XM Satellite Radio Launches First U.S. Digital Satellite Radio Service

Accelerates Launch of Southeast to October; Will Cover Nation in November

XM Satellite Radio
today officially launched the first U.S. digital satellite radio service —
“Radio to the Power of X” — featuring 100 coast-to-coast, digital channels of
music and information.

“What we are doing is launching a powerful new communications and
entertainment medium — what we call ‘Radio to the Power of X,”’ XM President
and CEO Hugh Panero told a crowd of journalists, guests and XM staff gathered
at the company’s headquarters and 80-studio digital broadcast complex in
Northeast Washington.
“We have music channels to soothe your mind and
information channels to fill it.”
The event featured a videolink to XM’s lead
markets in Dallas and San Diego, where customers at retail stores were buying
some of the first XM radios.

XM’s programming lineup features 71 music channels, more than 30 of them
commercial-free; and 29 channels of sports, talk, children’s and entertainment
including 13 premiere news channels covering the latest national, world and
financial developments like CNBC, CNN Headline News, CNNfn, FOX News, ABC News
& Talk, USA Today, Bloomberg, BBC World Service, C-SPAN and its own XM News.
People for the first time will be able to receive on the radio the diverse
selection of 24-hour news sources that they’re used to getting at home on
cable and DirecTV.

As the digital countdown clock in XM’s high-tech glass and chrome
broadcast operations center hit zero, Panero pressed a button on the Star
Trek-like command chair, launching XM’s service.
He then videolinked to
Dallas and San Diego and spoke to some of XM’s first customers.

XM had originally scheduled its commercial launch for Sept. 12 but
postponed it following the tragic events in New York and Washington.
“Today,
like the federal government, the Congress and the stock market, business needs
to get back to business,” Panero said.
“And that includes new businesses like
ours.”

XM Announces Accelerated Launch of Southeast U.S. to mid-October

XM formally launched service today in its two lead markets, Dallas/Fort
Worth and San Diego, covering 8 million people.
XM had activated several
hundred customers in those markets since postponing its original launch.

In three weeks, XM’s rollout expands to the entire Southwest United
States, including such major cities as Los Angeles, Denver and Houston; and to
the entire Southeast, including Atlanta, Miami and New Orleans, covering a
combined 136 million people.
In November, XM expands across the rest of the
country.
XM had originally planned to launch the Southeast in the final phase
of its national rollout, but was able to accelerate launch of that region into
October.

XM Offers an Array of Music and News Channels Unprecedented on Radio

XM extends the reach of America’s most trusted and popular news and
information channels to motorists everywhere across the United States,
ensuring they are never out of touch with the latest news.

On the music end, Panero said, “XM is Mozart and Metallica — Isaac Stern
and Isaac Hayes — Frank Sinatra and Frank Zappa — Bob Marley and Bob Dylan
— Louis Armstrong and Lou Reed.
XM is God Bless America.
XM is Quincy Jones
and Wynton Marsalis, who are part the XM ‘Artists Family’ and will create
programming for us. We are about every artist, across every genre.”

There has always been a unique relationship between technology, innovation
and the distribution of music, news and information, Panero noted.
“Remember
45s, remember vinyl record albums, remember the introduction of FM radio, the
cassette, the Sony Walkman, the compact disc and cable TV with MTV?
They all
had dramatic impacts on music, bringing it to larger audiences in new and
different ways. Remember when there were only three broadcast television
networks? Soon people will say, ‘Remember when there was only AM and FM?’ And
that leads us to XM Satellite Radio.”

XM will transform radio, an industry that has seen little technological
change since FM, almost 40 years ago.
XM is offering its 100 channels of
digital-quality, coast-to-coast sound for $9.99 a month.
Leading
manufacturers will offer 24 models of XM radios, a broad array including
universal models that will easily enable any existing car stereo system to
receive XM service, and new AM/FM/XM systems offering many other great
features.
Sony, Alpine and Pioneer XM radios are being distributed through
major electronics retailers including Best Buy, Circuit City, Tweeter,
participating RadioShack Dealers and Franchisees, Sears and Crutchfield.
Delphi-Delco systems will roll out initially in Cadillac DeVille and Seville
models beginning in November, expanding to more than 20 GM models next year.

XM won several awards at the 2001 International Consumer Electronics Show,
including “Best of CES” in the automotive category.
XM’s strategic investors
include America’s leading car, radio and satellite TV companies — General
Motors, American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Clear Channel Communications and
DIRECTV.
XM has a distribution agreement with General Motors to integrate XM
radios into its vehicles commencing in 2001.
For more information, please
visit XM’s web site: http://www.xmradio.com .

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in
the forward-looking statements in this press release include uncertainties
associated with demand for the company’s service, the company’s dependence on
third party vendors, its continuing need for additional financing, as well as
other risks described in XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.’s Form 8-K filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 2-22-2001. Copies of the filing
are available upon request from XM Radio’ s Investor Relations Department.