AUSTRALIA'S FIRST PAN-ASIAN MANAGED HOSTING AND DATA SERVICE LAUNCHED

Sydney, 28 May 2002 - Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) and Optus today launched their first joint communication products in Australia - a suite of managed hosting services called Optus EXPAN.

Optus EXPAN is Australia's first suite of pan-Asian managed hosting and data products able to deliver seamless service across the region.

Using the combined size, scale and network capabilities of SingTel and Optus, EXPAN is suited for multinational companies requiring a fully managed data communications and web hosting service across the Asia Pacific region.

SingTel's President and CEO, Mr Lee Hsien Yang, in Sydney for the launch of EXPAN, said the business divisions of Optus and SingTel will work closely through EXPAN to complement the existing hosting services that Optus currently provides to businesses of all sizes in Australia.

"Through EXPAN, Optus customers with Asian operations can have their servers and IT systems housed and managed in any of our data centres across the region - and their data communications will be carried over our extensive cable networks throughout the region.

"The SingTel Group is the only telco in Asia and Australia that can offer this service over multiple sites - with just one contract and one service level agreement.

"The breadth of our offerings, our expertise and market presence in the Asia Pacific makes it easy for our customers to do business with us - wherever they are in the region," Mr Lee said.

Chief Executive of Optus, Chris Anderson, said that companies that use managed hosting services can also eliminate the need to spend on infrastructure and equipment. "Optus already hosts data for Australian businesses of all sizes and our customers tell us they benefit in two main ways - the cost efficiency of using Optus' infrastructure and the peace of mind that comes from working with a Tier One carrier.

"The Optus and SingTel partnership on EXPAN means we have even greater benefits to offer data-dependent Australian companies.

"Not only will customers experience the ease of working with an established hosting player, they now also get seamless connectivity across the region. We can offer the convenience of a single Australian point of accountability.

"Companies that operate within Australia will now have access to a fully-managed world-class hosting service that delivers security, systems management requirements and redundancy," Mr Anderson said.

To support the rollout of EXPAN in Australia, SingTel is investing a further A$15 million over the next two years to enhance the Optus data centre in Ultimo, Sydney.

As a result, Optus will offer an extended range of services including enhanced co-location capabilities, IT-related operations (including systems management and security services), bandwidth and disaster recovery services via storage facilities.

The SingTel Group's strategy is to grow its data and corporate business outside of Singapore.

It expects revenue from the provision of Managed Hosting Services in the Asia Pacific to reach A$200 million on an annual basis by 2005. Australia is expected to be one of SingTel's top three markets in the region, outside of Singapore.

"Our experience and expertise as a telecommunications company differentiate us from other players in the market," Mr Lee said.

"SingTel has been helping multinationals manage their communications and co-location requirement since the early 1990s.

"Unlike other players, we do not see ourselves as just a provider of space. We own the networks and data centres and have end-to-end capabilities to allow companies to outsource all their network and IT operations," Mr Lee said.

Media contacts:
Ivan Tan
SingTel Corporate Communications
Tel: +65 9635 9765
Email: ivantan@singtel.com

Linda Collard
Optus Public Affairs
Tel: +61 2 9342 5045
Email: linda.collard@optus.com.au

About EXPAN - a pan-Asian offering

EXPAN is a pan-Asian chain of data network centres. It is built upon SingTel's own extensive pan-Asian cable and satellite infrastructure which SingTel manages end-to-end. Customers enjoy a world class, robust and secured environment to host their application and network systems. They also have access to high-end technologies and data centre resources that can easily be scaled to their business needs.

EXPAN enables multinationals, Internet and application service providers across Asia to outsource their entire communications networks and web-hosting needs to SingTel. Services include the provision of co-location, bandwidth, IT-related operations and disaster recovery via storage facilities.

EXPAN data centres provide 24x7 network monitoring, systems administration and maintenance, security services, data storage and administration, performance monitoring and fault management, problem resolution and technical support. A single point of contact for multi-services in multi-sites is also provided.

The EXPAN network is the most extensive in Asia, comprising data centres located in Singapore (three), Hong Kong (two), Japan (two), Korea, Taiwan and Australia (through Optus EXPAN). EXPAN is also available in other markets like China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand through marketing alliances with local partners.

SingTel has leveraged the technology of the best players in the market to support the provision of services at its data centres. Our partners like BMC Software, Cisco Systems, EMC Corporation and Hewlett-Packard will provide the equipment, software solutions and expertise to complement our telecommunications offerings. In Australia, SingTel and Optus also partner with Veritas Software and NetScreen Technologies.