Acorn and ESP Agreements bring the Internet and Telephone Together; Integrated Message Access on a Nationwide Basis.

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 30, 1998--Acorn Communications Corporation of Boston, MA., a software applications developer, and Enhanced Service Providers (ESP) of Hanover, MA., a specialized telecommunications carrier and software developer, today announced agreements to deliver an integrated voice and text messaging service. ESP's MyLine One Number Virtual Office service will be combined transparently with Acorn's Email Text-to-Speech, Message Alerting and Forwarding service - MailTel. The integrated service will be available in August and will provide Nationwide Personal Calling, Messaging and Email control.

MyLine is a service that consolidates access to all of a users' telephone numbers (office telephone, wireless telephone, fax and pager) under a single number. MailTel is a cost effective service that monitors a user's email, alerts the user to important messages and reads selected email with text-to-speech technology over any telephone. Both services were designed for people who are frequently away from their offices but need to receive and respond quickly to critical calls, messages and email. Increasingly, mobile executives and commuters need to be in constant touch. By offering an integrated solution Acorn and ESP can make any telephone the single point of control for all types of voice, fax and email messaging, from a single user friendly voice interface.

Robert Bowman, ESP's CEO said "By combining two World Class technologies we will provide corporate customers a service that increases their productivity by minimizing `telephone tag' and shortens their response cycles to voice, fax, pager and email messages. This service puts users in control and simplifies their lives."

Bowman added, "This service integrating the internet and the public switched network is only the first of many such value added services that will be produced by this collaboration."

According to Sue Rudd, President of Acorn Communications, ESP's network and its InstAccount billing capability allow Acorn to deliver to the customers of Internet Service Providers and Wireless Carriers seamless service and call detail recording for a complete range of telephone, voice messaging and email services. "Customers find it very attractive to make a single phone call to listen to voice messages and email; then to respond to these messages with a return call and leave a message or send a fax - all without having to hang up and dial again,"

Said Rudd. "MailTel provides a voice interface for Internet based services. MyLine offers a similar interface to control real time calls and voice messaging. Together they offer a powerful capability that is simple to use".

Acorn Communications Corp. of Boston, MA provides software to ISPs and wireless carriers for voice and telephone controlled services in a distributed open environment using standard computer hardware. Acorn software runs on Dialogic voice processing hardware under a combination of UNIX(R) and Windows NT(R) operating systems. For more information contact Acorn by phone at 617/720-5060 or by email at [e-mail] or by accessing the web site at http://www.mailtel.com

Enhanced Service Providers LLC (ESP) of Hanover, MA. is an authorized carrier and software developer, providing a full range of value-added services and billing to individuals, corporations, and long distance resellers. For additional information access http://www.mylinepcx.com.

MailTel(SM) and Acorn(R) are trademarks of Acorn Communications Corp. MyLine(TM), are trademarks/service marks of ESP LLC.

CONTACT: Acorn Communications

Steven Kish, 617/730-5789

[e-mail]

or

Enhanced Service Providers

Carl Moore, 617/476-8846

[e-mail]