Beirut, Friday October 24, 2008: Alfa, the mobile operator, announces it signed a Letter of Intent with Ericsson Lebanon, on Thursday October 23, 2008 at Alfa's Headquarters.

Alfa has commissioned Ericsson to upgrade and expand its Core Network that dates from the start of the Alfa (then Cellis) network in 1994. Implementing the new state-of-art Ericsson technology, is the basis for developing a better quality service for Alfa's customers and will greatly improve the switching capacity in the Core Network.

Upon signing of the Letter of Intent, implementation will start immediately and the project is expected to be operational within three months.

"Alfa started with the replacement of all obsolete network systems in 2007 after the Ministry granted budget for replacement of the Billing System and the Radio Network in greater Beirut, both projects are being finalized. The new Ericsson technology is yet another step forward in increasing quality and capacity up to 1 million subscribers" said Ms. Ineke Botter, Managing Director- CEO of Alfa.

Alfa, Pure Communication.

-Ends-

About Alfa
Fal Dete Telecommunications s.a.l. (FDT) is the company that manages one of the two GSM networks in Lebanon operated under the brand name Alfa. FDT's shareholders are Detecon International GmbH (51%), FAL Holding Arabia Co. Ltd (45%) and Detasad Co. Ltd (4%).

Fal Dete Telecommunications capitalizes on its expertise in the telecom field in order to deliver a global and professional solution for the GSM sector in Lebanon.  For more information visit www.alfa.com.lb

About Ericsson
Ericsson is a world-leading provider of telecommunications equipment and related services to mobile and fixed network operators globally. Over 1,000 networks in more than 175 countries utilize their network equipment and 40 percent of all mobile calls are made through Ericsson's systems. It is one of the few companies worldwide that can offer end-to-end solutions for all major mobile communication standards.

Their origins date back to 1876. The parent company is Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson. Their headquarters is located, and the Board of Directors is seated, in Stockholm, Sweden.

www.ericsson.com

© Press Release 2008