STP.L Regulatory News (STP)

22 Nov 2005 14:33

Spiritel PLC22 November 2005 For immediate release 22 November 2005 SPIRITEL PLC ("Spiritel" or "the Company") New Entacall agreement to deliver 10,000 residential VoIP customers Spiritel plc (AIM: STP), the telecommunications services business, is pleased toannounce it has signed a landmark agreement with Telford-based partner EntacallTelecommunications Ltd ("Entacall") under which Entacall will introduce at least10,000 residential customers to Spiritel's VoIP products during the first twelvemonths of an exclusive three year agreement. This new agreement, which includes call termination services and follows anexisting agreement with Entacall, is one of the most significant VoIP contractsto date in Europe, underpinning Spiritel's position as one of Europe's leadingVoIP suppliers. The agreements with Entacall are expected to be worth more than £5 million inrevenues to Spiritel over three years, during which time the use of broadbandtelephony is expected to grow rapidly at the expense of traditional telephonynetworks. Spiritel's VoIP services enable a plug-and-play solution, wherebyresidential and other users simply plug their existing fixed line phone intotheir broadband router via a connector. It is estimated that almost 80 per cent of voice traffic in Europe will be VoIPbased by 2012. In the UK alone in 2004, the spend on calls from fixed linephones was around £10 billion, giving an indication of the opportunity availableto VoIP service providers in the imminent migration of fixed line calls tobroadband networks. Alastair Mills, Spiritel's Chief Executive, said: "I am delighted by this latestcontract which represents a genuine landmark in the residential use of VoIP inthe UK. The imminent take-up and anticipated dominance of VoIP over traditionaltelephony is highlighted by Enta's confidence in its ability to achieve asignificant residential customer base in the year ahead." Elsa Chen, Entacall's General Manager, said: "Entacall are excited by theopportunity presented by the growth and acceptance of VoIP in the UK telephonymarket. We are already able to provide a business VoIP solution through ourextensive network of resellers. The additional residential VoIP offeringunderlines our ability to deliver service on a substantial scale and at a pricepoint that provides a compelling proposition to our customers." ENDS For further information: Spiritel plc 020 7160 0100Alastair Mills, Chief ExecutiveJohn Vergopoulos, Deputy Chairman Teather & Greenwood 020 7426 9000Jeff Keating Buchanan Communications 020 7466 5000Mark CourtMary-Jane Johnson Notes for Editors: About Spiritel plc Spiritel (AIM: STP) is the holding company for a growing group of companieswhose focus is telecommunications services and products. Spiritel's initialtrading division, Expo Communications, was founded in 2000 and is one ofEurope's leading call termination businesses focussing on calls from fixed linesto mobiles. Expo's client base includes Level (3), Colt, One.Tel and YourCommunications among others. Spiritel has also launched VoIP services throughits Spiritel Technologies division. These VoIP services are highly complementaryto Expo's termination services as most phone calls made via VoIP requiretermination in the same way as calls from traditional fixed line phones. Spiritel joined the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in July 2004. For further information please visit www.spiritelplc.com About Entacall Telecommunications Entacall is part of the Telford-based Enta Group, which provides a complete endto end technology solution through telecoms and data services, hardwaredistribution and on-line marketing. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange