SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE: SBC) today announced it has exceeded its goal to increase business conducted with minority-, women- and disabled-veteran-owned business enterprises.

This milestone comes a year after SBC and 13 other telecommunications companies at SUPERCOMM 1999 issued the "Supplier Diversity Challenge" to the entire industry - to develop world-class supplier diversity programs and work toward purchasing 10 percent of goods and services each year from minority-, women- and disabled-veteran-owned suppliers.

In 1999, SBC purchased an industry-leading 21.9 percent of goods and services from diversity suppliers - including a significant amount to support the company's key data initiatives. SBC's results were aggregated with those of other Supplier Diversity Challenge participants, and announced last week at SUPERCOMM 2000.

"SBC is extremely proud of this accomplishment," said Stephen Welch, President, SBC Procurement. "But we're not finished. We plan to further extend our commitment of including and developing minority-, women- and disabled-veteran-owned business enterprises in the telecommunications supply chain through 2000 and beyond."

Long before issuing the Supplier Diversity Challenge, SBC had established a strong track record in its commitment to supplier diversity. SBC established its Supplier Diversity Program in 1968, and since 1995 has increased spending with certified diversity suppliers by 88 percent. Today, the company leads the telecommunications industry with more than $1.6 billion in spending with minority-, women- and disabled-veteran-owned businesses. In fact, SBC's Pacific Bell subsidiary leads the industry with 31 percent of procurement dollars going to diversity suppliers.

In recognition of its commitment, SBC in 1999 earned several important distinctions, including being named "Corporation of the Year" by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). SBC also was named one of America's Top Corporations for Women's Enterprises by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), and the Association for Service Disabled Veterans (ASDV) ranked SBC the top performer in its inaugural release of the Patriot Index.

Other companies that joined SBC in the Supplier Diversity Challenge in 1999 were: Alcatel, Bell Atlantic, Bell South, CTDI, Fujitsu, Graybar, GTE, Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Nortel Networks, Siemens and US West.

SBC Communications Inc. (www.sbc.com) is a global communications leader. Through its subsidiaries' trusted brands - Southwestern Bell, Ameritech, Pacific Bell, SBC Telecom, Nevada Bell, SNET and Cellular One - and world-class network, SBC's subsidiaries provide local and long-distance phone service, wireless and data communications, paging, high-speed Internet access and messaging, cable and satellite television, security services and telecommunications equipment, as well as directory advertising and publishing. In the United States, the company currently has 94.1 million voice grade equivalent lines, 11.7 million wireless customers and is undertaking a national expansion program that will bring SBC service to an additional 30 markets. Internationally, SBC has telecommunications investments in 22 countries. With more than 208,000 employees, SBC is the 13th largest employer in the U.S., with annual revenues that rank it among the largest Fortune 500 companies.

SBC Communications Inc.

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