MSI Cellular ('MSI') the telecommunications business with cellular operations throughout Africa today announces the launch of wireless internet services in Africa.

Speaking at the Africa Internet and Telecoms Summit organised by the ITU and Commonwealth in Gambia, MSI's director of ISP services, Graham Matthews, announced the launch of the service by its subsidiary, Celtel Congo, in the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville).

Using the Wireless Applications Protocol (WAP), Celtel Congo will offer its Brazzaville customers access to the World Wide Web via its own satellite earth station international gateway and a link to the European internet backbone in the Netherlands.

MSI's Deputy CEO, Terry Rhodes, added: " Many people think that Africa is five or ten years behind the curve in communications technology. We're closing that gap: our early launch of wireless Internet demonstrates MSI's commitment to bring state of the art voice and data services to a wider audience across the continent."

Celtel Congo's WAP site on the World Wide Web can be viewed with a WAP-enabled handset at http://wap.celtelplus.com and will offer customers a mix of local and international news, flight schedules, company information and links to third-party content across the Internet, including e-mail services from the mobile phone.

Celtel Congo's WAP services are delivered from a platform provided by Ericsson of Sweden, via satellite bearer provided by Carrier2Carrier of the Netherlands and with the project management support of Locrian Consulting of London.

Celtel Congo was launched in December 1999, the first significant investment in the country after almost a decade of civil war. By May of this year the company was offering service to around 15,000 customers, making it the largest telecoms network in Congo.

7 June 2000

Enquiries:

MSI Cellular (www.msi-cellular.com)
Tel: +44 (0) 385 288 615
Terry Rhodes, Deputy CEO

College Hill
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7457 2020
Mark Garraway garraway@colleghill.com
Corinna Dorward corinna@collegehill.com

MSI Cellular has operational networks in Egypt, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone and recently announced the acquisition of a controlling stake in a cellular operator in Sudan. It also has networks under construction in Chad, Congo Kinshasa, Gabon and Guinea. The Board is reviewing a number of acquisition opportunities as well as taking part in new licence bids in countries, which fit the group's strategy of becoming Africa's premier telecoms operator.

MSI recently announced the appointment of Lord Prior (Deputy Chairman of HSBC) and ING Barings to advise it in relation to the next stage of MSI's financial development. This may include the flotation of the group on a European stock exchange.

The original Mobile Systems International Group was founded in 1989 by Dr Mo Ibrahim. The group was a world leader in network software and designed and planned networks in over 60 countries throughout the world. In 1998 it demerged into the two groups, MSI Cellular and Metapath Software International. The latter was recently acquired by Marconi plc.

Shareholders in MSI include:

- The CDC Group, the UK Development agency with over $2.5bn invested in some 50 emerging countries and the leading investor in sub-Saharan Africa (www.cdcgroup.com)

- Bessemer Venture Partners, the investment arm of the one of the oldest funds in the USA, with over $2bn under management (www.bessemervp.com)

- IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank and the largest source of private capital for developing countries (www.ifc.org)

- AIG Africa Infrastructure Fund, sponsored by AIG and managed by EMP, the largest private equity infrastructure manager in emerging markets with nearly $5bn under management (www.empwdc.com)

- Citigroup, the global financial services group (www.citigroup.com)

- GE Capital, the investment arm of General Electric (USA), one of the world's five largest companies by market capitalisation (www.ge.com)

- Mitsui, one the world's leading trading companies, operating in more than 90 countries world-wide and Japan's largest company by turnover (www.mitsui.co.jp)

- New Africa Advisors, a specialist investment fund based in Johannesburg, focused on infrastructure and media investments in Africa

- WorldTel, the private development arm of the International Telecommunications Union, the UN body which co-ordinates telecoms world-wide (www.world-tel.com)