Customers in the Czech Republic prefer GSM services

• roughly 95 percent of mobile-telephone users in the Czech Republic prefer GSM
• only digital GSM technology boasts secure calling, a continually expanding range of services and a promising future

Roughly 95 percent of all users of mobile telephones in the Czech Republic prefer the GSM digital system, which has expanded quickly since the introduction of Paegas services. Less than three years after GSM first made its appearance in the Czech Republic, the number of mobile-telephone owners here has increased by more than 2,000 percent. â?śNearly all new users have chosen the modern GSM standard, which offers a complete range of services which older analog networks donâ??t offer, from secure calls which canâ??t be monitored to services based on SMS technology,â?ť said RadioMobil press spokeswoman Tereza Kakosová.

Paegas GSM users have access to the most modern services the digital standard has to offer, and their spectrum, as opposed to that of outdated analog systems such as NMT, continues to expand at a quick rate. Several operators have even been forced to shut down their analog networks because customers want a system that has a future and that canâ??t be listened in on, like the GSM digital standard. In comparison to NMT, GSM offers quicker data transfer, higher-quality voice transmission, roaming, greater capacity, SMS short text messaging, and added value services (including information services and SIM Toolkit). In addition, the selection of telephones compatible with NMT is limited, and those available are heavier and have significantly less battery capacity than GSM phones.

In the last year and a half, the number of SMS messages â?? which only GSM is capable of accepting â?? sent within the Paegas network has increased by 112 percent. â?śThe tremendous increase in the amount of SMS messages sent is due primarily to the fact that we are the first operator in the Czech Republic to offer such services to prepaid customers,â?ť said Kakosová.

â?śAccording to our latest research, the public prefers Paegas GSM services because of the innovativeness of our company and the affordable prices. Additionally, itâ??s a known fact that the Czech public is very quick to pick up new technology and knows that GSM has a great future ahead of itself in view of the new services continually being developed and the possibilities for linking up with other media, such as the Internet. Another important reason why mobile-communications users prefer GSM both here in the Czech Republic and around the world is its security, as only the GSM system uses digital encoding, which is a safeguard against calls being listened in on,â?ť said RadioMobil marketing director Robert Chvátal.

The GSM system represents the cutting edge of technology, and RadioMobil is one of the most technologically advanced GSM operators in the world. â?śGSM services are continually undergoing changes, with new ones appearing practically every quarter-year. Operators then test them and get them ready for their customers. This whole flurry of development is leading to a third generation of mobile-communications systems,â?ť Chvátal said.

Customers can take their Paegas GSM mobile telephones to 65 countries around the world and utilize the roaming services of 121 operators. More than 450,000 customers were using Paegas GSM services as of the end of March, 1999.

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.