Wireless Service facilitates international calling.
Press Release Summary:
With global communications network that reaches over 200 countries, Primus Wireless offers direct-dial international calls without need of PIN number. Customers also have option to add local phone number to their wireless phone from one of 16 foreign countries. In-country phone number will facilitate individuals residing in these countries to place a call directly to Primus Wireless customer as a local call.
Original Press Release:
Primus Telecommunications Enters U.S. Wireless Market With Unique Product
'Primus Wireless' Makes International Calling as Easy as Making Calls From Home or Office, at Half the Price
MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 3 - Primus Telecommunications, Inc., the principal U.S. operating subsidiary of Primus Telecommunications Group, Incorporated, announced today that it has entered the U.S. wireless calling market with a product targeted at customers who make international calls.
Primus Wireless fills an unmet need by making it much simpler for U.S. consumers to place direct international calls on their cell phones at prices averaging 50 percent less than rates charged by any major U.S. wireless provider. With Primus Wireless, international cell phone calls are at prices comparable to the prices of international calls made from regular home or office phones.
Currently, when consumers in the U.S. want to place international calls using their cell phones, carriers often require special PIN numbers, advance prepayment, additional monthly fees, or waiting periods before consumers can make international calls. Per minute rates also can be very costly. For example, cell phone calls to the United Kingdom from the U.S. can run as high as 65 cents a minute. In contrast, Primus Wireless's basic plan will offer direct dial rates as low as 4.9 cents per minute to the United Kingdom and will not require a waiting period, prepayment, or charge extra monthly fees to have access to low international rates.
According to Jay Rosenblatt, president of Primus Wireless, "At a time when the U.S. wireless market is experiencing explosive growth, our market research suggests that only 5 percent of international calls made from the U.S. are dialed directly from a wireless phone, primarily because of high per minute charges. In creating Primus Wireless, we sought to provide a unique service that responds to the needs of an increasingly mobile and international population. With our new wireless offering, U.S. customers can call around the globe directly from their wireless phones for prices that are similar to the more reasonable rates available through traditional fixed line long distance and calling card services. The other big advantage is that customers won't have to worry about prepayment or cumbersome dialing patterns."
Features of the new Primus Wireless basic service include:
o Ability to place direct-dial international calls without PIN numbers
o Low per minute international rates worldwide (visit primuswireless.com/plans.html for per minute rates)
o No monthly fees for low international rates
o Local, national and international calls on one bill
o No requirement to prepay for calling minutes
o Free minutes to select countries under certain plans
Comparisons between Primus Wireless's rates, terms and conditions and those of top U.S. wireless providers are presented below:
Primus Verizon Cingular Sprint T-Mobile
Wireless Wireless
Per minute
rates
* Brazil 9.9 cents 65 cents 21 cents 14 cents 59 cents
* Canada 3.9 cents 20 cents 19 cents 9 cents 20 cents
* UK 4.9 cents 65 cents 19 cents 60 cents 29 cents
* India 17 cents 65 cents 35 cents 32 cents $1.49
* Germany 4.9 cents 65 cents 18 cents 7 cents 29 cents
* Russia 6.9 cents Blocked 79 cents 20 cents $1.49
* South 4.9 cents 65 cents 89 cents 8 cents 59 cents
Korea
Monthly fee NO $4.00 $3.99 $4.00 NO
for inter- per month per month per month
national
calling
Payment Local, 90 day 90 day 90 day 72 hour
national good good good waiting
options/ and inter- payment payment payment period
requirements national history or history or history or for existing
on one bill security security security customers
without any deposit deposit deposit
waiting
period
International YES YES Select YES YES
direct dial countries
*Source: Information based on website content and public announcements made by selected companies as of January 1, 2005.
Primus Wireless also offers customers the option to add a local phone number to their wireless phone from up to 16 foreign countries. The in-country phone number will make it easier for individuals residing in these countries to place a call directly to a Primus Wireless customer for the price of an in-country, local call.
Primus Wireless leverages Primus's global communications network, which now reaches over 200 countries, to provide Primus Wireless customers with value and quality for local, national and international calling.
Consumers interested in signing up for Primus Wireless may visit www.primuswireless.com/
About Primus
Primus Telecommunications, Inc. is the principal U.S. subsidiary of Primus Telecommunications Group, Incorporated (NASDAQ:PRTL), a Fortune 1000(R) global telecommunications company with $1.3 billion in annual revenue. Headquartered in McLean, VA, and founded in 1994, Primus Telecommunications Group, Incorporated is among the largest international telecommunications concerns.
The company offers voice, wireless, Internet, voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP), digital subscriber line (DSL), and other data services to corporate customers, small and medium-sized businesses, residential customers, and other communications carriers located throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
For information on Primus visit: www.primustel.com/ For more information on the new Primus Wireless service, visit: www.primuswireless.com/
