the urban youth market, Jump Mobile is a unique prepaid wireless service offering customers free unlimited incoming calls from anywhere with outgoing calls at an affordable 10 cents per minute and free incoming and outgoing text messaging. Both Cricket and Jump Mobile are offered without long-term commitments or credit checks. For more information, please visit www.leapwireless.com.

 

© 2005 Kyocera Wireless Corp. All rights reserved. Kyocera is a registered trademark of Kyocera Corporation. Genuine Accessories by Kyocera, Slider and Slider Remix are trademarks of Kyocera Wireless Corp. microSD is a trademark of SanDisk Corporation. Cricket, Cricket Clicks and Travel Time are trademarks of Cricket Communications, Inc. All other trademarks and product names are the property of their respective owners.

 

Contacts

Kyocera Wireless Corp.
John Chier
phone: 1-858-882-3543
e-mail: jchier@kyocera-wireless.com
Leap Wireless
Kristin Parsley Atkins
phone: 1-858-882-9105
e-mail: katkins@cricketcommunications.com