AT&T, four partners offer access to global multimedia service

October 2, 1995 -- GENEVA -- With nearly two years of experience in
developing multimedia services on its own network, AT&T today announced at
Telecom `95 that it is responding to business customers' needs by joining
the world's leading telecommunications services companies to provide
global interoperable multimedia services.

In addition to AT&T, this effort involves leading telecommunications
services providers Deutsche Telekom, NTT, Telstra and Unisource, as well
as technology providers Lotus, Novell and, in a dual role, AT&T.

The announcement is the logical progression of AT&T's 1994 introduction in
the United States of three popular multimedia service platforms based on
Novell's NetWare, Lotus' Notes, and AT&T's own videoconferencing. Since
then, AT&T has developed these software platforms into network- based
multimedia services for business customers.

AT&T Network Notes, which became commercially available in August, provides
extended collaboration and communications capabilities to customers within
and beyond their businesses. AT&T NetWare Connect Services link local area
networks while providing robust directory services, network security and
access to the Internet. It is now in market trial and will be available by
the end of 1995. Finally, AT&T WorldWorx Solutions, which provides desktop
video conferencing, including video application and document
collaboration, is commercially available.

Deployed globally, multimedia services will enable customers worldwide to
better manage and integrate complex, geographically dispersed enterprises,
strengthen their customer/supplier value chains, and expand into new
markets. Applications hosted on the networks will allow companies to
securely conduct business transactions and communicate using a variety of
multimedia services, and reduce complexity on customer premises and
customer end-point devices.

Global deployment of interoperable multimedia services requires more
resources than any one company can muster. Accordingly, AT&T will license
appropriate elements of these services to telecommunications companies
around the world so that they can in turn offer their own services to
their customers.

For such services to work across different networks, however, the
telecommunications companies providing them must adopt a common service
definition that enables customers of one telecommunications company to
communicate with customers of other companies. Today, customers face
formidable communications obstacles due to differences in protocols and
platform standards between networks around the world.

To overcome these barriers, the seven telecommunications and technology
providers have agreed to create the Multimedia Services Affiliate Forum,
an open forum that will be dedicated to the adoption and development of
interoperable multimedia services. The Multimedia Services Affiliate Forum
will promote and maintain open standards for a common service definition,
network security and operations, and integrated customer support systems.

Adoption of these standards by all Forum members will provide business
customers with assurance that they can globally support their business
processes with these interoperable multimedia services.

The participating companies emphasized that they are actively recruiting
additional telecommunications companies, technology providers and other
interested parties for the Forum.

"The implications of widespread interoperability are profound for the
future competitiveness of companies and entire economies," said John
Petrillo, president of AT&T Business Communications Services. "As
strategic technologies such as AT&T Network Notes, AT&T NetWare Connect
Services and AT&T WorldWorx Solutions proliferate globally, the degree to
which they interoperate will directly impact the adoption rate of global
electronic commerce."

Many barriers to global interoperability are beginning to fall. For
example, the lack of available network endpoints is yielding to what
computer industry analyst IDC projects with a 20 percent compounded annual
growth rate for networked personal computers worldwide during 1994-1998.
Another obstacle, a lack of investment in network infrastructure, also is
diminishing. A 1995 IDC study shows a growth rate of 63 percent worldwide
for computer internetworking equipment. Finally, lack of network-hosted
interoperative multimedia services is being addressed by the Multimedia
Services Affiliate initiative.

At the same time, the number of Lotus Notes seats, estimated to be at 3.5
million by year-end 1995, is doubling each year. AT&T's substantial
investment of resources to adapt Lotus Notes to its network has
dramatically expanded the opportunities to effectively utilize what has
quickly become a leading tool for collaboration.

The seven companies involved in the multimedia services effort and the
entire industry forming around the convergence of communications and
computing will benefit from widespread availability of interoperable
multimedia services. Telecommunications service companies that embrace
interoperable multimedia services will be able to apply resources saved
through use of a common infrastructure to provide regionalized offerings.

AT&T, in particular, is in an excellent position to assist other
telecommunications service companies in the rapid deployment of these
multimedia services, thereby reducing time to market and time to
profitability.

"When telecommunications companies bring widely available service platforms
into their networks, they open the door to a wealth of business
solutions," said L. Scott Perry, vice president, AT&T Business Multimedia
Services. "AT&T believes the approach we have taken in licensing the
service elements of AT&T Network Notes, AT&T NetWare Connect Services,
AT&T WorldWorx Solutions and customer care will greatly enhance customers'
ability to manage and integrate complex and geographically dispersed
operations, while providing new revenue opportunities to service
providers."

AT&T brings vast experience in global service and support, wide area
networking market leadership, system platform scaleability and advanced
online services, including AT&T WorldNet Services for Internet access,
AT&T Interchange Online Network, AT&T PersonaLink Services and the
ImagiNation Network.

AT&T is a world networking leader, providing communications services and
products, as well as network equipment and computer systems, to
businesses, consumers, telecommunications services providers and
government agencies.
 
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