Citizens Telephone Selects CopperCom CSX Switching System; Established Missouri IOC Selects Next Generation Softswitch to Meet Regulatory Requirements.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 13, 2004

CopperCom, the company with "The strength to build the future and the know-how to do it right," today announced that its CSX 1100 local exchange softswitch system is being deployed at Citizens Telephone, an Independent Operating Company (IOC) based in Higginsville, Missouri. The CopperCom system will replace a Lucent GTD-5 switch.

Citizens Telephone Company was incorporated in 1908 and has served the areas of Higginsville, Corder, and Mayview, Missouri continuously for the better part of a century. Through their advanced fiber network and state-of-the-art equipment, Citizens offers local and long distance service, enhanced features and Internet services.

"Our pledge in 1908 was 'to give our customers the best telephone service modern telephony can devise at the lowest price consistent with such service,'" said Brian Cornelius, president and general manager of Citizens Telephone Company. "With the CopperCom CSX softswitch, we will continue to offer excellent service and we will be able to comply with regulatory requirements such as CALEA and LNP. Further, CopperCom's 7-year warranty and excellent customer service convinced us that now is the right time to upgrade to next-gen softswitching technology."

"For IOC's who want to offer next-gen services and partner with a top-tier switching vendor, CopperCom offers financial strength as well as a feature-rich and reliable switching solution," said Mel Ethem, vice president of sales, CopperCom. "Our softswitching architecture coupled with the industry's only 7-year warranty, along with an easy-to-learn GUI system, interoperability with key DLC providers and service creation capability via CPML makes selecting CopperCom an easy decision."

About CopperCom

CopperCom, the company with, "The strength to build the future and the know-how to do it right," offers an innovative suite of telecommunications solutions for the local exchange. CopperCom enables incumbent and competitive carriers to offer a revolutionary way of delivering local telephone service to subscribers over circuit or packet-based broadband connections. In the telecom switching business since 1982, CopperCom is a subsidiary of The Heico Companies and is headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. For additional information, CopperCom can be reached directly at [phone], or via the Internet at www.coppercom.com.

CopperCom and CSX are trademarks of CopperCom, Inc.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risks and uncertainties.