OPTUS MAKES LIFE EASIER FOR BUSINESS CUSTOMERS WITH LAUNCH OF HTC SNAP INCORPORATING WINDOWS MOBILE 6.5

Optus today announced the launch of the HTC Snap smartphone, pre-installed with the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, for $0 upfront on a 24 month 'yes' Business $49 Cap plan.

The HTC Snap, which operates on Optus' dual band (2100Mhz/900Mhz) mobile network, extending from metropolitan to regional Australia, is the first Windows Phone® with Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system available to Optus customers.

Phil Offer, Optus Small and Medium Business Marketing Director said, "With flexible working on the rise, businesses need to provide employees with the necessary tools to do their job outside of the traditional office environment. Now small business owners can take the opportunity to spend more time away during their Australian summer holiday and not rush back to the office for urgent issues.

"With Optus' extensive mobile coverage and generous business cap plans, business users have access to the tools they need and can be confident they're getting great value. An example of this is our Total Business Cap plan. For small businesses with ten employees, each employee can have their own HTC Snap on A Total Business Cap $699 plan. The Total Business Cap allows small businesses to share a set monthly value across a range of voice and data services, depending on their specific needs," Mr Offer said.

Grace Kerrison, Director, Mobile Communications Business, Microsoft Australia said, "As a Windows phone, the HTC Snap helps small business people be effective and efficient when on the road. The HTC Snap includes the mobile version of Microsoft Office, letting you use Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint to manage your emails and calendar and access information when out of the office. In addition, with Microsoft's free service My Phone, business users can now manage and backup all their important information, providing peace of mind in the event of a lost or damaged phone."

"The new Optus plan for the HTC Snap provides our customers an all-inclusive package to suit their level of usability," said Anthony Petts, Sales and Marketing Director ANZ, HTC Corporation. "The HTC Snap offers a simple set of easy-to-use features that have been specifically designed to keep our business customers' lives running smoothly and allowing them to communicate more efficiently with the people in their lives."

Key features of the HTC Snap include:

• With up to 480 hours standby time or up to 8.5 hours talk time, the HTC Snap has one of the longest smartphone battery lives on the market
• Dual band technology (HSDPA 900/2100) for coverage in metro and regional areas
• The dedicated Inner Circle key which brings emails from a preselected group of people to the top of a customer's inbox, enabling important messages to be acted upon immediately
• Tethered modem capability
• Full QWERTY keyboard with trackball
• Wi-Fi® & Bluetooth® enabled

Optus small business customers can purchase the HTC Snap online, through any Optus premium dealer or by calling 133 937. Optus corporate and government customers can contact their Optus Account Manager for further information and pricing details.

For more information regarding the HTC Snap on Optus, please visit http://www.optus.builtforbusiness.com.au/.

Media contacts:
Elizabeth Greene
Optus Corporate Affairs
Tel: (02) 8082 1132