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Net2Phone
and TSTT Sign Exclusive Retail VoIP Partnership
Newark, NJ and Port of Spain, Trinidad - February 9, 2004 - Net2Phone
Global Services (NGS), LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Net2Phone,
Inc. (Nasdaq: NTOP), the leading provider of retail Voice over IP
(VoIP) services, and Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and
Tobago (TSTT), the only licensed telecommunications provider in
Trinidad and Tobago, today announced an agreement to market a suite
of co-branded retail services in Trinidad and Tobago using Net2Phones
hosted VoIP platform. The exclusive agreement builds on the flexibility
of Net2Phone Global Services hosted platform to deliver multiple
VoIP products and services utilizing one robust platform at a low
cost to service providers. The Trinidad and Tobago government has
a 51% stake in TSTT and operating partner Cable & Wireless,
PLC (NYSE: CWP) owns 49%.
Under the two-year exclusive agreement, Net2Phone will work in
conjunction with TSTT to deliver VoIP calling cards, including prefix
dialing services, (similar to 10-10 services in the US), and Internet
telephony call shop services. Launched today in a major kickoff
event, the cards are being marketed and distributed by TSTT through
third-party retail outlets throughout the country. A detailed description
of the calling cards, including camera-ready photos can be found
at:
http://www.net2phone.com/solutions/callingcard/tstt.
To address the growing community of Trinidadians living abroad,
the companies are also working together to develop a calling card
that can be used in Trinidad and Tobago as well as additional countries
such as the US, UK and Canada, allowing friends and family to share
one account to make calls to and from their respective countries.
We are very enthusiastic about empowering our customers island-wide
with calling services supported by Net2Phones VoIP technology.
We are particularly excited about the Net2Phone powered calling
cards, enabling consumers around the country to place inexpensive
calls using any of TSTTs 2600-plus public payphones,
said Samuel Martin, CEO of TSTT. Net2Phone has demonstrated
its ability to quickly deliver quality services to our customers,
by assisting us to launch the calling cards within 30 days of signing
the contract. We look forward to an evolving long-term relationship
with them, continuing to deliver exceptional products to our customers.
TSTT is now a pioneer among PTTs, deploying retail VOIP solutions
nationwide and addressing the growing need for affordable international
telecommunications services, said Bryan Wiener, President
of Net2Phone Global Services. Telcos like TSTT are now looking
at Net2Phone as an enabler for retail VoIP services instead of a
competitive threat in their markets.
This partnership builds on Net2Phone Global Services strategy
to offer hosted VoIP solutions to partners globally, enabling them
to expedite their time to market while benefiting from outsourcing
their deployments to a provider that has the technical expertise,
robust back-office and worldwide network to support multiple services
on a single platform. Net2Phone helps reduce partners capex
and opex by managing all the back office billing, account generation,
rating, routing and provisioning, while partners are responsible
for sales, marketing, first level customer support and distribution.
About Net2Phone
Founded in 1995, Net2Phone is a leading provider of retail VoIP
services globally, comprised of two wholly owned subsidiaries. Net2Phone
Global Services ("NGS") provides consumers and small businesses
globally with bundled voice and enhanced services either directly
or via partners. Net2Phone Cable Telephony ("NCT") provides
cable operators with a turn-key solution to deliver residential
phone service to their subscribers. While the opportunities for
each unit differ, each division relies on quality partners for distribution
and each utilizes a centralized platform to deliver retail services
at a low incremental cost. Traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol
NTOP, Net2Phone's strategic partners and investors include Liberty
Media Corporation (NYSE: L; LMC.B) and IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT;
IDT.C). For more information about Net2Phone's products and services,
please visit www.net2phone.com.
About TSTT
Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago Limited is the
sole licensed provider of telephone services in Trinidad and Tobago.
The company is jointly owned by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago
(51%) and Cable & Wireless (49%). Over the past 5 years TSTT's
customer base has grown on average by 4.8% and stood at 324,330
lines as of December of 2002. Services provided include basic telephony,
mobile (GSM & TDMA), Internet, lease lines and data services.
The switching and transport infrastructure are both 100% digital.
The transport network comprises primarily fibre optic based systems
supported by microwave radio systems. Key customers include banking
and insurance, petroleum and energy based industries, government
and tourism. More information about TSTT can be found at http://www.tstt.co.tt.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
These forward- looking statements involve risks and uncertainties
and actual results could differ materially from those discussed
in the forward-looking statements. For this purpose, any statements
contained in this press release that are not statements of historical
fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Factors which
may affect the Company's results include, but are not limited to,
the Company's ability to expand its customer base, the Company's
ability to develop additional and leverage its existing distribution
channels for its products and solutions, dependence on strategic
and channel partners including their ability to distribute the Company's
products and meet or renew their financial commitments, the Company's
ability to address international markets, the effectiveness of the
Company's sales and marketing activities, the acceptance of the
Company's products in the marketplace, the timing and scope of deployments
of the Company's products by customers, fluctuations in customer
sales cycles, customers' ability to obtain additional funding, technical
difficulties with respect to the Company's products or products
in development, the need for ongoing product development in an environment
of rapid technological change, the emergence of new competitors
in the marketplace, the Company's ability to compete successfully
against established competitors with greater resources, the uncertainty
of future governmental regulation, the Company's ability to manage
growth, obtain patent protection, and obtain additional funds, general
economic conditions and other risks discussed in this Report and
in the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. All forward-looking statements and risk factors included
in this document are made as of the date hereof, based on information
available to the Company as of the date thereof, and the Company
assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or
risk factors.
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