Armin, this is the news I could find:
Wednesday October 4, 5:43 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
Highpoint Telecommunications Inc.: Kast Telecom Europe Signs 200 Million Euro, Three Year Infrastructure Build Deal With Bechtel
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 4, 2000-- Highpoint Telecommunications Inc. (``Highpoint'') (CDNX:HGP - news) is pleased to report its European affiliate, Kast Telecom Europe S.A. (``Kast'') has signed an agreement with Bechtel to assist in the construction of local broadband fiber optic network infrastructure in up to 40 second and third tier cities across Europe over the next three years.
Kast expects to invest approximately 200 million Euro's in civil engineering and construction services. As part of the agreement with Kast, Bechtel will project manage the construction and physical rollout of Kast's competitive local exchange carrier network in each city, working with local suppliers.
Magdi Houry, Kast telecom europe, Chairman and CEO, commenting on the deal, said: ``As a young, competitive service provider, Kast's expertise lies in looking after our customers' needs, developing and delivering broadband access and value-added services to the business community, and managing our multinational commercial and technical operations. In building our iD-CLEC points of presence that are core to our business and its future success, we have placed great importance on finding a partner with complementary skills in the area of network construction.''
``Bechtel has over 100 years of heritage in engineering excellence, as well as experience in building telecommunications networks in the US and Europe. We will utilize their expertise to ensure our network construction is completed on time and within our investment parameters. This will enable Kast to focus on the development and delivery of high quality services and applications to our target communities within the European SME sector, a market expected to be worth 277.2 billion Euro in 2000 alone (EITO 2000).''
Chuck Redman, Bechtel Senior Vice President and General Manager - Infrastructure Europe/Africa/Middle East/South West Asia, comments: ``It is very exciting for Bechtel to be working with Kast at a time when new competitive operators are now defining the market environment in Europe, down to the local loop.
``Bechtel is delighted to be able to contribute to and participate in Kast's growth over the next three years by bringing our considerable experience in the construction of telecommunications infrastructure to Kast's network rollout program. This application of skills and expertise, combined with our project management strength, places us in a strong position to meet the very specific requirements of Kast and to assist them in building the infrastructure they need to effectively compete in Europe.''
Peter Nunn, Senior Bechtel Program Manager, has been assigned to the Kast project. Peter brings expertise from managing such fibre deployment projects as building a 55-city CLEC network for Nextlink Communications in the United States and, in Europe, managing the first two phases of Viatel's Circe project.
About Kast
Kast Telecom Europe S.A. launched in June, 2000 and headquartered in Luxembourg is a pan-European broadband services provider focused on delivering business enhancing applications and technology to small and medium-sized businesses (``SMEs'') in second and third tier cities in Europe and initially in France, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Kast's iD-CLEC (intelligent data competitive local exchange carrier) strategy is to bring SMEs ``first mile access'' to a range of sophisticated communications and applications service packages over digital broadband network infrastructure which have previously only been available mostly to large corporations in tier one metropolitan cities.
About Bechtel
Bechtel is one of the world's premier development, engineering, construction, and project management companies with 40,000 employees worldwide and 1999 revenues of $15.1 billion. It has completed more than 19,000 projects in 140 countries on all seven continents. Bechtel has been active in the telecommunications sector for more than 30 years, providing a full array of services - from new wireless infrastructure, to public switched telephone network additions, and to large fiber network deployments. Bechtel's website can be found at www.bechtel.com
About Highpoint
Highpoint Telecommunications Inc. is a European focused, international telecommunications company with interests in Vine Telecom Ltd., which is developing a pan-European high-bandwidth fiber optic network, Kast Telecom Europe S.A., a European facilities-based integrated data local exchange carrier and AduroNet Limited, an Internet Protocol (IP) network and services company, which is deploying, in Europe, the latest software configured IP technology from the Silicon valley.
The Canadian Venture Exchange Inc. has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release.
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Contact:
Highpoint Telecommunications Inc.
Robert Blankstein or Ken Berry, 604/609-0100
888/234-4423
Website: www.hgptelecom.com |
