Iusacell Names Six to Leadership Roles

Mexico City, Mexico — Following last week's release of its strong first quarter results -- including a 78% rise in subscribers and $836 million pesos in revenues -- Grupo Iusacell [BMV: IUSACELL; NYSE: CEL and CEL.D] announced today it named six industry professionals with significant wireless and landline telecommunications experience to leadership roles.

William Roberts today becomes executive vice president and chief financial officer-designate, responsible for Iusacell's day-to-day financial operations. Roberts brings more than 15 years of wireless and landline telecommunications operating experience in Latin America and Asia at businesses such as Nextel International and BellSouth to his new role. Roberts was most recently vice chairman and CEO of Nextel de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

Howard Zuckerman, Iusacell's current executive vice president and CFO, will take on a new role as executive vice president-finance after Roberts' transition is completed in June. Since arriving at Iusacell in November 1996, he has led the financial organization during a period of rapid change. In his role, Zuckerman will lead the company in its upcoming exchange, rights, and secondary offerings, as well as all other financing initiatives. He will also continue to oversee Iusacell's Y2K compliance program.

Both Roberts and Zuckerman will report to Fulvio del Valle, president and director general of Iusacell.

Zuckerman, whose expatriate assignment at Iusacell will be completed this year, will repatriate back to Bell Atlantic.

Rolando Stevens, formerly senior vice president-commercial operations was recently appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer of Iusacell. The company will leverage Stevens' more than five years of management experience in wireless and long distance at Iusacell, and more than 10 years in high-tech operations at Philips N.V. in the U.S., Mexico, Europe, and Brazil. Reporting directly to del Valle, Stevens is responsible for sales, marketing, and customer care operations.

Former General Manager and Regional Vice-President of Centennial Puerto Rico Wireless and Lambda Communications Inc., Amaury Rivera, has been appointed vice president of marketing. Rivera, who will report to Stevens, brings 10 years experience as a senior marketer for Centennial and Vassallo Industries to his new role. Rivera's career as an investment banker with Bear Stearns & Co. and his numerous years of public and private industry association involvement will also further Iusacell's sophisticated market segmentation plans.

Ramon Pando, who was instrumental in Iusacell's 78% jump in subscribers over the past four quarters as head of sales for the metropolitan Mexico City region, has been appointed vice president of sales. Pando, a seven-year veteran of the wireless and telecommunications industry, will report to Stevens and focus on enhancing distribution, increasing sales profitably, and consolidating Iusacell's sales processes and procedures.

Iusacell also worked with managing shareholder Bell Atlantic [NYSE: BEL] to recruit executive Mary Cummings, formerly Director of European Professional Services for Bell Atlantic's international wireless operations. Cummings, who will report directly to del Valle in Iusacell's lead Strategic Planning role, will use her more than 20 years experience in businesses such as Bell Atlantic in the U.S. and Omnitel in Italy to assist in defining and implementing world-class practices for the marketing, sales, and customer care departments.

Cummings also brings her years of experience in front-line operations and strategic consulting assignments to her complementary role as Bell Atlantic's international wireless vice president-Latin American operations, reporting directly to Tom Bartlett, president and CEO of Bell Atlantic's international wireless business. She will be responsible for ensuring the smooth operation and long-term viability of Bell Atlantic's current and future Latin American wireless assets.

"Iusacell will gain an enormous strategic advantage by adding the knowledge and experience of these first-rate executives to its already solid staff. We are convinced that by combining our service-based philosophy with the professional capacity of our executives and employees, we will continue to satisfy, and even exceed, the expectations of our customers and shareholders," said del Valle.

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Grupo Iusacell is Mexico's leading independent telecommunications company. It is the wireless cellular service provider in four of Mexico's nine regions in the central portion of Mexico (including Mexico City) covering a total of 67 million POPs (population in markets served), representing 69% of the country's total population. The auctions won for wireless services in regions 1 and 4 in northern Mexico will allow the company to cover an additional 11 million POPs, or 11% of Mexico's total population. Since February 1997, the company has been under the management and operating control of Bell Atlantic Corporation that owns, through subsidiaries, 47% of the Company's capital stock. For more information on Iusacell, visit http://www.iusacell.com.mx.

Bell Atlantic is one of the world's largest wireless communications companies, with domestic operations in 25 U.S. states and international investments spanning Latin America, Europe, and Asia. For information on our global operations, visit http://www.bellatlantic.com/worldwide.

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