Excel Communications Granted Summary Judgment in AT&T Patent Case - Company Business and Marketing

Cambridge Telcom Report, Nov 1, 1999

Excel Communications, Inc. Monday announced that a Delaware federal court granted summary judgment in favor of Excel in a patent infringement suit brought in 1996 by AT&T (NYSE: T). The Court held that the AT&T U.S. Patent No. 5,333,184 is invalid under U.S. patent law.

Although the Court found that Excel infringed the claims of the AT&T patent, the Court found that the patent was invalid based upon the prior billing program of MCI, and therefore Excel could not be liable for infringement of the patent. The judge has given the parties an opportunity to respond to the court's analysis before entering a judgment. Based upon the Court's grant of summary judgment, Excel intends to continue offering discounts to its customers that were the subject of AT&T's challenge to Excel's discount billing software.

Dallas-based Excel Communications, Inc., a subsidiary of Teleglobe Inc., is one of the largest providers of telecommunications services in the United States. Through a combination of distribution channels including network marketing, commercial sales offices and direct mail, Excel offers subscribers residential and commercial long distance service, as well as Internet access, dial-around services, calling cards and paging services. Excel markets these products nationwide to residential and commercial customers under the Excel and Telco brand names. Visit Excel's home page on the World Wide Web: www.excel.com.

Teleglobe Inc. (NYSE: TGO; Toronto; Montreal) is a recognized leader in global telecommunications. Through its other subsidiary Teleglobe Communications Corporation, it develops and supplies global connectivity services to carriers, ISPs, multinational corporations and broadcast customers worldwide. Teleglobe Inc. is the fourth-ranked long distance provider in the United States, based on revenue and capacity, and is the third-largest owner of international undersea fiber optic cable systems in the world. Teleglobe has a 50% interest in ORBCOMM, the world's first commercial low-earth-orbit, satellite-based, data communications system. up2 technologies inc., a subsidiary of Teleglobe, operates a world-class electronic commerce platform. Teleglobe recently announced that it would invest US$5 billion over the next five years to build GlobeSystem, the world's first globally integrated Internet, voice, data and video network. GlobeSystem will increase Teleglobe's currently installed network capacity by an estimated 200-fold, and provides customers with direct network access from 160 major cities worldwide. Visit Teleglobe's home page on the World Wide Web: www.teleglobe.com.