COLT Telecom and AirFiber Team Provide Network Support for the MTV Europe Music Awards 2002

Business Wire, Nov 14, 2002

Business Editors & High-Tech/Entertainment Writers

SAN DIEGO & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 2002

COLT Telecom Group plc (COLT) (Nasdaq:COLT)(LSE:CTM), the leading European provider of business communication services, and AirFiber, a developer of high capacity wireless telecommunications equipment, together with MTV Networks Europe announced today that they were collaborating in the provision of network support services for the MTV Europe Music Awards 2002.

The show will be broadcast today and supported by core network service offerings from COLT and AirFiber, working in collaboration with MTV Networks Europe.

"The MTV Europe Music Awards is our flagship event and is broadcast to 107 million people across Europe," said Cory Branton-Speak, Network Architect for MTV Networks Europe. "For a show of this caliber to be successful, it is critical that we have reliable high-bandwidth communication links between the event's location and our head offices. The links are used both to satisfy the data communication needs associated with organizing a production of this magnitude and also for distributing production quality video between countries in real-time. COLT and AirFiber have been instrumental in providing this."

"Involvement in such a high profile event as the MTV Europe Music Awards is a great opportunity for COLT to once again demonstrate the quality and reliability of its pan-European services," commented Steve Akin, president and CEO of COLT.

COLT is providing a range of high bandwidth data and video services as well as voice from two sites in London over its pan-European network to Barcelona. AirFiber is assisting in the COLT connection of the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona via a wireless connection to the COLT node, located more than a kilometer away. AirFiber's equipment, known as the AirFiber 5800, utilizes free space optics to directly connect two points wirelessly. This is an optical wireless solution where spectrum licensing is not required.

"This deployment demonstrates our ability to quickly provide reliable high bandwidth services to areas that under normal circumstances would not benefit from fiber," said Brett Helm, president and CEO of AirFiber. "The AirFiber 5800 can be ideal for a temporary situation such as this, among other applications."

A case study and white paper discussing the MTV Europe application and the services provided by COLT and AirFiber will be available within the next week on the COLT Web site at www.colt.net and the AirFiber Web site at www.airfiber.com.

About COLT

COLT Telecom Group plc is a leading European provider of business communication services. COLT has over 15,000 network services and eBusiness customers with high bandwidth local networks in 32 European cities in 13 countries supported by a series of Internet Solution Centres and inter-linked by a 15,000 route kilometre high capacity fibre-optic long distance network.

COLT Telecom Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (CTM.L) and Nasdaq (COLT). Information about COLT and its products and services can be found on the Web at www.colt.net.

Note to Editor: Please ensure COLT is always spelt in CAPITALS.

About AirFiber

AirFiber is a developer of unlicensed wireless access equipment that provides fiber-like broadband capacity and reliability at a fraction of the time and cost of installing fiber. AirFiber's access equipment spans the telecommunications last mile by utilizing free space optic (based on eye-safe optical -- or laser -- signals) or millimeter wave (based on very high radio frequencies) technologies. AirFiber's products have been designed to adhere to the most stringent telecommunications carrier requirements to meld seamlessly into their networks and withstand the most rigorous of conditions. For more information, please visit the AirFiber Web site at www.airfiber.com.

About MTV Networks Europe

MTV Europe is Europe's largest 24-hour music television network, reaching more than 107 million households in 44 territories via terrestrial, cable and satellite. MTV Europe currently comprises the following channels -- MTV UK & Ireland, MTV Italia, MTV Espana, MTV Germany (serving Germany, Austria and German speaking Switzerland), MTV2Pop (pop channel in Germany), MTV France (serving France, Belgium (Wallonia) & French speaking Switzerland), MTV NL, MTV Polska, MTV Nordic, MTV Romania and MTV European (an English language channel serving 23 countries including Hungary, Israel and Portugal), VH1 UK, VH1 European and MTV Classic (aimed at viewers aged 25-40 in Poland). MTV Europe also owns TMF in Holland and Belgium, which runs alongside MTV NL and MTV European/MTV France in Belgium (Wallonia & Flanders) in addition to the recently launched TMF UK in the UK. There are 5 digital channel brands available in the UK -- MTV Dance, Base, Hits, MTV2 and VH1 Classic, with Base, Hits, MTV2 and VH1 Classic available in Europe. There are also 17 localised online services: mtve.com servicing MTV Nordic and mtve.com/european servicing MTV European in English; mtv.fr serving France, mtv.de and mtv2pop.de both servicing the German market, mtv.it aimed at users in Italy, mtvnl.com servicing the Dutch market alongside tmf.nl, tmfweb.nl and tmf.be; mtv.es servicing the MTV Espana market; mtv.co.uk for the MTV UK & Ireland market, mtv.pl and mtvclassic.pl aimed at the MTV Polska market and mtv2europe -- an English site running alongside the MTV2 digital channel. vh1.co.uk services the VH1 UK market and vh1e.com services the market in Europe. All brands are specifically tailored to satisfy the tastes and nuances of each market including local presenters, programming and playlists.