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 IDT And Executive TeleCard
Announce Strategic Partnership
IDT to lend Executive TeleCard $7.5 million; Will leverage Executive
TeleCards solid relationships with more than 40 PTTs for IDTs
future developments
HACKENSACK, NJ and DENVER, CO February 25, 1998 -- IDT Corporation
(NASDAQ: IDTC) and Executive TeleCard (NASDAQ: EXTL), today announced
the signing of a strategic agreement under which IDT will lend Executive
TeleCard $7.5 million for the purpose of retiring existing indebtedness.
IDT will leverage Executive TeleCards contacts with carriers
and PTTs to develop relationships with telcos worldwide. IDT will
also receive low cost access to Executive TeleCards worldwide
telecom network for routing its own traffic as well as 500,000 warrants
at market for Executive TeleCard stock. Through its World Direct
global communications network, Executive TeleCard has secured ongoing
partnerships and service relationships with over 40 international
carriers and PTTs around the world with company's proprietary CAVIARTM
technology. The CAVIAR is a unique billing, validation and call
routing system which taps into the local PTTs public voice
networks to directly connect intra/intercountry calls to virtually
anywhere in the world. Executive TeleCard provides PTTs with an
opportunity to increase call traffic and revenue. As part of the
arrangement, Chris Vizas, Chairman of Executive TeleCard, will become
ex-officio advisor to IDTs Board of Directors and Howard Jonas,
CEO of IDT, will be doing the same for Executive TeleCard. This
agreement will enable IDT to rapidly expand the number of operating
agreements that it has with PTTs worldwide as well as strengthen
Executive TeleCards position in the market. In Europe, IDT
already has established a strong presence in the UK with its facilities-based
switch, and has purchased more than 12,000 km of undersea cable
connecting the US, Canada, and UK. The Company already has numerous
operating agreements with carriers worldwide, and plans to continue
the worldwide network expansion as well as joint partnerships and
operating agreements. Through recent equity and debt offerings,
IDT raised over $200 million for its worldwide telecom expansion.
"We believe that Executive TeleCards strategic partnerships
and switching capabilities will strengthen IDTs existing position
in the worldwide telco market," said IDTs CEO Howard
Jonas. "We are excited about working closely with Executive
TeleCard and its highly respected new management team, and look
forward to a long, successful ad highly profitable relationship."
"We are delighted with the confidence that IDT senior management
has expressed in our new partnership and in Executive TeleCard.
We look forward to building this relationship into a strong business
combination," said Christopher Vizas, Chairman of Executive
TeleCard. IDT is a leading emerging multinational carrier that combines
its position as an international telecommunications operator, its
experience as an Internet service provider and its leading position
in Internet telephony to provide a broad range of telecommunications
services to its wholesale and retail customers worldwide. The Company
provides its customers with integrated and competitively priced
international and domestic long distance, Internet access and, through
its Net2Phone product offerings, Internet telephony services. Executive
TeleCard is an international telecommunications service company,
providing network-based global billing, validation and payment services
in the calling card and Internet sub-markets of telecommunications.
Executive TeleCard operates at one of the key meeting points of
global commerce with services that combine telecommunications, credit
cards, and real-time validation, billing and payment systems. Except
for historical information, all of the expectations and assumptions
contained in the foregoing are forward-looking statements involving
risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements,
include, but are not limited to, the competitive environment for
Internet telephony, changes of rates of all related telco rates
and services, legislation that may affect the Internet Telephony
industry, IDT's ability to operate the services described on a large
scale commercial level. For additional information regarding these
and other risks associated with the Company's business refer to
the Company's reports filed with the SEC.
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