Digital Broadcast Network And Birch Telecom Team Up To Provide Multi-Homed Internet Access

Business Wire, Jan 27, 1999

St. Louis, MO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 27, 1999--Digital Broadcast Network (DBN) announced today that it is providing Birch Telecom with multi-homed Internet access through a collocation connection to DBN's nationwide QoS-based broadband network at Birch Telecom in Kansas City.

"Birch Telecom is delighted to have two significant strategic business relationships with Digital Broadcast Network," said David E. Scott, president and CEO of Birch Telecom.

"By collocating a network connection at our Kansas City offices, DBN has joined our family of business customers. This move allows Birch to enhance its Internet access through DBN's unique, nationwide architecture. This adds another dimension to our comprehensive set of telecommunications services," Scott explained.

"We're pleased to provide our nationwide QoS-based Internet service to add Internet carrier diversity to Birch Telecom's Internet Services division," said Mark Ivie, DBN's Senior Vice President of Business Development.

"This will enable Birch to expand its service offerings in Kansas and throughout Missouri," Ivie said. "We are continuing to explore ways that Birch Telecom and DBN can work together to grow our respective businesses."

DBN's unique Internet access platform was designed to provide scalable, high-performance Internet access to DBN's customers. The network employs Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) technology to carve out secure, dependable virtual channels to carry customer traffic. This design is superior to the traditional ISP "best-effort" IP backbones which lack both security and performance characteristics.

DBN's unique Carrier Network Access Points (CNAP), multi-homed design drives DBN Internet traffic onto UUNET, GTE/BBN, Sprint, AT&T and Cable & Wireless networks at DS-3 (45 Mbps) speeds. DBN Internet data physically appear as part of each of these five carrier network infrastructures that collectively carry more than 60% of all Internet traffic. QoS performance is realized because the CNAP interfaces allow DBN's Internet traffic to bypass the metropolitan area exchanges (MAEs) and public network access points (NAPs) that result in switching point bottlenecks. DBN's routing policies are based on shortest hop, packet loss and latency criteria, ensuring that the customers' data always take the most efficient and fastest route to its destination.

DBN is continuing the Internet's evolution by delivering network services that integrate the capabilities of a QoS-based broadband network with the intelligence and capabilities of information technology.

DBN's Internet Data Centers and its strategic business partnerships with Hewlett-Packard, Data General, and Hitachi Data Systems provide a competitive advantage to attract Internet service and content providers as well as business customers to its next-generation service network. DBN's partnerships with key information technology vendors are redefining the role of the network.

DBN's services include: -0-

     -- Internet Access for business: DS-1 and DS-3 Frame Relay; DS-3
        ATM and OC-3 ATM.
     -- Business Continuance: off-site data replication; off-site
        backup; and off-site application fail-over.
     -- Hosting Services: dedicated server and collocation.
     -- Audio/Video Broadcasting: distribution and encoding.

About Digital Broadcast Network

Digital Broadcast Network Corporation, a broadband QoS-based network linking 34 cities in the United States and Canada, was founded in 1998 to provide network computer and communications services to content and application providers, service providers, Fortune 1000 companies and last mile providers (ISPs, CLECs, ILECs and cable TV). DBN's integrated "Glass House" data centers support business-to-business net-based applications, off-site date replication and back-up services, data storage and dedicated server hosting.

Press and industry analysts, please contact Jim Roberts at Digital Broadcast Network, 314/733-3104, jimr@dbn.net. For more information about Digital Broadcast Network and its products, please visit the DBN web site at www.dbn.net, or send e-mail to info@dbn.net. DBN is headquartered at 977 Charter Commons, Chesterfield, MO 63017; phone is 888/326-3638 and fax is 314/733-3199.

About Birch Telecom

Birch Telecom provides integrated telecommunications services to business and residential customers across Missouri, Kansas, and soon, Texas. Birch offers its customers a range of services, including local and long-distance phone service, telephone equipment, and Internet services such as access, hosting and development.

Formed in 1997 in Kansas City, Mo., Birch was one of the first companies to be certified to provide competitive local phone service in Kansas and Missouri. The company has grown to become the largest competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) in Kansas, serving customers in every county in the state. Birch now serves more than 20,000 customers across all of its markets and employs 350 people.