SAN ANTONIO -- In one of the nation's largest commercial Wi-Fi hot spot deployments, SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC) today announced that its FreedomLinkSM Wi-Fi service will be made available at thousands of The UPS StoreTM locations in the United States. This innovative technology will also be offered in domestic Mail Boxes Etc.(r) stores, which are part of the UPS retail network. Adding FreedomLink to the array of business services provided by The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. enhances the stores' roles as "branch offices" for mobile workers.

The FreedomLink service enables mobile professionals to use laptop computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to wirelessly connect to the Internet and corporate networks at speeds 50 to 100 times as fast as a dial-up connection. SBC companies, with support from Wayport Inc., will not only offer Wi-Fi connections, but also wired connections that let customers use the FreedomLink service even if their laptops are not Wi-Fi-enabled. The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. locations are ideally suited for Wi-Fi connectivity since millions of mobile professionals rely on the centers for convenient access to business services such as printing, copying and shipping.

FreedomLink service will be available in more than 1,500 The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. locations by year-end, with installations continuing through 2005. Moving forward, new domestic The UPS Store centers will also be equipped with the service. Currently, there are approximately 3,300 The UPS Store locations, and the total U.S. network is projected to reach 5,000 by 2007.

"The agreement is a giant step forward in our efforts to make FreedomLink service widely available to our customers," said Ray Wilkins, president, SBC sales and marketing. "FreedomLink complements other SBC services, and our strategy is to aggressively deploy it in various types of venues to enable our customers to enjoy a comparable broadband experience in the home, at the office and on the road. The extensive coverage of The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. network will help us meet the wireless broadband needs of mobile professionals."

"Wi-Fi technology is a fitting enhancement to the portfolio of business services that make The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. a reliable network of 'satellite offices' for business people on the go," said Stuart Mathis, president, Mail Boxes Etc., Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of UPS and franchiser of The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. centers. "Millions of mobile workers and business travelers rely on The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. for an array of business services, which is why these locations make ideal hot spots for wireless Internet access."

SBC Communications Inc.