COLT Telecom Group Deploys Business Objects Extranet to Improve Customer Loyalty and Service

Business Wire, March 4, 2003

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 2003

Leading European Provider of Business Communications Services

Offers Customer-Care Extranet to Optimize Call Center Performance

Business Objects (Nasdaq:BOBJ), the world's leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions, today announced that COLT Telecom Group (Nasdaq:COLT), a leading European provider of business communications services, has developed a new online service for its customers with solutions from Business Objects. COLT corporate customers who use service call numbers (for example, toll free 1-800 numbers) from COLT can now log on and analyze over the internet key information regarding the success of their service call numbers. Users can look at the loading, congestion, and seasonality of the calls, as well as the quality and efficiency of their individual call centers. The COLT extranet is powered by WebIntelligence(R), the business intelligence solution for the internet from Business Objects.

The COLT extranet, which has been rolled out it in pilot phase to German customers, will be available to other European countries in the first half of 2003. The extranet, known as "COLTIN report," allows COLT customers to access the latest detailed information about incoming calls to their service call numbers. With the extranet powered by Business Objects, COLT customers can analyze information regarding the number of calls getting through, the number blocked, the reason for blockage, calls that are abandoned, and the congestion of the service numbers. In addition, the seasonality of calls by time-of-day, day-of-the-week, and any other factor like specific promotions or marketing campaigns can also be analyzed. COLT Telecom improves customer service by providing this information and the details needed for analyzing the information.

"Our customers would like to evaluate calls in detail," said Jens Kurlanda, IT project manager with COLT. "We selected the solution from Business Objects because of its openness so we could generate report flexibility and meet our customers needs. With access to the information provided over the extranet, COLT customers can improve their marketing relationships with their customers, and at the same time increase the efficiency of their call center management and lower costs."

"Customers expect solutions where they can see immediate results and increase productivity and efficiency of their operations, and that is exactly what Business Objects has provided to COLT, as well as to our dozens of other telecom customers," said Rani Goel, director of worldwide telecommunications marketing at Business Objects. "Telecommunications companies such as COLT improve customer loyalty by helping their corporate customers improve the experience of their customers at multiple touch points. The incoming service call performance analysis and response is one such opportunity. COLT Telecom is ahead of the curve by providing this information to its customers via an extranet based on Business Objects solutions."

For more information on Business Objects solutions for the communications industry, please visit: www.businessobjects.com/solutions/byindustry/telco.htm.> To download a white paper detailing how Business Objects has delivered success to other leading communications providers, please visit: www.businessobjects.com/news/presstrack.asp?dest=telcowhitepaper.

About COLT

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

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.

About Business Objects

Business Objects is the world's leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions. Business intelligence lets organizations access, analyze, and share information internally with employees and externally with customers, suppliers, and partners. It helps organizations improve operational efficiency, build profitable customer relationships, and develop differentiated product offerings.

The company's products include data integration tools, the industry's leading integrated business intelligence platform, and a suite of enterprise analytic applications. Business Objects is the first to offer a complete BI solution that is composed of best-of-breed components, giving organizations the means to deploy end-to-end BI to the enterprise, from data extraction to analytic applications.

Business Objects has more than 17,000 customers in over 80 countries. The company's stock is publicly traded under the ticker symbols NASDAQ: BOBJ and Euronext Paris (Euroclear code 12074). It is included in the SBF 120 and IT CAC 50 French stock market indexes. Business Objects can be reached at 408-953-6000 and www.businessobjects.com.