Movida Begins Nationwide Rollout With Sprint & Wal-Mart.

The Cisneros Group of Companies announced the first rollout to consumers of Movida, the nation’s first Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) to offer pay-as-you-go wireless communications services specifically targeting the more than 40 million Hispanics living in the United States.

Teaming with Sprint PCS and Wal-Mart the Cisneros Group’s Movida unit is now offering Hispanic consumers in Phoenix and San Diego the first nationwide wireless voice and data service designed to serve the largest and fastest-growing ethnic segment in the United States. Based upon enthusiastic preliminary market response in these two key markets, the Cisneros Group has decided to accelerate the rollout of Movida to the rest of the U.S. by year-end, well ahead of the original rollout plan. This includes launching Puerto Rico in August, Florida/Georgia in September, and Illinois/Michigan in October.

Enrique J. Garcia, the veteran Latin American telecommunications executive recently appointed as the first Chairman of the Board of Movida, said, “We want to thank Sprint PCS and Wal-Mart for their support in this first stage of the launch of Movida and look forward to their support in the special events and other promotional activities planned for the second phase of our rollout. To better serve our customers, we will also accelerate the introduction of additional handsets and a camera phone.”