A3 Solutions, Arthur Andersen Team to Deploy Long-Range Planning Solution at U S WEST Wireless; Ahead Of Time And Under Budget, Project Hailed As Tremendous Success.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 13, 1999--

A3 Solutions Incorporated (A-cubed), formerly Dimension Data Systems, today announced that U S WEST Wireless has successfully implemented the A3 Profit Center Software Suite for its long-range planning.

Leveraging the flexibility, integration, and ease of deployment of Profit Center and the business planning and modeling expertise of Arthur Andersen, the entire project was completed in 60 days -- under budget and ahead of schedule.

Jeff Huitt, Controller, U S WEST Wireless said, "The Arthur Andersen/A3 solution changes forever the way we plan. The flexibility, modeling capability, and rapid delivery gives us a multi-user, cross-functional, near-realtime system."

U S WEST Wireless, a subsidiary of U S WEST Communications, needed a vehicle to estimate usage of its wireless PCS network and to predict revenues and capital outlays. After evaluating multiple planning software vendors, U S WEST Wireless turned to A3 Solutions to model the company's complex long-range planning solution.

Using A3 Profit Center, the company can now scrutinize key business drivers, including market penetration, covered population by market area, minutes of use per customer, handset revenue per customer, and disconnect rate. Access to this information allows the company to view key performance indicators and management reports, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow.

"In this fast-paced industry, we need correct and timely information," continued Huitt. "Profit Center gives us access to the information that will help drive our entire operation."

In the future, U S WEST Wireless will implement A3 Profit Center for other functions in the organization. Phase 2 of the project, currently underway, includes Departmental Expense Budgeting and other enterprise modeling forecasts.

Joe Bagan, Partner, Arthur Andersen, confirmed the value of the joint solution. "U S WEST was already performing much of the modeling that Profit Center provides. The problem was that valuable, timely information was locked in spreadsheets that were collapsing under the increasing demand.

"Physical limitations, integrity problems, and lack of flexibility were impeding decision making and business progress. Now, the dramatic benefits, the real ROI, will come from the integration and automation of the models."

"The success at U S WEST Wireless validates our mission to change the way the Global 2000 plan and manage their businesses," said Rob Lautt, President & CEO of A3 Solutions.

"U S WEST Wireless now has the centerpiece for integrating and automating all core modeling and planning systems currently trapped in spreadsheets on the desktops of the company's knowledge workers.

"More and more, companies such as American Airlines, Cox Communications, Fidelity Federal Bank, Toyota, T. Rowe Price -- and now U S WEST Wireless -- are extending their Enterprise Resource Planning systems to include Enterprise Profit Planning from A3 Solutions."

About U S WEST

U S WEST (NYSE:USW) provides a full range of telecommunications services -- including wireline, wireless PCS, data networking, directory and information services -- to more than 25 million customers nationally and in 14 Western and Midwestern states. More information about U S WEST can be found at www.uswest.com.

About Arthur Andersen

Arthur Andersen is a global, multidisciplinary professional services organization with 382 offices in 81 countries that provides clients all over the world knowledge of how to improve performance in management, business processes, operations, information technology, finance, and change navigation. This knowledge comes from the experience, education, and research of the firm's 70,000-plus employees.

About A3 Solutions

A3 Solutions Incorporated, formerly Dimension Data Systems, headquartered in San Francisco, develops and markets A3 Profit Center, the Enterprise Modeling software suite that deploys Advanced Analytic Applications (A3) for Enterprise Profit Planning. Corporations use A3 software to speed planning, increase collaboration, and make more informed decisions regarding enterprise profitability.

EPP integrated software solutions unify all Profitability Analysis, Allocation, Budgeting, Costing, Forecasting, Planning, and Management Reporting functionality under a common end-user application umbrella.

Enterprise Profit Planning: A3 Profit Center empowers Fortune 500 companies to leverage state-of-the-art Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) technology (from Hyperion, IBM, and ShowCase) and Microsoft Excel to integrate mission-critical analytic models, remove their limitations, enhance their functionality, and elevate them to dynamic, realtime, collaborative, Internet-enabled Enterprise Models.

Leveraging the domain expertise captured from generalized versions of real-world implementations, A3 Profit Center deploys Advanced Analytic Applications that exceed the flexibility and functionality of single-purpose, pre-packaged or time-consuming, custom-developed offerings.

Customers: Include Abbott Laboratories, Avon Products, Bear Stearns & Co.,

Consolidated Edison, Cox Communications, Del Monte Foods, Deloitte & Touche, Fidelity Federal Bank, McDonalds of Canada, Staples, Sun Life of Canada (U.S.), T. Rowe Price, and Toyota Motors.

Partners: Co-marketed with partners worldwide, including Hyperion Solutions Corporation (Nasdaq:HYSL), IBM (NYSE:IBM), and ShowCase Corporation (Nasdaq:SHWC). In addition, A3 Solutions partners with system integrators, consulting partners, and resellers, including Armstrong Laing Group, Clarity Systems, Decision Support Technology, Lynx Consulting, and Precision System Concepts.