Samsung Networks Renews Data Network Contract With Equant to Interconnect 50 Sites in Europe, Middle East and Africa

Business Wire, Jan 22, 2002

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2002

Information technology affiliate to the Samsung Group will continue to

benefit from customized solution based on Equant Frame Relay

Samsung Networks, an information technology affiliate to the Samsung Group, has signed a one-year contract renewal to continue using a customized Equant (NYSE: ENT) (Euronext Paris: EQU) data network solution to interconnect 50 offices in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Middle East and Africa.

Samsung Networks, headquartered in Seoul, Korea, will continue to leverage the capabilities of this multi-service Equant solution to manage intranet, Internet and ERP applications for Samsung Electronics, SamsungCo. and Samsung SDI.

Under the agreement, sites in Korea are linked with the U.K.-based hub of Samsung Group's European operations via an Equant Frame Relay network. The following additional services comprise the customized Samsung Networks solution:

-- Equant Managed Direct Link, an international managed bandwidth service,
interconnects Samsung Networks' Seoul node to its U.K. hub site, with
communications traveling at speeds up to 2 Mbps.

-- Managed Router CPE serves as a "turn-key" service for Samsung Networks by
building a private LAN to WAN data network with full management. This private
frame relay network features routers with LAN interfaces on Samsung Networks'
premises.

-- Equant Internet Direct provides Samsung Networks with high-quality, direct
and secure access to the Internet in more than 95 countries and territories.

-- Managed Firewall Service makes unauthorized connections to the network or to
a portion of the network more difficult and more readily detectable. Monitoring
and management are provided 24 hours per day to assist Samsung Networks in
making a rapid response to any detected unauthorized connection.

"Samsung Networks has been pleased with its past relationship with both Equant and the former Global One through a variety of network service agreements. We reselected Equant because of its superior coverage, good support capability, price-to-quality ratio and reliability," said an official at Samsung Networks.

"Equant continues to deliver highly reliable and advanced data network services to our Korean customers," said Eric Chong, country manager, Equant Korea. "Our focus has always been to provide outstanding customer care, and this has been a key factor in our longstanding partnership with Samsung Networks for the Samsung Group in Korea."

Samsung Networks has other existing agreements with Equant, including an Equant Frame Relay contract for Samsung's Latin America operations and Equant IP Dial for traveling executives worldwide.

About Equant

Equant (NYSE: ENT) (Euronext Paris: EQU) is a recognized industry leader in global IP and data services for multinational businesses, offering network, integration and managed services to global business. It has unmatched global reach with a seamless data network, connecting key business centers in 220 countries and territories, with local support in 145 countries and territories. Building on more than 50 years of experience in data communications, Equant serves thousands of the world's top companies. Equant, a member of the France Telecom Group, meets the diverse needs of global companies with the industry's most extensive and proven portfolio of managed data network services. The combined Equant and Global One pro forma revenues were $2.76 billion in 2000.

About Samsung Networks

Samsung Networks launched its business as a Business Internet Service Provider on January 1, 2002.

Samsung Networks has renamed itself from Unitel Inc., and decided to invest its capacities and resources into `Business Internet' for corporate users by spinning off Unitel Online business for consumers through restructuring in December 2001 in an effort to enhance its competitiveness.

Samsung Networks will be positioned as an industry-leading Business Internet Provider and focus all the efforts to provide highly reliable network solution & service and telephony service based on IT infrastructures, as well as e-Biz solution & service for a variety of e-business activities.

This release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements related to Equant that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that these statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future results or events. Readers are referred to the documents filed by Equant with the SEC, specifically the most recent filing on Form 20-F and the submission on Form 6-K containing the shareholder's circular, 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 and risks relating to the combination with Global One. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to Equant on the date hereof, and Equant assumes no obligation to update such statements.