CHANTILLY, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 1, 1997--Telco Communications Group, Inc. (Nasdaq/NM:TCGX) today announced a major agreement with Destineer Corporation under which Telco will provide SkyTel enhanced messaging and paging services to its "Prime Business" customers. This step will allow Telco to quickly enter the messaging and paging market, without any investment in a paging network.
Telco's Commercial Sales Division was formed in April 1996 and provides telecommunications products and services to both commercial and carrier customers. Under the 12-month agreement with Destineer, a subsidiary of Mobile Telecommunications Technologies (Nasdaq:MTEL), Telco will provide its subscribers with toll-free access to the SkyTel network covering the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii. Customers of Telco's Commercial Division will have access to a full range of enhanced messaging services, including text and numeric paging, and SkyTel's 2-Way(TM) messaging system. Introduced in 1995, SkyTel 2-Way is the world's first two-way narrowband PCS wireless messaging service, which guarantees delivery of messages and enables subscribers to respond directly from their two-way messaging units.
Telco President and Chief Executive Officer Donald A. Burns said: "With this agreement, Telco takes another major step forward in bringing to the marketplace the full spectrum of services in the "Prime Business" line now being marketed by our Commercial Sales Division. Along with our competitive rates and the Internet access plans already announced, the SkyTel deal puts us in the major leagues of commercial plans and in a position to go head-to-head with any commercial competitor."
Telco plans to introduce its custom-branded paging services in three steps: the first phase includes basic alphanumeric service through local, regional and national plans; phase two is slated to get underway in late 1997 with the addition of one-way acknowledgment pager service and increased coverage options; and the third phase will feature two-way paging devices beginning in early 1998.
Burns commented: "Telco fully recognizes that, to be a competitor in today's commercial marketplace, a company must provide the full range of telecommunications services. The SkyTel contract underscores our firm commitment to do so and, as a result, emerge as one of the major players in commercial services."
Telco Communications Group, Inc. is one of the nation's 10 largest long-distance companies. Telco is a rapidly growing nationwide switch-based provider of a full spectrum of long distance telecommunications products and services targeting residential, commercial and carrier customers. Telco markets its residential products and services primarily through its Dial & Save and Long Distance Wholesale Club subsidiaries. Telco markets its commercial and carrier products through approximately 300 sales professionals in 26 regional offices in 14 states.
Based in Jackson, Mississippi, Mobile Telecommunications Corp. (Mtel) is a pioneer in wireless communications. Its SkyTel brand is a leader in U.S. and global wireless messaging. Through Mtel International, the SkyTel system has expanded to more than 19 countries in North America, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region, offering customers the most advanced technologies and services for messaging from a single source. In September 1995, Mtel introduced SkyTel 2-Way(TM).
As noted above, this press release contains forward-looking statements which express the current beliefs and expectations of Telco's management, but are subject to a number of known and unknown risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in the forward-looking statements in this press release. Among the risks, factors, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those referred to above are: Telco's ability to maintain its current pace in attracting and retaining customers, the development of price competition in the long distance industry, an increase in rates for access and transmission facilities and the costs associated with the continued expansion of the Company's Commercial Sales Division.
CONTACT: Telcom Communications Group Inc., Chantilly
Investors: Nicholas A. Merrick (703) 631-5632
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Media: Scott Stapf (703) 276-1116
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