Chile's Post Office Sends Data With Equant

Business Wire, August 3, 2000

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 3, 2000

Equant (NYSE:ENT) (Paris Bourse: EQU) today announced it has installed and will maintain an integrated communications network with voice and data services under a five-year, US$10 million contract with Empresa Correos de Chile, the Chilean Post Office Company.

Equant was selected earlier this year over four other competing network providers including Entel, Telefonica, Adexus and Telectronic. The newly installed network, which is based on the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) for voice and data transmissions, connects 138 remote offices around Chile with the post office's state-of-the-art central office in Santiago. It is the largest network of its type in South America.

The high-speed network is built on a platform of Nortel telephone exchanges and uses data transmission equipment based on Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) technology. Equant provides support services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The project provides redundancy with ISDN back-up, Internet services, network migration, site services that include site surveys and cabling, network management and remote support services, and training.

The primary benefits for Correos de Chile are:

      --  Independence from circuit-switched providers, which
        facilitates future growth using IP, decreases expansion costs,
        and makes it easy to upgrade and introduce new technology.

      --  High-tech solutions using IP voice channels on the entire
        network and high-powered fiber optic links.

      --  Constant network availability with back-up links in addition
        to the ISDN central office configuration.

      --  Easy integration with international services maintaining the
        same point of contact.

      --  Single point of contact for network solutions, equipment
        provisioning, integration and maintenance of the network.

"We selected Equant for several reasons including their proven experience with mission-critical systems, plus their independence from manufacturers of equipment and local PTTs," said Alfredo Tiraferri, Information Technology manager, Correos de Chile. "Equant has significant global experience with postal and courier companies including the Universal Postal Union, U.S. Postal Services, La Poste, DHL, UPS, TNT, EMERY, FedEx and European Air Transport. In addition, Equant has extensive experience with major deployments in Chile, including Hitachi Data Systems, a partner that allows Equant's Integration Services Division to provide network management services to the Chilean Police Network; Tur Bus, the most important domestic ground transportation company; and SWIFT, the global network for electronic fund transfers."

About Empresa Correos de Chile

The company is 100 percent owned by the Chilean government but plans to privatize a percentage of its operations or associate with private companies. The company has 1,187 branches with 6,000 employees and is Chile's most profitable governmental company with 1999 income before taxes of US$19 million, net operating profit of 22.5 percent and return on equity (income before taxes/Equity) 57.7 percent.

About Equant

Equant operates the world's largest network, providing voice, data, Internet, integration, and application services to companies around the globe. The network reaches key business centers in more than 220 countries and territories. For additional information, see www.equant.com.

This release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements relating to Equant that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that these statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results. Readers are referred to the documents filed by Equant with the SEC, specifically the most recent filing on Form 20-F, which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including, among other things, risks relating to Equant's history of operating losses, the unpredictability of growth in Equant's markets, Equant's rapid growth, changing technology, uncertain and changing regulatory restrictions, Equant's international operations, dependence on suppliers, network security issues, competition, and volatility of Equant's stock price. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to Equant on the date hereof, and Equant assumes no obligation to update such statements.