(TGO)(TGO.) Saratoga Telecom and Teleglobe Sign Domestic Marketing Agreement
KIRKLAND, Wash., Feb 16, 2000 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Saratoga International
Holdings, Corp. (OTCBB: SHCC) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary
Saratoga Telecom, Inc. has signed an agreement with Reston, Virginia based
Teleglobe, Inc. (NYSE: TGO)(TSE:TGO), enabling Saratoga Telecom to market and
sell competitively priced domestic prepaid, virtual calling cards, over the
Internet.
The agreement with Teleglobe allows Saratoga to issue Personal Identification
Numbers (PINs) or access codes required for customers to place calls using the
prepaid TalkIsCheapCard(TM). The terms of the agreement also enable Saratoga
Telecom to offer retail prepaid phone calls for under $0.10 per minute with no
additional connection fees or surcharges. All calls will be carried over
Teleglobe's GlobeSystem(TM) network, one of the largest international
telecommunications networks in the world.
"The agreement with Teleglobe makes Saratoga a major player in the domestic
prepaid calling card market," said Thomas S. Morsey, President of Saratoga
Telecom. "Unlike most of the other prepaid phone card sellers, we do not believe
in selling a phone card with an unrealistic rate and then adding a connection
fee or surcharge to the price of the call misleading the consumer to the actual
cost of the call; we're offering a real value at a very competitive price, which
in the end saves the consumer money."
The new pricing structure for domestic calling, coupled with Saratoga Telecom's
recent marketing agreement with Universal Express, Inc.'s (OTC:BB USXP)
subsidiary The Postal Business Center Network.com (PBC), will give Saratoga
several thousand domestic retail locations offering the TalkIsCheapCard(TM) to
the walk-in public. Saratoga Telecom has developed a unique method of retailing
prepaid long-distance cards to distributors via the Internet. PBC Network
locations can purchase inventory as needed via the Internet and then sell it
over the counter. This buy as you sell inventory control approach alleviates
theft, pilferage and overstocking.
The virtual TalkIsCheapCard(TM) is sold online through Saratoga Telecom's
Website at (www.talkischeapcard.com). Once purchased, customers can place
long-distance calls from any phone within the U.S. or to more than 240
world-wide locations. Saratoga International's Virtual Calling Card has access
from more than 90 countries around the world. "Teleglobe's prepaid card service
is another example of our ability to create customized products and services for
our customers," said Andrew Burroughs, Vice President and General Manager,
Teleglobe Valued Added Services, "Whether a customer needs global connectivity,
PINS or a full turn-key calling solution, Teleglobe has a proven track record in
creating global services that help our customers remain competitive."
Teleglobe Inc. (NYSE: TGO)(TSE:TGO) is a leading global provider of broadband
services with the most extensive global Internet network. Delivering advanced
broadband applications to customers in more than 100 countries matching global
reach with global depth Teleglobe is the premier communications architecture for
the digital economy. Teleglobe is currently enhancing its leadership position
through GlobeSystem(TM), a 5 year old, US $5 billion strategic initiative
providing 160 cities around the world with scalable broadband service platforms,
and linking them through a seamless data network. GlobeSystem(TM) is the world's
first globally integrated Internet, voice, data and video network. For more
information, visit www.teleglobe.com.
Saratoga International Holdings Corporation is a vertical growth Internet and
telecommunications facilitator specializing in penetrating low and mid-level
market sectors often overlooked by major service providers. Saratoga endeavors
to complement primary communications services by developing fill-gap
relationships with major Internet and telecommunication companies. By providing
solutions to unmet market needs, Saratoga can enhance the overall level of
service offered by their business partners.
Through its TalkIsCheapCard(TM) Program (www.talkischeapcard.com)Saratoga
Telecom seeks to establish itself as a worldwide reseller of Internet-based
long-distance service. By making economical prepaid long-distance available to
second and third world countries directly over the Internet, Saratoga positions
itself to capture a significant share of the prepaid long-distance market
without the prohibitive cost of traditional prepaid retailing such as card
production and distribution.
For more about Saratoga logon to www.SaratogaInternational.com for information
on the TalkIsCheapCard(TM) program logon to website www.talkischeapcard.com. For
more about the company's stock logon to www.otcinfo.net.
Contact:
Patrick Rost of PMR and Associates, the company's corporate public relations
firm, may be contacted at 760/942-0015 e-mail pmrandco@aol.com. SHCC can be
reached by calling 888/878-9683.
This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe
harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. Expression
of future goals and similar expressions reflecting something other than
historical fact involve risks and uncertainties. The actual results the company
achieves may differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to such
risks and uncertainties. |
