Company Plans 12 On-Net Cities by Summer, 50 Worldwide by Year-End
Tuesday April 21, 8:32 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
FNet Corp. To Build Voice Over IP Network
Former MCI Executive James Magruder Heads Effort as CEO
Company Plans 12 On-Net Cities by Summer, 50 Worldwide by Year-End
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 21, 1998--FNet Corp., an independent
Internet subsidiary of Franklin Telecom (OTC:FTEL - news), announced today it will provide Internet
telephone service through 12 domestic and international points of presence (POP) beginning in July and
that it plans to have 50 on-net cities up and running by the end of the year.
According to FNet chief executive officer James L. Magruder, ''The Internet Telephony services market
is perhaps the most exciting sector in today's high tech arena, and we are committed to providing the
finest quality domestic and international voice traffic by using the Franklin Tempest (R) Data Voice
Gateway, noted for its superior voice over IP performance.''
Magruder said, ''FNet has a significant competitive edge because of our unique vertical integration, from
the design and manufacture of Franklin hardware to the deployment and management of our Internet
network. The network we are building has complete world-wide off-net switching capability, and by
integrating our IP technology with conventional telephony technology we are able to offer the highest
quality call for the least cost.''
By this summer, Magruder said FNet will deploy eight domestic POP's utilizing a previously announced
strategy to collocate its Internet telephone network in selected WorldCom cities. At the same time, FNet
will build four international POP's, also utilizing the Tempest Data Voice Gateways. The company is
accelerating its international presence as part of its plan to have at least 50 on-net cities in operation
worldwide by the end of the year.
''Our management team is well versed in what it takes to build a successful service company. We also
have experience and contacts in the international telephony community which will be extremely helpful to
us in meeting our milestones,'' Magruder said.
Magruder's thirty two years of experience in the telecommunications industry includes service as president
and chief operating officer of Zephyr Telecommunications and vice president of Orion Network Services.
A former senior executive at MCI, Magruder served for a number of years as a member of MCI's data
communications marketing team. Magruder currently serves of FNet's board of directors.
FNet Corp., founded in 1996, is a subsidiary of Franklin Telecommunications Corp. (OTC:FTEL -
news). FNet Corp. is a national Internet Service Provider that focuses on the special requirements of
corporate and professional customers. FNet Corp. is at the forefront of the emerging Voice over IP
Network Market, utilizing hardware manufactured by Franklin Telecom to offer a unique Vertical
Integration solution.
Contact:
FNet Corp.
Diane McCarthy, 805/379-8649
dianemc@ftel.net
or
Rourke.MS&L
Tiffany Hilton, 408/453-9194
thilton@rourkemsl.com
More Quotes and News:
Franklin Telecommunications Corp (OTC BB:FTEL - news)
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