AT&T Wireless and Superconductor Technologies Go the Extra Mile to Guarantee Superior Network Quality for Customers

This SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ --

AT&T Wireless (NYSE: AWE) one of the largest digital wireless networks in North America, and Superconductor Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: SCON) ("STI") global leaders in the application of superconducting materials to the wireless industry, announced today the deployment of STI's superconducting filter systems throughout the Santa Barbara area. "Our SuperFilter(R) systems enhance the wireless link from the mobile unit to the base station, reducing the number of dropped and blocked calls and improving overall call quality. In addition, the wireless phone doesn't have to work as hard to make a call, so customers experience dramatic improvements in battery life," said Bob Johnson, president of STI Wireless N.A. "With STI's SuperFilters, a mobile receive signal is cryogenically cooled to negative 321 Fahrenheit in order to take advantage of the benefits of superconductivity."

"Our number one goal is to give our customers the excellent experience they have come to expect from AT&T Wireless. For the consumer, that translates to fewer dropped calls and fast busies as well as generally better call quality," said Jim Hollister, engineering manager of AT&T Wireless. "The deployment of these filters enhances the customer experience. What customers really want is the ability to use their wireless phones anytime and anywhere."

Providing excellent customer satisfaction has recently earned AT&T Wireless the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates award for the "Highest Overall Customer Satisfaction Among Wireless Users in Los Angeles," according to its 2001 U.S. Wireless Industry Services Study(SM). The Study was based on responses from 14,492 wireless telephone subscribers. In addition to Los Angeles, AT&T Wireless received high marks in 13 of the 25 markets studied. Other markets include: Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami/W. Palm Beach, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco and Tampa.

ABOUT AT&T WIRELESS AT&T Wireless (NYSE: AWE) is the largest independently traded wireless carrier in the United States, following its split from AT&T on July 9, 2001. Operating one of the largest digital wireless networks in North America with more than 16.4 million subscribers and full-year 2000 revenues exceeding $10.4 billion, AT&T Wireless is committed to being among the first to deliver the next generation of wireless products and services. Today, customers receive high-quality wireless communications services, whether mobile or fixed, voice or data, to businesses or consumers, in the U.S. and internationally. AT&T Wireless Customer Advantage is the company's commitment to ensure that customers have the right equipment, the right calling plan, and the right customer services options -- today and tomorrow. For more information, please visit www.attwireless.com.

ABOUT STI Superconductor Technologies Inc., headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA, is the global leader in developing and manufacturing superconducting products for wireless networks. STI's SuperFilter(R) System utilizes high-temperature superconducting technology, along with proprietary cryogenic cooling, to create a front-end filter and amplifier system utilized in wireless base stations to enhance their performance. These enhancements include extending the range of base stations, lowering dropped and blocked calls, increasing capacity, enabling higher data rates for wireless data transmission, and generally improving the quality of the wireless connection. SuperFilter is a registered trademark of Superconductor Technologies Inc. For more information, visit http://www.suptech.com.

For further information, please contact Michael Williams of STI, +1-805-690-4500, or cell +1-805-680-7700; or Deborah Williams of AT&T Wireless, +1-562-468-5009, or cell +1-310-489-5556.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE WORLD (MAY 28, 2001) A SUPERCONDUCTING CABLE ENTERS SERVICE IN A PUBLIC ELECTRICITY SUPPLY GRID

This goal was reached within the project "Superconductors in the Danish Energy Sector" and through a close collaboration between a list of partners comprising; university and research institutes, HTS tape and cable manufacturers, and the Danish electric utilities. The project was financially supported by the Energy Research Program of the Danish Department of Energy (Energistyrelsen).

The partners are:

NKT (Cable manufacture)
DTU-Eltek (University - research in electric power)
DTU-IPU (University - research in maufacturing processes)
Risø (National lab. - research in tape development)
NST (Superconducting tape manufacture)
DEFU (Research in electric power utility)
Eltra (Electric transmission company)
Elkraft (Electric transmission company)
Copenhagen Energy (Electric power utility)
NESA (Electric power utility)

Here are a couple of citations from the press release of May 28, 2001;

"From 11.45 today, for the first time anywhere in the world, superconducting cables will be used to supply electricity to consumers. Some 150,000 residents in the Amager district of Copenhagen will in future have their electricity supplied by this new technology."

"Copenhagen's new supercable is only 30 metres long, but that is ample for practical full-scale testing in the public supply grid. The cable is installed at 'Amager Substation', a central hub in the Danish capital's energy supply system. The supercable is capable of supplying electricity to the whole of Amager district and will be tested under all operating
conditions. "

"The new cable has three phases, i.e. it consists of three separate superconducting cables each 30 metres long spliced into the grid where the voltage is 30 kV. The supercable has a 2000 Amp current rating."

More information can be found on http://www.supercables.com or by addressing Project Manager, Dag Will�, NKT Research, at e-mail: d.willen@nkt-rc.dk

HIGH-TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTORS FIND A VARIETY OF USES
By Kenneth Chang, The New York Times, May 29, 2001

Fifteen years after their discovery, high-temperature superconductors have not come close to the most grandiose projections for their use, like high-speed trains levitated by superconducting magnets.

But the materials, which are able to carry electricity with virtually no resistance at relatively warm temperatures, have found useful niches in the real world.

This month, workers pulled out nine cables from underground conduits at a Detroit power substation so that they could be replaced by the first high-temperature superconductor cables in a working power grid. The three new cables contain only 250 pounds of superconductor, yet they will be able to carry just as much current as the 18,000 pounds of copper in the nine cables they replace. Swapping copper cables for superconducting ones within existing conduits could allow utilities to triple their power capacity
without disruptive digging.

High-temperature superconductors are already used to improve signal reception in cell phone towers and for sensitive magnetic probes in scientific equipment. Efficient electric motors may be next.

. . .

<http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/29/science/29SUPE.html>

NEAL LANE TO JOIN TEXAS CENTER FOR SUPERCONDUCTIVITY ADVISORY BOARD

Former Assistant to the President for Science and Technology to Join Groundbreaking Efforts in Houston

HOUSTON, April 11, 2001 - Neal Lane, former Assistant to the President for Science and Technology - and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy - has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston (TCSUH) http://www.uh.edu/tcsuh.

The term of Lane's appointment is for three years. As an advisory board member, Lane will provide guidance for TCSUH's groundbreaking efforts in unraveling the science of high temperature superconductivity (HTS) and in developing new HTS technologies, especially in the areas of medicine, telecommunication and power devices.

"Neal Lane is a strong addition to an already stellar Advisory Board that has helped shape TCSUH into the premier superconductivity research center in the world," said Arthur K. Smith, chancellor of the University of Houston System and president of the University of Houston. "And Dr. Lane's affiliation with Rice University once again will showcase the collaborative spirit between the city's two leading research universities on a critical area of scientific exploration."

From August 1998 to January 2001, Lane served in the Clinton Administration as assistant to the President for Science and Technology and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Prior to joining the White House team, he was director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and a member of the National Science Board (NSB) from October 1993 to August 1998.

Lane, who was provost at Rice University before being named to the NSF post, returned to Rice this year as University Professor. He holds appointments as a Fellow of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy where he is engaged in matters of science and technology policy, and in the Department of Physics and Astronomy where he is teaching physics and conducting research in atomic and molecular physics.

"Dr. Lane's distinguished academic and teaching career in physics, in addition to his years of outstanding administrative service, brings a unique perspective to our membership," said Corbin J. Robertson, TCSUH Advisory Board Chairman and President of Quintana Minerals Corporation of Houston, Texas.

The Board, whose members represent industry, national laboratories, and universities, serves in an advisory capacity on high temperature superconductivity and related materials science to center Director Paul C. W. Chu and the TCSUH Directorate.

"Dr. Lane's unique experience in science and technology policy, academics, and government will help move TCSUH forward to meet the challenges and capture the opportunities in the new millennium," Chu said.

Chu, who recently announced his appointment as president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology while simultaneously maintaining his research program in high temperature superconductivity at Houston, sees Lane's appointment as an outstanding addition to the TCSUH team.

About the University of Houston

The University of Houston, Texas' premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic, and governmental entities. UH, the most ethnically diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research, and service with more than 32,000 students. For more information about the University of Houston visit its Web site at www.uh.edu.