ACASIA and Infonet forge agreement to benefit multinational businesses operating in Asia and beyond.

BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 17, 1996--ACASIA Communications and Infonet Services Corp. jointly announced Tuesday that the two companies are currently negotiating for a reciprocal services agreement.

A newly established joint venture company in Southeast Asia, ACASIA Communications joined Infonet in making the announcement at the latter's 4th Annual Global Network Briefing. This two-day Briefing, designed to update the world media and analyst community on Infonet's activities, commenced on Sept. 16 in Berlin and concludes Friday.

With headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, ACASIA is owned by ASEAN's major international telecommunications providers, namely The Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT), Jabatan Telekom Brunei (JTB), Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), PT Indosat of Indonesia, Singapore Telecom and Telekom Malaysia Berhad. One of ACASIA's first priorities is to build a managed Pan-ASEAN network that will enable Partners to better serve their multinational business customers in the region.

"ACASIA will consider to use Infonet's World Network and support infrastructure as the preferred means for extending the reach of this Pan-ASEAN network to the rest of the globe," said ACASIA CEO, Zam Isa. Infonet's World Network is accessible in more than 175 countries.

According to Infonet Executive Vice President Ian Widger, "The World Network will be interconnected with the ACASIA network in early 1997. Seamless global access will then be available as an ACASIA service to their multinational business customers by the latest in mid-1997. This will continue to be the case as the ACASIA network expands to other neighboring countries beyond the domains of its six member carriers."

It is planned that the initial services include global Frame Relay solutions, complete with router management all the way to the customers' premises, and worldwide Private Intranets with Internet gateways. Ultimately, both ACASIA and Infonet shall be able to provide all of Infonet's World Network and Global WorkPlace offerings.

During off-hours in its own time zones, ACASIA will leverage Infonet's end-to-end network management infrastructure and local support operations in 57 nations to ensure high uptime and availability for its global service customers.

"To ACASIA, a preferred global provider would be one that can support a compatible range of products and services which will enable customers to enjoy the most efficient and cost effective regional and global networking solutions. In serving the increasing telecommunications needs of the customers, ACASIA continuously strives and seeks to create innovative solutions that transcend all boundary considerations," said ACASIA's Zam.

Infonet's Widger pointed out that the understanding will be reciprocal in the sense that Infonet may extend its World Network in Southeast Asia via ACASIA's regional network. ACASIA's Pan-ASEAN services will then be available to Infonet's World Network customers.

Widger explained that Infonet and ACASIA have plans to collaborate on joint product development efforts to continuously meet customer needs. "We see ACASIA as a valuable business partner with whom we can work to achieve our mutual ends, namely delivering seamless, managed value-added services for multinational companies who do business in Asia and beyond more cost effectively than ever before."

Formed under the auspices of ASEAN TELECOM HOLDINGS (ATH), ACASIA Communications operates as the business and marketing arm. ACASIA was incorporated in mid-'95 with the aim to complement the growth of telecommunications in the region by harnessing the technological expertise and services of each Partners, thereby playing a vital role in strengthening ASEAN's telecommunications infrastructure. Backed by its strong network and the technological expertise of its alliance Partners, ACASIA provides efficient and cost-effective telecommunications solutions to businesses and MNCs in the ASEAN region. ACASIA offers the convenience of a "one-stop shop," enabling its Partners to act as the single point of contact for customers to order, install and maintain their telecommunications needs within the region.

Infonet Services is a world leader in providing reliable, state-of-the-art international communication solutions to global enterprises. Infonet specializes in value-added services and managed networks, which are supported locally in 57 nations. Infonet's World Network - a high-speed, ATM-enabled network - is accessible in more than 175 countries. The company's Global WorkPlace offering is a powerful suite of next generation application services for messaging, directory services, workgroups, electronic commerce, LAN management, private intranets and multimedia solutions. Infonet is jointly owned by a number of the world's leading telecom operators.

CONTACT: Infonet Services Corp.

Pat Gale, 310/335-2877

or

ACASIA Communications

Mohana Mohariff, 603/208-8528