AWCC has been nominated for the GSM Association's Best Network Quality Initiative Award for 2008. This is the second consecutive year that AWCC has been nominated for this award. This award nomination is really a tribute to all the efforts put in by Afghan Wireless to make world class GSM service in the country a reality.

The Afghan Wireless family of subscribers hit the 2 million mark on May 28, 2008 and has continued to grow. The June 17 announcement was witnessed by media covering all of the major newspapers, magazines and television stations of Afghanistan. Mr. Amin Ramin, AWCC Managing Director, announced this milestone at the AWCC corporate office in Kabul City.

Mr. Amin Ramin, AWCC's Managing Director, said, "It gives me great honor and satisfaction to announce yet another milestone achieved by us which reflects the trust of our customers in Afghan Wireless; An Afghan Company, By Afghans, For Afghans which has now grown to a family of 2 Million! A family which has shown their trust and loyalty by making us what we are today."

With a subscriber base of over 2 million, AWCC is also the only company in Afghanistan which is capable of providing microwave connectivity across the country to all major companies of Afghanistan, including other mobile operators which are benefiting from this backbone. Two of Afghanistan's largest banks, Azizi Bank and Kabul Bank, use AWCC connectivity for their 75 branches across the country. Various NGOs and government organizations also depend on AWCC for their connectivity requirements. AWCC provides connectivity to more than 300 locations on its microwave network.

In addition to the nationwide ring, additional backbone links were built to connect Torghandi and Nuristan. Capacity was also upgraded on existing backbones. A very high capacity link has been established to Pakistan, Paris and New York with microwave over land and an undersea fiber route -- once again, a first in the history of Afghanistan.

This link has provided the high Internet capacity, enabling the customer to use GPRS-EDGE while they are on the move. Today, AWCC is the only company with such a high Internet Bandwidth available in the country, all of it terrestrial. AWCC customers can make International calls using our digital calling facility with no satellite delays. They can now use the conference calling feature on their Afghan Wireless Connection.

In 2007, Afghan Wireless expanded its coverage from 27 Provinces, 120 towns and 247 cell sites to all 34 provinces, 300 towns and 329 cell sites in the country. This translates to an expansion of more than 33% in the network coverage.

Afghan Wireless plays a strong role in the rebuilding of Afghan society through reinvestment, and by organizing and sponsoring sports events such as mini-marathons, bike races, etc. These build up solidarity and bring a feeling of togetherness among the people of Afghanistan.

Mr. Amin closed his remarks by saying, "I would like to inform everyone that to celebrate this milestone of 2 million subscribers, we will offer a 50 Afghani free credit on every 250 Afghani recharge as our way of saying thank you for being a part of the Afghan Wireless family. Now you can call anyone, anywhere, anytime with your free credit and enjoy great connectivity, experiencing the digital call quality on the domestic and international network with the widest coverage."

Afghan Wireless Communications Company (AWCC), headquartered in Kabul, is the largest private investor in Afghanistan. Afghan Wireless is also the largest employer of Afghans in Afghanistan, employing approximately 3,000 people directly and another 30,000 indirectly. AWCC is a leader in delivering wireless and broadband communication solutions to residential and business customers. The company has a strong reputation for philanthropy, supporting charitable organizations, assisting orphans, women, hunger relief and education through its own efforts and in conjunction with the Bayat Foundation.

Keywords: wireless communications company, afghans for afghans, kabul city, kabul bank, gsm association, broadband communication, quality initiative, award nomination, broadband wireless, network quality, subscriber base, second consecutive year, ramin, amin, GPRS