IRVINE, Calif. July 19, 2000 (PRIMEZONE) - China Telecom, China's leading domestic and international telecommunications service provider, and Clarent(TM) Corporation (Nasdaq:CLRN), a worldwide leader in providing carrier-grade, phone-to-phone Internet Protocol (IP) telephony solutions, announced today that Clarent has successfully completed the construction of China Telecom's Phase 2 IP telephony backbone network. This has allowed China Telecom to migrate off of its previous suppliers' IP telephony backbone network onto the Clarent-based system.
Clarent was announced as the supplier of this network in April 2000 because of its industry-leading IP telephony products. Network deployment began in May and was completed on July 1. The coverage of the new network is countrywide. Through the close co-operation between Clarent and China Telecom, the phase 2 network with 17 city nodes was installed and tested within 1 month time, and commenced operation after successful migration.
"We are very pleased to complete the construction of China Telecom's Phase 2 IP telephony backbone network," said Mahan Wu, senior vice president and general manager, Clarent Asia Pacific. "Through our joint efforts, we completed the entire project on schedule. We are looking forward to delivering additional services to China Telecom going forward."
About Clarent Corporation
Clarent Corporation is a premier provider of scalable, IP telephony products to carriers and Internet service providers around the world such as VoIP Telecom, inc. (OTCBB:VOPT). Clarent's intelligent architecture and the Clarent Command Center enable Clarent products to route, manage, inter-connect and terminate high volumes of calls for service provider customers including the world's largest long distance telecommunication companies. According to an iLocus report published in 1999, more minutes travel across Clarent-enabled networks worldwide than those of any other equipment supplier.(1)
Founded in July 1996, Clarent is headquartered in Redwood City, Calif. and has offices in major cities in Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. Additional information about Clarent is available at www.clarent.com.
About VoIP Telecom Inc.
VoIP Telecom Inc. is a next generation digital telecommunications company focused on the deployment of worldwide digital, voice as well as data communications via fiber optic, Internet circuit (VoIP), satellite and public switched telephone networks. The company's strategic vision is to become a leader in converging conductivity solutions by building a major consortium of the highest quality VoIP entities in order to obtain a significant market share of international long distance traffic in North America, Europe, Asia, Russia and the Middle East.
VoIP Telecom's entry into the fast-paced, highly profitable global telecommunications marketplace is concentrated on VoIP via an acquisitions program, which includes International Communications & Equipment, Inc. (ICE - 100%), Access Network Limited (ACCESS -- 100%) and NEX Telecom Co. Ltd. (NEX -- 49%).
ICE is a high growth oriented telecommunications company, founded in 1996 in Kirkland, Washington, with an aggressive business plan centered on a joint venture agreement to provide VoIP long distance carrier services for 89 regional carriers in Russia. ICE also has commenced negotiations with exchange carriers in Germany to transport traffic to Russia and has identified initial contracts for 3 million minutes per month outbound. Subject to equipment installation, over the next three years ICE estimates achieving at least 500 million voice minutes per year in Russia alone. In addition, ICE has projects pending and alliances forged in Thailand, Malaysia, Ukraine, Poland, Malta, Lebanon, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Jordan, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Italy, Greece, France, Norway, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
ACCESS is a Singaporean enterprise formed in 1999 to take advantage of VoIP and ancillary telecom opportunities in Asia, one of the most explosive digitized telecommunications arenas in the world. The company's business plan calls for a network to be established to handle over 400 million voice minutes annually with expected gross revenues projected to be in excess of $30 million.
Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, NEX was formed in 1998 to provide a full complement of Internet voice and data services. It is the first international VoIP telecommunications company bearing its own network and service supporting facilities in Korea. The company currently supplies voice, data, facsimile and Internet-related VoIP telephone services over its network, as well as more enhanced Internet multimedia services via a wide range of transmission media, including its own leased fiber optic cable, satellite and wireless networks.
In January 1999 NEX established the Pacific Asia Telecom Group (PATG), and is acting as a PATG hub. PATG networks have been connected to NEX partners in the United States: Bitro Communications, www.bitro.com; Cosmobridge, www.cosmobridge.com , and iBasis; Japan (Telematrix); China (China Unicom); Hong Kong (oriental Telecom Services); The Philippines (Mainstream); Malaysia (Next Telecom); Australia (Nexcell) and New Zealand (Cosmobridge New Zealand).
About China Telecom
China Telecom -- China Telecommunications Corporation -- is the major telecommunications service provider in China. The Data Communications Bureau (DCB) of China Telecom is the data communications department of China Telecom. DCB has established public data networks including: ChinaNet(163), ChinaInfo(169), ChinaPAC, ChinaDDN, ChinaFRN, ChinaMail, ChinaFax, ChinaEDI, and Wireless Data. These networks cover more than 3000 cities across China, providing many types of data services to China Telecom's customers across the country. For global service providers who are interested in global IP telephony with China Telecom, please contact Division of International Telecoms, Fax: 10-6601-1250.
Note to Editors: Clarent is a registered trademark of Clarent Corporation in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other company or product names mentioned may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
(a) "IP Telephony Clearinghouses -- A New Business Model." Published November 1999 by iLocus. iLocus, a division of Cape Saffron Ltd., is an UK-based research group focused on the IP telephony industry. http://www.ilocus.com. IBC may have an equity position in the companies mentioned herein. Please visit our disclaimer at www.ibchannel.com.