Viatel Completes Interconnection Agreement with PTT
Telecom For Delivery of Public Voice Services in the
Netherlands
NEW YORK, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Viatel, Inc. (Nasdaq-NNM: VYTL - news), a facilities-based
provider of national and international long-distance telecommunications services, announced today that
its Dutch subsidiary has signed an agreement with PTT Telecom, the former state telecommunications
company of the Netherlands, to interconnect their public networks.
The contract will lower calling costs and extend the reach of the Viatel network by allowing Viatel
customers to originate and terminate national and international long distance calls transparently from, and
to, all locations served by PTT Telecom, using only a simple four digit code (1623) for network access.
This represents the latest in a series of interconnection agreements signed by Viatel in the past 12
months, including contracts with Deutsche Telekom (Germany); British Telecom and Cable & Wireless
Communications (United Kingdom); and Infostrada (Italy).
The agreement covers the technical, operational and commercial implementation of the interconnection,
which is expected to become operational in January, 1998. Physical interconnection of the two networks
will take place at Viatel's main Netherlands switching centre in Amsterdam.
The Netherlands public telecommunications market represented an estimated $8.64 billion (US) in
revenues in 1995, according to the most recent figures available from the Organization for Economic
Co-Operation and Development.
''Viatel has been offering limited telecom services in the Netherlands, within regulatory constraints, since
1995,'' said Michael Mahoney, President & CEO of Viatel. ''Now, with services liberalization and this
key interconnection agreement in place, we expect to expand our marketing activities to small and
mid-sized businesses significantly over the coming months.''
Headquartered in New York, NY, Viatel is a facilities-based international and domestic long-distance
telecommunications company with network points of presence in 30 European cities, and operations in
the United States, Latin America and the Pacific Rim. The Company offers a broad array of
competitively priced, value-added international and domestic long-distance services. Its customers are
primarily small and medium-sized businesses. Viatel provides long-distance service to more than 230
countries and territories worldwide through its international network.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this release are
forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including the continued deregulation of
the European Union member states in which the Company does business, the timely roll out of additional
points of presence and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's reports filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including those contained in the Company's Annual Reports on
Form 10K for the year ended December 31, 1996. As a result, actual results, events or conditions,
financial or otherwise, could differ materially from those statements, Viatel undertakes no duty to update
such forward-looking statements.
SOURCE: Viatel, Inc. |
