Business News - News Briefs June 1999

Posted: 06/1999

News Briefs

Sprint Acquires Broadband Wireless Company

Bringing wireless access to its Integrated On-demand Network (ION), Sprint has entered
a definitive merger agreement with People’s Choice TV (PCTV), Shelton, Conn. PCTV has
licenses to provide wireless broadband services in Chicago; Detroit; Indianapolis;
Houston; Phoenix; St. Louis; Milwaukee; Salt Lake City; Tucson, Ariz.; and Albuquerque,
N.M., reaching more than 7.8 million households. Sprint ION is available to large
businesses; products for consumers and small business will roll out beginning fourth
quarter.

Billing Concepts Separates Lines of Business

Billing Concepts Corp., San Antonio, announced it will separate its businesses into two
separate public companies–one encompassing its systems and software business and the
other its local exchange carrier (LEC) billing services. The latter will retain the
Billing Concepts name. Separate missions, financial, investment and operating
characteristics were cited as the reason for the split. Stockholders will receive one
share of the new, unnamed company for each share of Billing Concepts’ stock owned.

C&W to Invest $670 Million in Internet Network

As its relationship with MCI WorldCom Inc., from which it purchased an Internet
backbone, turns litigious, Cable & Wireless USA, Vienna, Va., says it will invest $670
million over the next two years to build a new USA Internet network, which will link more
than 60 metropolitan areas across the United States.

The company has entered into an agreement with Level 3 Communications Inc., Omaha,
Neb., to purchase 15,000 route miles of dark fiber for the new network, which will include
transmission equipment at 9.6 gigabits per second (gbps) and use advanced routing and
switching technology from Juniper Networks, Mountain View, Calif., and FORE Systems Inc.,
Pittsburgh. The network will link to parent company Cable & Wireless plc’s global
network, including its Internet backbone in Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions.

Cable & Wireless filed a lawsuit March 31, 1998, against MCI WorldCom for failure
to fulfill the terms of the September 1998 agreement under which Cable & Wireless
purchased the MCI Internet business for $1.75 billion.

Teleflex Wins IBM Award

Teleflex Systems Inc., Boca Raton, Fla., has been named first-quarter 1999 winner of
Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM Corp.’s Powered by AS/400e Award. IBM’s AS/400 General Manager Tom
Jarosh presented the award to Teleflex President and CEO David M. Ostrower at a Business
Partner Awards Dinner in New Orleans earlier this year.

The billing and voice-processing systems designer received the award–which is for IBM
business partners that give customers award-winning e-commerce solutions–for providing
its Teleflex Genius System to UniversalCom Inc., Destin, Fla. The system runs on an
AS/400e with a native Windows NT integrated server.

InfoDirections Signs Marketing Agreement with CCMI

InfoDirections Inc. (IDI), Victor, N.Y., and the Center for Communications Management
Inc. (CCMI), Rockville, Md., announced a marketing agreement that features the use of
CCMI’s QTEL 9000 databases in the IDI CostGuard billing, rating and customer care system.

Excel Acquires RAScom

Excel Switching Corp., Hyannis, Mass., has agreed to acquire RAScom, Salem, N.H., a
provider of remote access service technology, thereby adding data capabilities to the
Expandable Switching System. The integrated product will give access providers the ability
to offer packet-oriented data services with circuit-based telecom service, eliminating the
need for separate switching, signaling system 7 (SS7) gateways, packet routing and remote
access systems.

Intervoice, Brite To Merge

Call automation vendor Intervoice Inc., Dallas, announced in late April that it has
signed a definitive agreement to acquire the outstanding common stock of competitor Brite
Voice Systems Inc., Heathrow, Fla., for $164.4 million. The combined entity will be called
InterVoice Brite.

AT&T Purchases SmarTalk

AT&T Corp. has completed the purchase of substantially all of the assets of prepaid
services provider SmarTalk TeleServices Inc., Dublin, Ohio, for approximately $145
million. In January SmarTalk filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in the bankruptcy court,
district of Delaware. In a statement, the company said it expects to use SmarTalk’s retail
distribution channel and its platform technology to accelerate the growth of its own
prepaid business.