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Concert Global Clearinghouse
and iBasis Announce Interconnection of their Internet
Telephony Networks
Leaders
in VoIP To Exchange International Voice and Fax Traffic,
Leverage Combined Footprint to Broaden Global Reach
Burlington,
Mass.-May 15, 2000-Concert,
the AT&T/BT global communications venture, and iBasis,
Inc., (Nasdaq: IBAS), leaders in advanced Internet-based
communications, today announced an agreement that will
enable the two companies to exchange international voice
and fax traffic as well as leverage a combined VoIP
(Voice over Internet-Protocol) footprint to service
new markets and broaden their networks' global reach.
This agreement will result in seamless connectivity
between Concert Global Clearinghouse's service provider
members and The iBasis Network™, the world's largest
international Cisco Powered Network™ for Internet telephony.
Both iBasis and the Concert Global Clearinghouse provide
traditional carriers, ISPs and next-gen telcos comprehensive
solutions that enable them to quickly and efficiently
extend their global footprint and expand their international
services.
"Interconnecting our network to The iBasis Network
creates an IP-based communications service of unmatched
capacity, quality and global reach," said Cathy
Martine, President, International Carrier Services,
Concert. "As the demand for Internet telecommunications
services continues to grow, this relationship between
two of the leading VoIP carriers represents increased
business opportunity and greater choice to both Concert's
and iBasis' wholesale customers."
"Adding Concert as a strategic partner further
extends our leadership as the VoIP provider of choice
for many of the world's largest carriers," said
Ofer Gneezy, president and CEO, iBasis. "Concert's
network is an excellent complement to our own extensive
global footprint and combined with the traffic exchange
established by this agreement significantly enhances
the value of both networks and reinforces our position
as co-leaders of the burgeoning Internet telephony market."
The Concert IP Network
The Concert Global Clearinghouse is supported by Concert's
new, high speed, global Internet Protocol backbone network,
which offers a robust communications platform for Global
Clearinghouse members. Members can connect directly
to the IP backbone from 21 cities in 17 countries, enabling
them to deliver faster and higher quality Internet communications
services to their customers. When the Concert network
is fully integrated with the AT&T Network Services
(AGNS) network, within the next 12-15 months, the Concert
IP backbone will extend to more than 60 cities worldwide.
The iBasis Network
The iBasis Network is a high capacity, carrier-class
VoIP infrastructure that provides toll quality (the
industry term for the highest level of service quality
obtainable) international voice and fax service for
more than 70 international carriers, including 11 of
the top 12 US international carriers, into virtually
every region of the world, as well as advanced hosted
services, such as VoCore.
About The Concert Global Clearinghouse (www.concert.com/clearinghouse)
Formerly known as AT&T Global Clearinghouse, the
Concert Global Clearinghouse is now being offered as
a premier product of Concert, the AT&T/BT global
communications venture. The Global Clearinghouse offers
complete Internet communications service solutions for
ISPs, ITSPs, carriers and next generation telcos, enabling
them to offer a full range of services, including phone-to-phone
voice and fax services and other value-added applications.
The Global Clearinghouse acts as an intermediary for
the financial settlement of Internet telephony traffic
and guarantees payment to all members. It is the fastest
growing clearinghouse,* and offers termination in 220
countries through its member network.
About Concert [www.concert.com]
Concert combines the innovation, creativity and daring
of a start-up with the strengths and experience of its
market leading parents-AT&T and BT. Designed and
built from the ground up to serve the needs of multinational
businesses, international carriers and Internet Service
Providers, the company is committed to making global
communications seamless, reliable and hassle-free for
customers. The company is built on a foundation of unparalleled
network capabilities, unprecedented global reach, and
unmatched technology pedigree.
About iBasis
Founded in 1996, iBasis (Nasdaq: IBAS) is the leader
in advanced Internet-based communications. iBasis has
built the world's first global IP network that delivers
toll quality voice and fax service and other advanced
hosted communications solutions, including VoCore, to
global tier one carriers and other service providers.
The iBasis NetworkTM is the world's largest international
Cisco Powered Network for Internet Telephony. More than
70 international carriers are iBasis customers, including
11 of the top 12 US international carriers. The company
can be reached at its worldwide headquarters in Burlington,
Mass., USA at 781-505-7500 or on the Internet at www.ibasis.net.
iBasis has a long-standing strategic relationship with
Cisco, as an alliance partner, an ecosystem partner,
and one of only 21 Cisco service provider global accounts.
Except for historical information, all of the expectations,
projections and assumptions contained in the foregoing
press release constitute forward-looking statements
under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995 and involve risks and uncertainties. Important
factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from such forward-looking statements include,
but are not limited to, the considerations described
as "Risk Factors" in iBasis' prospectuses
dated March 9, 2000, and the company's other SEC filings.
###
iBasis, The iBasis Network and Assured Quality Routing
are registered trademarks of iBasis, Inc. Cisco and
Cisco Powered Network are registered trademarks of
Cisco Systems, Inc
* "IP Telephony
Clearinghouses - A New Business Model". Published
November 1999 by iLocus. iLocus, a division of Cape
Saffron Ltd., is a UK-based research group focused
on the IP telephony industry. http://www.ilocus.com.
The Concert Global Clearinghouse has had more than
a 20% increase in new members since December 1999,
with a current membership of more almost 100 carriers
and ISPs.
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