Microsoft and Orascom Telecom to Distribute Windows Live Mobile Services

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Today at Mobile World
Congress 2009, Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E. and Microsoft Corp. announced a
new alliance enabling them to distribute Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live
Messenger on mobile phones in Orascom Telecom’s key markets. The services will
be introduced to customers in a phased rollout through Orascom’s affiliate
partners.

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“With Orascom, we will be able to tap the great growth potential of the
mobile market in the Middle East,” said Tom Bailey, senior director of product
management for Windows Live for Mobile services at Microsoft. “Through our new
alliance, we have the ability to extend the mobile Windows Live Hotmail and
Windows Live Messenger experience for our mutual customers.”

“From text messaging to the mobile Internet, our customers will be able to
easily access the Windows Live experiences from the mobile phone,” said Emad
Farid, group chief operating officer at Orascom Telecom. “This alliance with
Microsoft is a part of our strategy to offer our subscribers first-rate mobile
services.”

About Windows Live

More than 500 million customers around the world rely on Windows Live for
e-mail, messaging, and sharing photos and files within their networks of
friends, family, business associates and more. With localized versions being
made available globally in 54 countries and 48 languages by early 2009, the
next generation of Windows Live brings enhanced tools to make online
activities easier, more integrated and more intuitive. The new Windows Live
experience is also enhanced by alliances – with feeds from third-party sites
that enable users to stay up to date on what’s new with friends and family and
see information from other online services such as Flickr, LinkedIn and
Pandora – all in a single set of services where they already spend time every
day. Over the coming weeks, the next generation of Windows Live will become
available at http://www.windowslive.com.

About Orascom Telecom

Orascom Telecom is a leading international telecommunications company
operating GSM networks in high growth markets in the Middle East, Africa and
South Asia, having a total population under license of approximately 453
million with an average mobile telephony penetration of approximately 46% as
of September 30th, 2008. Orascom Telecom operates GSM networks in Algeria
(“OTA”), Pakistan (“Mobilink”), Egypt (“Mobinil”), Tunisia (“Tunisiana”),
Bangladesh (“banglalink”), Zimbabwe (“Telecel Zimbabwe”), and North Korea
(“Koryolink”). Through its subsidiary Telecel Globe, OTH also operates in
Burundi, the Central African Republic and Namibia. Orascom Telecom had over 79
million subscribers as of September 30th, 2008.

Orascom Telecom is traded on the Cairo & Alexandria Stock Exchange under
the symbol (ORTE.CA, ORAT EY), and on the London Stock Exchange its GDR is
traded under the symbol (ORTEq.L, OTLD LI).

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their
full potential.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.