Alpha Telecom has migrated its prepaid services to the technology of the ECT Group

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) August 20, 2004 --

London, Munich, the 18th august 2004 � Alpha Telecom, the brand leader in the prepaid fixed-line telephony segment in Great Britain and a subsidiary of Tele2 AB, needed to replace its legacy prepaid calling card platform with a high-density, state-of-the-art solution that could accommodate hundreds of E1 lines. After considering an upgrade of their older equipment and reviewing leading prepaid platforms, Alpha chose ECT's AutoCarrier� Softswitch and Prepaid Services Application. ECT delivered the turnkey solution within several weeks and migrated the complete calling card data from Alpha�s older equipment which was subsequently taken out of service. In addition to the technical advantages of ECT�s solution, business considerations such as its short return on investment and significantly lower maintenance costs played a crucial role in Alpha Telecom�s decision. �By winning over this very important UK provider of prepaid services, we have further solidified our position as Europe�s market leader in this segment,� says Chris Foxell, President Sales of the European Computer Telecoms Ltd. �By migrating to ECT technology, Alpha Telecom made the right choice. We are proud to be contributing to the continued success of Alpha and the entire Tele2 Group.�

After acquisition by the Tele2 Group, Alpha Telecom - one of Great Britain�s leading providers of prepaid calling cards - decided to replace its older Digitalk prepaid calling card platforms with the newest technology available on the market. Following a competitive bidding and selection process, Alpha Telecom gave the ECT Group the nod. Based on the newest generation of CompactPCI technology, ECT provided Alpha a carrier-class solution for all types of innovative prepaid services including message forwarding and prepaid conferencing. As part of a �buy-back programme,� ECT has taken Alpha�s older systems in partial payment for the new technology.



�We are pleased that Alpha Telecom and its customers now benefit from our cost-effective prepaid solutions�, said Dr. Marshall E. Kavesh, CEO and co-founder of the ECT Group. The Tele2 Group utilises ECT technology for prepaid calling cards and other value-added services in Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Sweden and Spain.



About Alpha Telecom

Alpha International Overseas Telecommunications Services Ltd. is a fully operating division of Tele2 AB with its head office in Funchal, Madeira. AIOTSL is part of the Tele2 group which provides services to over 20 million customers in Europe. Alpha Telecom was founded in 1996 and quickly established itself as the brand leader in prepaid fixed-line telephony segment in Great Britain. In February 2003, Alpha Telecom was acquired by Tele2 AB. Alpha has built its reputation on delivering low cost calls for customers. The customers keep in contact with family and friends assured that Alpha is always giving them great value. Alpha specialises in prepaid telecommunications services and possesses a major share of the UK prepaid telephony market. Customers are offered a range of tariffs all targeting specific international destinations.