Brightstar Acquires Mobile Buy-Back Vendor

MIAMI and LONDON -- Brightstar Corp., the world'slargest wireless distribution company and leader in services for thewireless industry, today announced that it has acquired U.K.-based MobilePhone Xchange (MPX), a leading device buy-back & trade business. Theacquisition allows Brightstar to offer mobile operators and retailers afully-integrated, scalable technology platform that helps drive bottomline revenues, reduce churn, and reduce acquisition and retention costsby allowing both retailers and consumers to realize the value of usedmobile devices.

Brightstar has taken an early lead in this area in the U.S., where it isworking with several of the nation's largest operators and retailers. MPXprovides buy-back solutions to a leading European operator and to morethan 450 retail outlets in Europe. By integrating the MPX platform intoBrightstar's existing service portfolio, the company can offer a robustbuy-back and trade in solution to thousands of customers worldwide.

"Buy-back and trade in programs allow operators to reduce devicesubsidies - with like-new devices - and reduce churn with instantin-store payment or credit for trade-ins that typically result in a newdevice purchase with a renewed contract," said Marcelo Claure, CEO ofBrightstar Corp. "It's an all-around win, with cash back value to theconsumer and upsell value to the seller; and at the same time, it helpsreduce e-waste."

Brightstar Corp.