Parents and Kids Grapple With Wireless Etiquette as Cell Calls and
Texting Become Permanent Fixtures at Holiday Gatherings
T-Mobile Survey Shows 67 Percent Find Mobile Phone Use at Holiday
Gatherings Now Acceptable; 35 Percent of Young Adults Admit to Texting
Under the Table During Holiday Dinners

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new T-Mobile survey on mobile
communications during the holiday season shows that active use of cell
phones, instant messaging and texting devices is creating new family
dynamics at holiday dinners and family gatherings.

In the survey:

Seventy percent of young adults (ages 18–22) and 56 percent of parents
surveyed say they've made or answered wireless calls during a holiday
gathering.
Thirty-five percent of young adults say they've read or sent an e-mail
or text message under the dinner table during a holiday family
gathering.
In addition, 67 percent of parents and young adults now agree that it
is okay to use their mobile phone during holiday gatherings. Moreover,
73 percent of people surveyed agree the mobile phone can improve the
holidays by keeping people in touch with those not there in person.
"We're seeing that new habits — namely mobile communications — are
impacting age-old traditions," says Dr. Tracy Wellens, vice president
of Consumer Insights, T-Mobile USA. "Wireless communication makes it
possible to include more people than ever before at family gatherings.
Loved ones who can't be there in person still can experience these
special times remotely through a steady stream of mobile calls,
picture and text messages."

"Being together for the holidays remains important to parents and kids
alike, but access to wireless devices creates an interesting balancing
act for families," Wellens says. "For example, while parents want to
support their kids staying connected with friends who can't join them
at holiday events, ensuring their kids are 'fully present' at these
special gatherings often requires setting ground rules in advance."

Many young people also are sensitive to the importance of fully
engaging with friends and family during holiday gatherings. In the
survey, although young adults are clearly more active users of cell
phones and texting devices than their parents during the holiday
season, some admit to feeling concerned about using their device
during these special gatherings. For example, of those young adults
who thought it was not okay to use a mobile phone during a holiday
gathering, 35 percent of them cite the need to be focused on spending
time with family.

"There's a sense of guilt among some young people about using their
cell phone or texting device during the holidays," Wellens says. "This
leads to them concealing the activity or disappearing altogether
during special holiday get-togethers. Yet, these young people have the
same motivations as their parents — they want to stay connected with
people who matter — particularly during meaningful times of the year.
For that reason, it's important for parents and their children to work
together to figure out how to incorporate mobile communications into
holiday celebrations so that everyone feels a part of the fun."

On-the-Go Holidays

Also notable in the survey is that mobile communications is now seen
as one of the leading ways people stay connected with those who are
important to them during the holiday season.

In the survey:

When asked about keeping in touch with family during the holidays, 65
percent of all people surveyed say they use mobile phones while only
47 percent cite using traditional mail (such as holiday cards).
When it comes to communicating with friends, young adults are much
more likely to use a mobile phone (84 percent) versus other forms of
communication such as traditional mail or holiday cards (23 percent).
Thirty-two percent of parents and young adults surveyed use instant
messages to stay connected with friends during the holidays.
Twenty-three percent use text messages, and 22 percent use social
networking sites.
Holiday Cell Phone Etiquette Tips

To successfully manage the balance between engaging with friends and
family at holiday gatherings and maintaining connections with others
who can't be there, Laurie Puhn, relationship and communication expert
and author of "Instant Persuasion: How to Change Your Words to Change
Your Life," suggests the following do's and don'ts:

1. Don't isolate yourself at a holiday gathering to make private calls
or text message under the table. Do include other people at the
gathering by putting your cell phone on speaker to call your favorite
faraway relatives or friends so everyone can share in the moment.

2. Don't give in to the pressure to answer your cell phone every time
it rings. Do allow your voicemail to be your "personal secretary" and
take the message for you.

3. Don't assume parents or grandparents aren't interested in staying
connected with people by wireless phone or text messaging. Do take the
time to show others how to use the latest innovations on wireless
phones and devices.

4. Don't be a "conversation paratrooper" and suddenly bail out of a
holiday chat just because a text message or mobile call has come in.
Do make a positive impression by alerting your conversation partner in
advance that you are expecting an important call or message and will
need to excuse yourself when it happens.

5. Don't assume kids are wasting time by chatting or texting via their
mobile device. Do show an active interest in the friends your kids are
connecting with. Better still, encourage your kids to invite these
friends over in person for the next holiday gathering.

To learn more, visit www.myFaves.com. The T-Mobile survey, conducted
by Ipsos in September 2006, fielded responses from more than 1,000
mobile communications users and has a margin of error of plus or minus
4.6 percent.

About T-Mobile USA

Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile USA, Inc. is a member of the
T-Mobile International group, one of the world's leading companies in
mobile communications, and the mobile telecommunications subsidiary of
Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT). At the end of September 2006, more
than 91 million mobile customers were served by companies of the
Deutsche Telekom group — 24.1 million by T-Mobile USA — all via a
common technology platform based on GSM, the world's most successful
digital wireless standard. T-Mobile's innovative wireless products and
services help empower people to connect effortlessly to those who
matter most. Multiple independent research studies continue to rank
T-Mobile highest, in numerous regions throughout the U.S., in wireless
call quality and wireless customer care. For more information, please
visit the company's Web site at www.t-mobile.com.