[July 30, 1999]

I-Link, Casio PhoneMate Announce Partnership To Manufacture And Market NetLink-IP Phone Line Expansion Device

I-Link Inc. and Casio PhoneMate, Inc. announced their intention to form a business relationship to manufacture and jointly market I-Link's NetLink-IP telephone line capacity expansion device (referred to during its development stages as "C4").

The NetLink-IP device, developed by I-Link's wholly-owned subsidiaries, New Jersey-based MiBridge, Inc., and Israel-based ViaNet Technologies, Ltd., enables a home or business to leverage and extend the capacity of an ISDN or xDSL line into the equivalent of up to 12 lines, each line capable of making and receiving separate calls, faxes, etc., while simultaneously maintaining a persistent Internet connection.

The NetLink-IP device also permits a direct connection to I-Link's enhanced IP ("Internet Protocol") telecommunications network, and thus direct access to I-Link's basic and enhanced telecommunications services, including V-Link long-distance calling as low as 3.9-cents-per-minute, a $149 per-month flat-rate "all you can use" V-Link long-distance calling program, and access to V-Link services. V-Link provides one-number call routing, caller screening, unified voice, fax, pager and e-mail messaging, voice- and fax-on-demand, conference calling, and seamless call transfer from cell phone to land-line and vice-versa.

In a joint statement made today by I-Link President John Edwards and Casio PhoneMate President Yosh Yamaguchi at I-Link's national sales conference in Los Angeles, California, the companies announced the signing of a formal Memorandum of Understanding. Under terms of the MOU Casio PhoneMate will manufacture the NetLink-IP device, and I-Link and Casio PhoneMate will both market the co-branded NetLink-IP device and the V-Link enhanced telecommunications services through their respective sales channels.

Additionally, I-Link and Casio PhoneMate will jointly identify and exploit new potential markets for the NetLink-IP product and V-Link services. "We believe that this announcement represents a watershed event for the telecommunications industry," said John Edwards, I-Link president and CEO. "The alignment of I-Link's innovative technology and I-Link Worldwide sales channel with Casio PhoneMate's world-class manufacturing and marketing capabilities is a powerful combination. NetLink-IP is the right product, at the right time, in the right industry.

"Who among us with a growing business or teenagers at home -- as dedicated fax and persistent Internet access have become more of a necessity than a luxury -- hasn't dreamed of creating multiple, simultaneous phone line capacity out of a single connection? The market introduction of NetLink-IP represents the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication by many people at I-Link, and we couldn't be more excited to have Casio PhoneMate as a partner in this effort."

"Casio PhoneMate is pleased to be working with I-Link on this exciting project," said Casio PhoneMate president Yosh Yamaguchi. "The combination of I-Link's real-time IP network and advanced communications technologies will allow us to introduce new and innovative communications solutions to the marketplace."

Although the technology underlying the NetLink-IP product is currently capable of expanding the line capacity of an ISDN or xDSL connection into the equivalent of up to 24 lines, the initial version of this integrated access device manufactured and sold under the I-Link/Casio PhoneMate relationship will initially support a line-equivalency of up to 12 lines.

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