STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Feb. 19, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Song Networks Svenska AB, the Swedish subsidiary of Song Networks Holding AB (Stockholm:SONW) (Other OTC:SONWF), has signed an agreement with Stena Metall AB concerning the supply of data communication services. The agreement takes in the 80 Stena Metall operating locations in Sweden as well as one office in Denmark, all linked together in a private network via the Song Networks IP VPN solution. These linked offices will gain access to Stena Metall's central IT system as well as to the Internet. The three-year agreement has a value to Song Networks of around SEK 14 million.
Stena Metall is in the process of improving the company's IT environment, making it more efficient. Part of the task will involve centralising server and system operations. With the new solution, the users are going to be given better access to the systems and greatly increased capacity.
"We have just over 80 operating locations in Sweden at which the employees have to come into contact with our corporate business systems. To keep operating costs down for these systems, management and support are centralised in our head office in Gothenburg. The Song IP VPN solution was the best option to make this centralisation possible -- both as regards price and performance, but also from the long-term perspective, if we want to expand with more services, increase capacity or connect our offices in the other Nordic countries," said Bruno Romskaug, IT manager at Stena Metall.
Stena Metall's office in Gothenburg is the main site in the network. To guarantee the other offices accessibility to the local systems, Song has connected this office using double fibre optic connections, both in its connection to the computer network (the IP VPN network) and in its connection to the Internet. In addition, Stena Metall has set up double physical internal networks, an UPS/diesel unit and doubled cooling equipment -- all to guarantee the accessibility of the systems.
"It is really fantastic that Stena Metall is choosing Song Networks to supply its computer network solution. Song currently has the best product portfolio on the market for data communications. And as the only operator with its own network coverage in all of the major cities in the Nordic countries, we are the obvious option for those companies that also have offices outside Sweden," said Mats Almgren, Sales Director at Song Networks.
For further information, please contact:
Song Networks Svenska AB Networks Svenska AB Mats Almgren, sales director Tobias Gyhlenius, press service Tel.: +46 (0)8-5631 02 40 Tel.: +46 (0)8-5631 05 27 Mobile: +46 (0)701-810 240 Mobile: +46 (0)701-810 527 E-mail: E-mail: mats.almgren@songnetworks.se tobias.gyhlenius@songnetworks.se
About Song Networks, formerly Tele1 Europe
Song Networks (Stockholm:SONW) is a data and telecommunications operator with activities in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark. The Company's business concept is to offer the best broadband solution for data communication, Internet and voice to businesses in the Nordic region. The Company has built local access networks in the largest cities in the Nordic region. The Company was founded in 1995 in Sweden and have approximately 800 employees. The head office is located in Stockholm and there are an additional 24 offices located in the Nordic region. www.songnetworks.net
About Stena Metall
Scandinavia's leading recycling company For more than 60 years, Stena Metall has been involved in recycling and is currently the leading recycling company in the Nordic countries. In the Stena Metall Group, an advanced attitude to quality and environmental issues is combined with a solid professionalism. Many companies engage Stena Metall to be certain they are collaborating with a partner that holds quality and environmental certification. There are 7 business areas within the Group: Iron and Metal, Waste Paper, Environmental Service, Oil, Steel, Trading and Finance. Apart from recycling and managing metals, paper, electronics waste, hazardous waste and chemicals, we are also active within the area of Graphical Products. The Group is also actively involved in international trade with steel, metals and oil. The Stena Metall Group has a turnover of SEK 14.6 billion and had an average of 1798 employees during the 2001-2002 financial year. For further details, please refer to www.stenametall.se
Certain statements contained in this press release contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities law. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of Song Networks Holding AB only, and performance is subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements. Such risks include, but are not limited to, adverse regulatory, technological or competitive developments; decline in demand for the company's services or products; inability to timely develop, introduce and market new technologies, products and services; pricing pressures resulting from competition; unforeseen construction delays; and the inability to successfully manage systems failures or shutdowns and service interruptions or reduced services to customers. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and uncertainties affecting the company, please refer to Song Networks Holding AB's reports that are filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's annual report on Form 20-F and reports on Form 6-K.
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