VIENNA -- The Telekom Austria Group (VSE: TKA, OTC US: TKAGY) today announced the launch of the first prototype of a telephone booth with an integrated charging station. This trendsetting initiative in the area of E-mobility marks a further important milestone in the implementation of the company's environmental activities. The Telekom Austria Group is a member of the Austrian Mobile Power (AMP), the country's largest E-mobility platform, and is making a significant contribution to fostering e-mobility Austria-wide. During the test phase the service will be free of charge. Following commercial launch, charging stations will offer the possibility to pay via mobile phone using text messages, paybox or a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) card with a RFID chip.

Telekom Austria Group's charging stations will leverage the existing infrastructure: Currently, the company operates roughly 13,500 telephone booths countrywide, of which 700 are multimedia stations. In the first rollout phase, the focus will be on multimedia stations that offer on-street parking opportunities for electric vehicles. By installing additional charging points, each telephone booth will be able to recharge more than one vehicle at a time. By year-end 2010 a total of 30 charging stations will go on stream.

Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO Telekom Austria Group, said: "We are bundling our strengths from different corporate segments to realize this highly innovative project: We are combining the company's fixed net infrastructure with our long-standing expertise in the mobility area, for instance, with successful services such as mobile parking. This also applies to mobile payment and identification systems, where we can rely on the proven industry track record of paybox austria. By joining forces, we are enabling a future-proof service for our customers, making a significant contribution to improving the country's CO2 balance."

Telekom Austria AG (NYSE: TKA; Vienna: TKA)