More news:
EnerTel - A WorldPort Company - and Dutch Government Launch Largest
Education-based Intranet in Europe
KennisNet ('Knowledge Net') Project Commences Pilot Phase; EnerTel Projected to Link 12,000 Schools Serving 2.6 Million
Students
ATLANTA, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- WorldPort Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: WRDP - news) today announced that EnerTel N.V., its operating subsidiary in
The Netherlands, has commenced the pilot phase of KennisNet (''Knowledge Net''), a nationwide education-based Intranet initiated by the Dutch Ministry of
Education to link nearly every school in The Netherlands. EnerTel was selected earlier this year as the Preferred Provider of telecommunications services for
KennisNet, in a contract valued at approximately NLG 20 million guilders per year once fully implemented (approximately US $10.5 million per annum based on
foreign exchange rates as of December 9, 1998).
Mr. Loek Hermans, Minister of Education for The Netherlands, officially launched the network by connecting the first school to KennisNet in a public ceremony in
Hellevoetsluis, on Tuesday, December 8. The ceremony, which was attended by Stephen Courter, Chief Financial Officer, WorldPort Europe, included a live
demonstration of the high-speed cable connectivity which will be used to connect 360 primary and secondary schools and 30 libraries in The Netherlands, serving
225,000 students. Upon successful completion of the pilot program, expected to be completed on April 1, 1999, an additional 12,000 other schools, public
libraries, museums, archives, services providers and government agencies will be connected, eventually reaching an estimated 2.6 million students in the Netherlands.
In its pilot phase, KennisNet is expected to be the largest Intranet in Europe and, upon completion, KennisNet is expected to be among the largest Intranets in the
world. KennisNet represents a commitment by the Dutch government to remain at the forefront of educational technology in Europe.
Stephen Courter, Chief Financial Officer for WorldPort Europe, stated, ''We are extremely happy to have this opportunity to work with the Ministry of Education
on this very important project. As The Next Generation Carrier's Carrier, we are firmly committed to providing telecommunications solutions that enable people
around the world to expand their horizons. KennisNet is a tremendous example of how our global digital network builds a bridge between people, information and
the ideas that will shape the next century.''
EnerTel operates a 19,000-fiber kilometer network throughout The Netherlands. The Dutch Department of Education launched the KennisNet project to enable
students and educators to utilize advanced telecommunications technologies, including the Internet and high bandwidth multimedia applications, to meet their
information and communication demands well into the 21st Century. EnerTel has built and will manage the network on a day-to-day basis during the pilot phase. The
rapid roll out of KennisNet by EnerTel is possible, in part, due to the concentration of television cable infrastructure in The Netherlands. EnerTel will work closely
with regional cable companies to connect and deliver services to schools and institutions in their respective service areas.
WorldPort Communications, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (USA) is ''The Next Generation Carrier's Carrier'' providing international long distance and
Internet services primarily to The Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The Company is deploying a seamless global network to provide least-cost interconnectivity
and high capacity bandwidth products for voice, data, video and Internet traffic to long distance carriers, multi-national corporate customers, distributors and
Internet service providers. WorldPort is focused on providing customers a true end-to-end solution by routing traffic through a seamless system of undersea
fiber-optic network cables, advanced circuit and packet switches and high efficiency gateways in strategic markets worldwide. WorldPort is expanding its global
network through internal business development, acquisitions and international strategic alliances.
This press release includes statements that may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward looking statements.
Factors which would cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to factors detailed in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission
filings.
SOURCE: WorldPort Communications, Inc. |
