Science Applications International Corporation - SAIC - and Bellcore Make Strategic Investment in Solect, the World Leader in IP Billing and Customer Care Software.

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 1999--Solect Technology Group, the leader of IP billing and customer care software, announced today an alliance and a minority investment by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). SAIC and its subsidiary Bellcore have formed a strategic alliance with Solect to cooperate in the development of the next generation network. SAIC joins shareholders Cisco Systems Inc. and venture capital firm Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV) in working with Solect in the IP billing market.

"Our investment in Solect follows SAIC's policy of investing in companies with strong core competencies, such as Bellcore, which SAIC believes will form an integral part of the emerging world of e-commerce and the new public network," said Dr. J.R. Beyster, chairman and chief executive officer of SAIC.

"Eighty percent of the U.S. public telecommunications network depends on software invented, developed, implemented, and/or maintained by Bellcore," said Sanjiv Ahuja, president and chief operating officer of Bellcore. "We believe this alliance with Solect will benefit service providers by combining Solect's flexible, scaleable IP billing software with Bellcore's expertise and experience in systems integration."

"This is a tremendous investment by SAIC, which will only strengthen our long-standing technology alliance with Bellcore," said Paul Atkinson, CEO, Solect. "Strategically aligning ourselves with SAIC and Bellcore allows us to work with industry leaders in building the future of IP on the new public network."

"TCV is delighted with SAIC's investment in Solect, confirming TCV's vision of IP billing and its growing importance in the telecommunications industry," said Rick Kimball, general partner, TCV. "As the industry leader, Solect is well positioned to take advantage of the tremendous growth occurring in IP billing and customer care."

Solect's IAF integrates billing, customer care and service management to provide a complete end-to-end solution for service providers. IAF manages the entire business cycle from product creation, rating and provisioning to customer care applications and billing. Through managing the business cycle, Solect enables service providers to introduce new services or pricing plans in a dynamic fashion. Solect will utilize the funds invested to fund its ongoing research and development activities, together with providing for the increased working capital needs resulting from Solect's growth.

ABOUT SAIC

SAIC is the nation's largest employee-owned research and engineering company, providing information technology and systems integration products and services to government and commercial customers. SAIC scientists and engineers work to solve complex technical problems in telecommunications, national security, health care, transportation, energy and the environment. With estimated annual revenues in excess of $4 billion, SAIC and its subsidiaries, including Bellcore, have more than 35,000 employees at offices in more than 150 cities worldwide. More information about SAIC can be found on the Internet at www.saic.com.

ABOUT BELLCORE

Bellcore, a SAIC company, provides software, engineering, consulting and training services to optimize the performance of communications networks worldwide. Bellcore was created in 1984, employs 6,000 professionals, and has revenues of more than $1 billion. Bellcore (www.bellcore.com) is headquartered in Morristown, NJ, with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Central and South America and Asia Pacific.

ABOUT SOLECT

Solect is shaping the new public network with IAF, the world's leading integrated billing, customer care and service management software solution for service providers. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, Solect has more than 60 service provider installations globally. Solect began building software infrastructure solutions for commercial ISPs as early as 1993, maintaining a singular focus on the Internet. Solect has developed strategic partnerships with leading technology companies, such as Sun Microsystems, Cisco Systems, Netscape, Bellcore, Oracle, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft and Nokia, which has ensured Solect's products are continually refined to incorporate all the latest technology to meet the requirements of the rapidly changing world of the Internet. Visit Solect at http://www.solect.com.