ACC Announces Acquisition, Signs Interconnect Agreement

Posted: 02/1998

ACC Announces Acquisition, Signs Interconnect Agreement

ROCHESTER, N.Y.–With the German telecommunications market slated for deregulation Jan.
1, ACC Corp.’s wholly owned subsidiary, ACC Telekommunikation GmbH, has acquired
TeleNational Communications Deutschland (TNC), a privately held German telecom services
provider. TNC supplies prepaid calling cards in Germany, and supports affinity programs
with corporations such as Lufthansa, Citibank and Diners Club.

"This acquisition gives us an immediate customer and revenue base, and adds
significant resources to our management team in Germany," said David Laniak, chair
and CEO of ACC. In related news, ACC has signed an interconnect agreement with Deutsche
Telekom and currently is installing a switch in Dusseldorf. The agreement outlines
organizational and technical details for using Deutsche Telekom’s network, and includes
provisional rates based on those set by the German Post and Telecommunication Ministry.

WorldxChange Prepares for Deregulation

SAN DIEGO–WorldxChange Communications recently enhanced its Wholesale Carrier
Services-International division, focusing its efforts on meeting the needs of emerging
telecommunications carriers throughout Europe.

WorldxChange also received an International Facilities License from the British
Department of Trade and Industry, which authorizes the company to own and operate segments
of international submarine cable facilities. With the granting of this license,
WorldxChange has purchased interests in several trans-Atlantic cable systems.

TELMEX Places Order for DCMS, DCMS Plus

GAITHERSBURG, Md.–ACE*COMM Corp. recently received a $1 million order from Telefonos
de Mexico for distributed call management systems (DCMS) and DCMS Plus. These systems will
provide DCMS redundancy for about 20 long distance switches and DCMS Plus redundancy for
about 20 local switches.

"ACE*COMM products are collecting TELMEX’s billing data from Lucent, Nortel,
Alcatel and Ericsson switches using multiple interface protocols. As their network
engineers and vendors change file formats or implement switch upgrades, ACE*COMM needs
only to modify the DCMS software to accommodate these changes," said Thomas Russotto,
vice president of the Tel*Com division for ACE*COMM.

Saville Expands in Europe

BURLINGTON, Mass.–To continue growth for its Convergent Billing Platform (CBP),
Saville Systems has opened a third European office that will support telecom service
providers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Eastern Europe. Also, Saville has agreed to
provide its CBP to EnerTel, a Dutch telecom provider, enabling the company to bring
national and international telecom services to the newly deregulated market.

"Flexible billing and customer care are major differentiators for us as we go
head-to-head with PTT [Neder-land]," said Ad Ketelaars, EnerTel’s managing director.
"It is important that EnerTel invest in a billing system that can meet our future
needs as well as our initial requirements."

RSL Expands Operations

HAMILTON, Bermuda–RSL Communications, Ltd., through its U.S. operating unit, RSL COM
U.S.A. Inc., and Japan Telecom Co., Ltd., have signed an operation agreement to exchange
telephone traffic between the United States and Japan.

RSL also announced it will be expanding its telecom facilities into Switzerland and
Spain. In Switzerland, RSL acquired an 80 percent interest in Zurich-based long distance
company, Callcom. Alexander Rivas-Micoud will be establishing RSL’s operations in Spain.

Lucent to Provide Network for Retevision

MADRID–Lucent Technologies has won a $45 million contract to provide the first phase
of Spanish telecommunications services provider Retevision’s new telecom network.

Lucent will supply, install and maintain Retevision’s intelligent network, which will
be based on Lucent’s 5ESS-2000 digital switching system. With its new network, Retevision
will offer its customers toll-free calling services and will gather customer demographics
for billing purposes.

International Telcom Denounces SATRA Ruling

SEATTLE–International Telcom, Ltd. (ITL) has denounced a recent ruling on the
prohibition of callback services by the South African Telecommunications Regulatory
Authority (SATRA). "This decision is a major setback for the South African consumer
and is in direct opposition with the goals of the 1997 World Trade Organization
agreement," said Joel Eisenberg, chair of ITL.

SATRA ruled that callback usage, operations and all associated support activities
within its borders are to be outlawed. The South African Callback Association (SACBA) and
its attorneys said that SATRA did not act in accordance with the Telecommunications Act of
1996 and that, accordingly, all necessary steps will be taken by SACBA attorneys to
contest the latest ruling and eventually reverse it.

Alcatel to Build Pan-European Network

PARIS–WorldCom has contracted Alcatel to build a high-speed fiber optic network in
Europe. This is a turnkey project consisting of a terrestrial network, including
cross-channel cable links between UK-Netherlands and UK-France.

Not only will WorldCom’s network link London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Brussels and Paris,
but the company also has regulatory approval to build networks offering national and
international services in Britain, Netherlands, Germany, France and Sweden.

RSL Receives German Class 4 License

HAMILTON, Bermuda–RSL Communications, Ltd., announced that RSL COM Germany, a
subsidiary of RSL COM Europe, was granted a Germany-wide, Class 4 license for public
switched telephony services by the Federal Ministry of Post and Telecommunications.

"The new license, which provides a five-digit access code to the RSL network, will
make it much easier for RSL COM to compete effectively against Deutsche Telecom and other
facilities-based carriers and resellers," said Itzhak Fisher, president and CEO of
RSL Communications.

In related news, RSL’s wholly owned subsidiary, RLS COM U.S.A. Inc., has agreed to
acquire LDM Systems Inc., a New York-based long distance reseller. The acquisition will
benefit the company’s customer base, facilities and management skills, according to
Fisher.

Coronado Introduces Direct-Dial Service from Europe

SAN DIEGO–Coronado Telecom has established a direct-dial switching service from 29
cities in Europe, letting clients make international calls without using a callback
trigger connection from the United States. By dialing a local number to one of the 29
cities, a person can place calls to any country in the world. Called EuroDirect, this
direct-dial service began operations late in 1997.

"The trend in international telecommunications is moving toward direct-dial
because local telephone companies are beginning to allow competition within their
countries," said Michael McClure, president of Coronado Telecom.

AMS Better Serves Telecom

FAIRFAX, Va.–American Management Systems (AMS), a technology consulting company, is
increasing its focus on telecommunications with a new market-focused organization. By
restructuring its telecommunications group, AMS will focus on the Americas, Europe and
Asia-Pacific.

According to Paul Brands, CEO of AMS, the new effort consists of "small, more
focused operating units" that will let AMS create unique offerings to help clients
gain greater management control and accountability. Gregory Hero and Richard Reid have
been named deputy managers of the worldwide telecommunications practice.

Lucent, Finolex Receive Optical Fiber Order

NEW DELHI–Lucent Technologies’ joint venture with Finolex received an $11.1 million
order from Bharti Telenet to manufacture and supply the optical fiber cable for Bharti’s
basic telecommunications services project in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. Bharti’s
project is scheduled for completion by the end of next year.