Centra Provides Real-Time Internet Collaboration Applications for Allegiance Telecom Sales Employees.

Business/Technology Editors

LEXINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2000

Online Sales Communication Enhances Sharing of Product Knowledge

Centra (Nasdaq: CTRA), the leader in software infrastructure and a B2B marketplace for live Internet collaboration, today announced that Allegiance Telecom, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALGX), has deployed Centra 99(TM) to deliver training to over 700 field-based sales and support representatives on mission-critical business applications. Allegiance Telecom, a leading competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC), offers businesses a complete package of telecommunications services, including local, long distance, international calling, high-speed data transmission, and Internet services. The Company selected the Centra 99(TM) enterprise Web application for live eBusiness collaboration, to keep its sales team, which covers 20 U.S. markets, up to speed on new software applications through expert-led training on the Internet.

Allegiance Telecom is currently using Centra 99(TM) to help rollout new products and services, including pricing updates, hands-on demonstrations of new features and functions, and detailed information on target customers. They are also using Centra 99 to improve user knowledge of the company's powerful purchasing management system, which is based on technology from J.D. Edwards. Field personnel build skills and receive ongoing support using Centra's integrated voice over-IP and live application-sharing capabilities. In addition, Allegiance's Data Sales Specialists in each field office serve as "adjunct faculty," facilitating knowledge transfer through a Centra-powered "Virtual Classroom."

"Our goal is to exceed customer expectations and bring a higher set of customer service standards to our industry," said Steve Winkle, Vice President of Training for Allegiance Telecom. "Our ability to deliver high-quality training and timely information to our national sales and support team from one centralized location is a strategic advantage. It keeps our sales force at the forefront of the competitive telecommunications market, and enables them to respond to rapidly changing products and services."

Centra Increases Corporate Agility in Today's High-Velocity Business Environment

The new Internet economy puts a premium on a company's ability to learn from and react to market changes faster than ever before. There is also a greater need to interact with customers in real-time. The corporate agility and business velocity that companies attain from live eBusiness collaboration solutions enables them to become more competitive, get closer to customers, generate more revenue, and lower the cost of operations. Today, Centra offers the most complete software infrastructure, in a scalable, extensible and easily deployed enterprise-class Web application that meets all of a company's live eBusiness collaboration and learning requirements.

Centra's integrated voice-over-IP capabilities, shared workspace environment, and user-friendly interface enable live conversation and human interaction over the Internet. Unlike text chat, instant messaging, and screen sharing, Centra offers significant advantages in highly structured, collaborative, and content-rich, real-time interaction with the functionality, performance, and universal connectivity required to support important business processes, in globally dispersed organizations.

"The Internet revolution is driving unprecedented change in the way people learn and collaborate with each other. At the epicenter of this revolution is software infrastructure and network service (ASP) from Centra", said Leon Navickas, founder and CEO.. "Forward thinking organizations, such as Allegiance Telecom, understand that as competition in the fast-paced telecom industry intensifies, a their ability to maintain a knowledgeable, customer-oriented workforce and partners will be a key differentiator leading to success."

About Allegiance Telecom, Inc.

Based in Dallas, Texas, Allegiance Telecom is a facilities-based CLEC that offers businesses a complete package of telecommunications services, including local, long distance, international calling, high-speed data transmission and Internet services. Allegiance is targeting 36 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. with its "one-stop shopping" approach. and is currently operational in the following 20 markets: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Worth, Houston, Long Island, Los Angeles, New York, Northern New Jersey, Oakland, Orange County, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Washington, D.C. Allegiance's common stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol ALGX. Visit Allegiance on the Web at www.allegiancetele.com.

About Centra

Centra (Nasdaq:CTRA) is the leading provider of software infrastructure and a marketplace for live business-to-business collaboration on the Internet. Centra's solutions include Centra 99, an enterprise Web application for high-velocity sales, marketing, services, and eLearning; and the innovative CentraNow network service - a convenient Web destination for live, voice-enabled business meetings. The Centra Business Collaboration Network, the industry's first real-time eMarketplace, utilizes this software infrastructure to enable the exchange of live collaborative services and business content on the Internet. Centra's customers include Fortune 1000 companies such as Armstrong, Domino's, Kraft, Nationwide, Compaq, Sony, and Viacom. Centra has business and software partnerships with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Consulting, KPMG, Microsoft, Oracle, Ariba, and Global Knowledge. Headquartered in Boston's technology corridor, Centra has sales offices in North America, Europe and Asia. Visit Centra at http://www.centra.com.