SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 5, 1997--Siemens Business Communication Systems today announced the formation of the Access Terminal Solutions Group (ATSG) to provide Siemens' advanced CAT (Customer Access Terminal) kiosk solutions for a broad range of business applications. The group will focus initially on the retail and healthcare industries. Peter McLellan, General Manager of the ATSG, said, "Multimedia kiosks are among the fastest-growing customer-service tools on the market today. They offer outstanding benefits for consumers and can directly contribute to a retailer's customer loyalty and profits. The ATSG group enables us to focus more directly on the needs of our retail and healthcare customers and provide industry- leading solutions for a wide variety of consumer environments." Siemens' CAT kiosk, announced in a separate release today, offers advanced multimedia and communications capabilities that enable retailers to provide highly personalized customer service. For customers, kiosk solutions provide fast, easy access to helpful and entertaining information. In addition to data access, telephone services, and smart-card and credit card support, the system offers such advanced features as on-site videoconferencing, which allows consumers to place video calls to a centralized call center to access specialized consultants and other customer service representatives. About Siemens Business Communication Systems From switching systems to networks to the internet, Siemens Business Communications provides integrated global communications solutions that turn diverse technologies into practical applications for such major sectors as healthcare, education, utilities, retail, public sector, and finance. The company is part of Siemens Private Communications Systems, the world's largest supplier of private telecommunications systems, with annual sales of approximately $5.8 billion, more than 500,000 customers and a million systems installed. Telecommunications and networking accounted for more than 20 percent of Siemens AG's sales of $63.6 billion in the fiscal year 1995-96. --30--slw/sf* CONTACT: Siemens Karron C. Esmonde, 408/492-6979 [email protected] or Siemens Anita Giani, 408/777-4546 [email protected]