<PAGE> 1
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
October 14, 1997
----------------
(Date of Report)
Western Wireless Corporation
------------------------------------------------------
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Washington 0-28160 91-1638901
---------------------------- --------------------- -------------
(State or other jurisdiction (Commission File No.) (IRS Employer
of incorporation) Identification No.)
2001 NW Sammamish Road, Issaquah, Washington 98027
------------------------------------------------------------
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
(425) 313-5200
----------------------------------------------------
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
<PAGE> 2
ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS.
On October 14, 1997, Western Wireless Corporation issued the following
press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ken Prussing, Investor Relations Laura Cheung
Susan Sercu, Media Relations Hutchison Whampoa Limited
Western Wireless Corporation (852) 2128-1235
(425) 313-5200 fax (852) 2128-1766
[email protected]
[email protected]
WESTERN WIRELESS ANNOUNCES GLOBAL ALLIANCE
HUTCHISON TELECOM TO INVEST OVER $320 MILLION
ISSAQUAH, Wash. (October 14, 1997) -- Western Wireless Corp. (NASDAQ:
WWCA), a leading provider of cellular and personal communications services
(PCS), announced today that Hutchison Telecommunications Limited (HTL) has
agreed to invest approximately $248 million to purchase a 19.9 percent interest
in Western PCS Corp., a subsidiary of Western Wireless Corp. In addition,
Hutchison will purchase an approximate 5-percent interest in Western Wireless
Corp. for approximately $74 million. The investment represents the formation of
a global alliance between two prominent wireless communications companies.
"Hutchison Whampoa and its group companies, which include HTL in Hong Kong
and Orange in the United Kingdom, will be a tremendous partner for our efforts
in continuing to expand our PCS business. Western PCS recently surpassed the
100,000 subscriber threshold, demonstrating our success in building our business
quickly," said John W. Stanton, chairman and chief executive officer of Western
Wireless. "We were the first to launch an auction-awarded system in Honolulu in
February 1996. Since that time we have turned up all of the A- and B-block
licenses awarded to the company, and we were the first to launch a major C-block
license through our Cook Inlet partnership. We anticipate the investment by HTL
will allow us to expand our business and accelerate the development of many
markets purchased in the most recent auctions."
Commenting on the investment, a spokesperson for Hutchison Whampoa Limited
(HWL) said, "We are excited about the opportunity to invest in a company of the
caliber of Western PCS. This is our first major step into the U.S.
telecommunications market. The record of achievement by the Western management
team in building and developing PCS systems in the United States is outstanding.
To us this means that we are investing in one of the best telecommunications
companies in North America. Since one of Hutchison's Hong Kong mobile networks
and Orange's United Kingdom network both operate on a GSM (Global Systems for
Mobile Communications) platform, there will be excellent opportunities for the
development of roaming services with Western PCS' GSM network in the United
States. We look forward to being its partner as Western continues to grow its
business."
<PAGE> 3
Hutchison will purchase newly issued shares representing a 19.9 percent
interest in Western PCS Corp. for approximately $248 million. Western PCS Corp.
is the holding company for all PCS investments by Western Wireless Corp. in the
United States. In addition, Hutchison will purchase newly issued shares
representing an approximate 5-percent interest in the common stock of Western
Wireless Corp. for approximately $74 million. While both transactions are
subject to regulatory approvals, the companies anticipate the investment in
Western Wireless will close in the fourth quarter of 1997 and that the
investment in Western PCS will close in early 1998.
HWL, a conglomerate headquartered in Hong Kong, is engaged in 5 core
businesses: telecommunications; property; ports; retailing and manufacturing;
and energy and infrastructure. HWL recorded 1996 revenues of $4.743 billion and
profits of $1.555 billion. HTL, a subsidiary of HWL, is the largest operator of
mobile telephone and paging services in Hong Kong and also operates a fixed
network in Hong Kong. HWL owns a 49-percent interest in Orange plc, a fast
growing PCS provider in the United Kingdom, which runs the largest independent
service provider of mobile communications in both France and Germany. HWL also
provides telecommunications services in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Thailand, India and Austrailia.
Based in Issaquah, Wash., Western Wireless Corp. is a leading provider of
wireless communications services in the western United States. It currently
offers cellular service marketed under the Cellular One(R) name in 15 western
states and provides PCS marketed under the VoiceStream(R) Wireless name in seven
U.S. metropolitan markets. Western Wireless' PCS network uses the globally
dominant GSM technology. In 1997, Western Wireless was granted PCS licenses for
100 new markets through the Federal Communications Commission's D- and E-block
auctions, and was granted an additional seven markets in the F-block auction
through its partnership with Cook Inlet PCS. As a result, Western Wireless'
combined cellular and PCS licenses, along with its investment in Cook Inlet PCS,
cover 59 percent of the land in the continental United States plus the Hawaiian
Islands.
###
<PAGE> 4
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
WESTERN WIRELESS CORPORATION
/s/ Alan R. Bender
Date October 14, 1997 _____________________________________
Alan R. Bender, Senior Vice President
