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Pastimes : Kosovo -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: goldsnow who wrote (11113)	6/3/1999 6:41:00 PM
From: George Papadopoulos	Respond to of 17770

Disclaimer: I am a shareholder in this company. This post should not constitute investment advice in any way, shape or form. Franklin Telecom Helps NATO Troops Phone Home; Free Global Calling Cards Provided for Troops in Need Business Wire - June 03, 1999 15:13 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 3, 1999--Franklin Telecom (AMEX: FCM) Thursday announced that it is making available free FNet calling cards to NATO troops stationed in the Bosnia, Albania and Macedonia region who have special needs to contact family and friends. Ronald G. Weaver, Sr., Vice President of Worldwide Sales, will deliver the cards during a trip to the Balkans next week. The cards will be given to Chaplains, hospital officials and welfare officers for distribution to the appropriate NATO soldiers. Franklin Telecom's subsidiary FNet, a Next-Generation telephone network, is often the only link NATO troops have to their families. Utilizing FNet's VoIP technology phone calls are terminated to all NATO member countries through Franklin headquarters, in Westlake Village. While the heaviest traffic comes from French, Italian and Spanish troops, FNet's service is also utilized by soldiers from Canada, U.K., Germany, Greece, Ireland, Turkey and the USA. Franklin has four employees based in the Balkans to monitor, maintain, and repair the company's 15 earth stations, making sure the troops are never without phone service. When the NATO troops were recently moved to a new base for safekeeping, this team was tasked with making sure that their phone service followed. Four of the earth stations were broken down, converted into mobile units, loaded onto trucks, and transported to the new base camp, at times encountering war-related road blocks. Franklin/FNet's Balkan operation provides a multi-lingual call center, staffed and available to customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. FNet's Debit and Calling Card platform offers cards of various denominations in several currencies. In addition to the 15 earth stations currently operational in Bosnia and the Kosovo border region, Franklin is acquiring another 9 sites. Three stations are also scheduled for deployment in Northern Albania. These expanded services will utilize Franklin's Tempest(R) System, built around Tempest DVG gateways. Weaver stated, "For soldiers, many of whom are halfway around the world from home and family, being able to talk to their loved ones is crucial for maintaining morale. "Suppose you were a twenty year old soldier, people were shooting at you and your wife was expecting your first baby any minute. Our service can make a huge difference to this guy. We are proud to be a part of the humanitarian effort within this war torn region."