SoftNet's Intellicom Expands Global Reach With Six New Distribution
Alliances
LIVERMORE, Calif., Aug 11, 2000 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Leading provider of end-to-end satellite-based Internet solutions
reinforces global presence with distribution partners in South
America, the Caribbean, New Mexico, Illinois, and Virginia
SoftNet's (Nasdaq:SOFN) Intellicom, Inc., a leading provider of two-way
satellite-based Internet services for Internet service providers (ISPs),
schools, and corporations, today announced strategic alliances with six new
distribution partners -- Fujitsu ICL, International Services for
Technological
Enhanced Companies (ISETEC S.A.), Network Technologies Group (NTG),
Sat-a-Link,
Cibola Internet Services, and Ceva (Central Virginia Services, Inc.).
Today's
announcement brings the total number of Intellicom's worldwide distribution
partners to seven, significantly expanding the company's global reach and
influence in South America and the Caribbean as well as the midwestern and
southwestern United States. Intellicom announced an alliance with TRICOM, a
leading provider of integrated communications services in the Dominican
Republic, in March 2000.
"Intellicom's target customers are ISPs, educational organizations and
corporations worldwide who require Internet or private data communications
services that are independent of location or terrestrial limitations. Each
of
our distribution partners is well positioned to reach the markets best
served by
Intellicom's technology," said Carol Sorrick, president of Intellicom.
"Intellicom provides a total solution for companies that want to deliver
Internet access anywhere in the world. By building a strong distribution
network
designed to reach the geographic regions where terrestrial Internet access
is
either non-existent, too expensive, or simply unacceptably slow and
unreliable,
we are setting a new standard for deployment of Internet services to
unconnected
geographic areas."
Through its distribution partners worldwide, Intellicom delivers high-speed
connectivity to the Internet as well as a complete range of Internet and
private
data communication services enabling communities in remote locations to
enjoy
the benefits of reliable and secure communications without the cost and
time
typically required to deploy a landline-based network. Using
state-of-the-art,
broadband two-way satellite technology, Intellicom provides a
cost-effective
turnkey system that is easily deployed and easily maintained, circumventing
the
high cost and long deployment times generally associated with leased
high-speed
local telephone lines.
Headquartered in Asuncion, Paraguay, ISETEC S.A. is one of the first
organizations in Paraguay to offer data communication services. With
communication centers strategically positioned in the country's key
geographic
points of Ciudad de Este, Coronel Oviedo, and Encarnacion, ISETEC S.A.
enables
Intellicom to establish a firm presence as a leading provider of
communications
services for South American countries.
Fujitsu ICL is a leading global supplier of IT systems and services with a
dominant position across the Caribbean. New Technologies Group,
headquartered in
the Dutch Antilles, has been delivering knowledge transfer and information
technology solutions to small and mid-size businesses since 1992. The
addition
of Fujitsu ICL and NTG to Intellicom's distribution network enables the
company
to greatly increase its presence throughout the Caribbean.
"Fujitsu is dedicated to using technology to improve the life of the
Caribbean
people, improve the competitiveness of regional organizations and to
improve the
relationship between our customers and their customers. We believe that
Intellicom shares this commitment," said Mervyn Eyre, president & chief
executive officer of Fujitsu ICL. "All of our technology partners in the
Caribbean, including Intellicom, are leaders in their respective field and
have
the common characteristic of being a driving force in the global
information
society. We're delighted to be working in partnership with Intellicom to
deliver
technology solutions to the people of the Caribbean."
Intellicom is the only satellite-based Internet solutions provider that
delivers
a packaged end-to-end solution that includes content, connectivity,
support, and
monitoring. Through its Network Operations Center in Livermore and call
center
in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Intellicom provides around-the-clock network
maintenance monitoring and support. Intellicom offers tier-one, tier-two,
and
tier-three support for both ISPs and their customers. This means that an
ISP
that deploys the Intellicom system is free from the expense and burden of
training and maintaining a customer support staff.
With the addition of Grants, New Mexico-based Cibola Internet Services as
Intellicom's exclusive distributor in New Mexico, Sat-a-Link, based in St.
Anne,
Illinois, as the distributor for Intellicom systems in Illinois and
Indiana, and
Ceva, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Central Virginia Electric
Cooperative, as
the authorized representative of Intellicom to rural electric cooperatives
throughout the United States, Intellicom has significantly expanded its
market
reach throughout the United States.
"Most of the communities we serve don't currently have local dial-up
Internet
service, so residents either do without Internet access or they pay
expensive
long distance charges or 800-number surcharges. Capital and staff
investments
have been the primary barriers for smaller companies entering the ISP
market,"
said Jim Miedema, owner of Sat-a-Link. "Intellicom's turnkey system and
managed
services eliminate those barriers and enables local ISPs to easily provide
communities in remote locations with affordable, reliable, and secure
Internet
service."
While much of the western world has well established wireline networks,
there
are still many regions in the United States as well as in other countries
that
have little or no landline infrastructure. Connections to the Internet in
these
areas are either non-existent, too expensive, or simply provide
unacceptably
slow speeds and unreliable performance. Installing the landlines necessary
to
meet growing demand would be time consuming and cost prohibitive for many
of
these remote regions. Intellicom's satellite technology can provide access
regardless of terrain and independent of location. When combined with the
company's comprehensive Internet services, satellite technology can bring
the
full potential of the Internet to anyone, anywhere in the world.
About Intellicom
Intellicom, a wholly owned subsidiary of SoftNet Systems, Inc.
(Nasdaq:SOFN),
combines Internet services with sophisticated two-way satellite technology
to
deliver a turnkey solution for ISPs and schools. Since 1995, Intellicom has
provided two-way satellite Internet access using an optimizing technology.
Intellicom utilizes state-of-the-art wireless technologies, broadband
delivery,
data-push and satellite-based Internet access caching products to provide
ISPs,
schools and consumers with fast access to information and efficient
utilization
of existing network capacity. Headquartered in Livermore, California,
Intellicom
operates over 400 earth stations in the United States and the Caribbean, as
well
as a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week Network Operations Center and Customer
Support Center to provide unparalleled reliability and support for dial-up
customers and ISPs. For more information, visit Intellicom's Web site at
intellicom.net, or phone 925/245-8888.
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the
company's
anticipated future operating results, future revenues and earnings or
adequacy
of future cash flow. (These forward-looking statements include, but are not
limited to, statements containing the words "expect", "believe", "will",
"may",
"should", "project", "estimate" and like expressions, and the negative
thereof.)
These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual
results to differ materially from the statements, including the risks
attendant
to a growing business in a new industry as well as those risks described in
the
company's Quarterly or Annual Report.
CONTACT: Intellicom
Jean M. Phillips, 925/245-4105
jphillips@vsat.net
or
Bairey & Bedford Public Relations
Heidi Boettcher, 303/932-6249
Heidi@b2pr.com |
