RSL Communications and Delta Three Announce First Commercial Voice Over the Internet Service for U.S. to Europe Telephone Users
May 1, 1998
HAMILTON, Bermuda and NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE) via NewsEdge Corporation --
Phone-to-Phone Services Offer Up to 75 Percent Cost Savings on
International Calling
Delta Three Inc., a subsidiary of global telecommunications company RSL Communications Ltd. (NASDAQ:RSLCF), today announced the launch of the first commercial Voice over the Internet services in Europe aimed at telephone users.
The services are immediately available for U.S. telephone users for calls to the UK.
To ensure that the quality of service meets the needs of phone users, Delta Three is extending its own global telephony network, which it expects will reach 14 countries in Europe and over 40 globally by the end of 1998.
Delta Three services dramatically cut the cost of placing international calls from the United States to Western Europe and a range of worldwide destinations. Delta Three is marketing Internet telephony through its subsidiaries, RSL COM U.S.A. and RSL COM Europe Ltd. These marketing efforts include a range of pre-paid phone cards and pre-paid accounts. The services work in the same way as a traditional pre-paid card, except that the call uses the efficiency of Internet Protocol technology and does not require a computer or computer knowledge. All calls are routed via Delta Three's managed global network which offers the highest quality Internet Telephony phone calls.
"The announcement today underscores RSL COM's determination to bring the latest in telecommunications technology to customers in the United States. Initially the major benefit will be price savings for traditional voice and fax, but longer term value added services, delivered by the integration of computing and communications, will completely change the conventional model of telecommunications," said Richard Williams, president and chief executive of RSL COM Europe. "By enabling us to by-pass high cost international termination rates, we can dramatically lower our cost of entry to hitherto closed markets in many parts of the world."
Elie Wurtman, chief executive of Delta Three, said, "This technology has been talked about for more than 18 months. We are the first company to offer Internet Telephony as a real product for U.S. and European consumers and slash the cost of international calling."
Delta Three additionally offers a PC-to-Phone service which enables PC users to access over 240 countries via the Internet at dramatically reduced rates. PC-to-Phone software will be distributed through Europe by RSL COM subsidiaries and is available on the Internet at www.pc2phone.com. Users can register for a Delta Three account at www.deltathree.com. This free software allows any European consumer with an Internet connection to access the Delta Three Global Network, benefiting from dramatic savings.
Delta Three, a subsidiary of RSL Communications Ltd., manages the world's largest Internet Telephony network, with 20 international points of presence. Delta Three operates its managed network in North America, Europe, South America, Asia and the Middle East, dedicated to voice, fax and value added services. The company generates millions of minutes of voice traffic each month by providing Internet telephony services such as calling cards, PC-to-Phone, and other enhanced services to a growing number of consumers around the world.
RSL Communications Ltd. is a global, facilities-based telecommunications company that provides international world-wide services, including long-distance, calling card, private line, value-added and Internet-based services to businesses, consumers and other carriers. The company has operations on four continents in 20 countries that account for nearly 70 percent of the world's international traffic.
RSL COM Europe has operations in 14 countries -- Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal (with Maxitel), Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It is a licensed carrier partnered with Ericsson, and uses public AXE-10 switches in its network. This release is available on the RSL COM website at www.rslcom.com and the Delta Three website at www.deltathree.com.
CONTACT: RSL COM | Karen van de Vrande | Vice President, Marketing | Tel: 212/317-1800 | Fax: 212/317-0600 | or | KCSA | Jeff Corbin/Joe Mansi | Tel: 212/896-1214, 212/896-1205 | Fax: 212/697-0910
[Copyright 1998, Business Wire]
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