New ATCOM/INFO Technology Will Accelerate  Mass-Market Adoption of   Broadband 
                                Internet Access                                
                       (Business Wire; 05/11/99)                       

 LAS VEGAS (May 11) BUSINESS WIRE -May 11, 1999--  IPORT MDU Internet Access 
System Reduces Costs and Increases Returns for Internet Access Providers 
Connecting Offices and Apartments

ATCOM/INFO announced today the launch of IPORT MDU(TM), a new Internet software 
service that allows Internet access providers to differentiate their offerings 
and increase margins on service to apartment buildings and office blocks.

With this technology, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Competitive Local 
Exchange Carriers (CLECs) can offer a sophisticated and powerful service to the 
large potential customer base in Multiple Dwelling Units (MDUs).

With IPORT access installed in a property, tenants have fast, plug-and-play 
access to the Internet. They do not need to reconfigure their computers or load 
additional software; they simply connect standard Ethernet cards to the IPORT 
socket and are able to surf the Internet at T-1 speeds. IPORT also supports 
Virtual Private Network (VPN) technologies, so telecommuters can bring their 
laptops home and have an immediate secure high-speed link to their corporate 
networks.

Access providers can use IPORT MDU to support multiple properties from a single 
location, and each port in a property can be configured with its own policy. 
This means that a different price, billing method, and community can be 
configured for individual apartments, regardless of where the IPORT server is 
physically located. By deploying IPORT MDU, access providers can automatically 
offer high speed Internet access to customers from one location, saving them 
the high costs associated with multiple manual activations, and service calls 
to many customers.

In addition, IPORT MDU allows the service provider to increase market 
penetration and service adoption by giving customers limited access to the 
Internet for a reduced price or for free, and allow individual users to upgrade 
themselves to full Internet access "on the fly." The IPORT system handles all 
the billing -- customers can be invoiced by their provider, or pay with a 
credit card and have unrestricted Internet access for the number of days 
requested, all without the ISP staff having direct contact with the customer.

Apartment owners such as Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) will also be 
able to work with access providers to reap benefits from the installation of 
IPORT MDU. Because all users in a given property must enter the Internet 
through a portal site, building owners can use IPORT MDU to build their brand 
by providing free access to local (and building) news and information, and to 
an on-line community exclusive to the property.

Working closely with Microsoft, ATCOM/INFO has tightly integrated IPORT MDU 
with Microsoft BackOffice Server 4.5 and Microsoft SQL Server 7.0. Basing the 
apartment Internet system on the powerful Microsoft platform has enabled 
ATCOM/INFO to support unattended installs, reducing IPORT MDU's installation 
steps by 40%, minimizing load on the service providers and reducing training 
requirements for their staff.

"We're working to transform broadband Internet access into a mass-market 
phenomenon," said Tom Caldwell, vice president of engineering for ATCOM/INFO. 
"IPORT MDU is the latest of our products to deliver on our 'Internet 
everywhere' vision and it moves us aggressively into the home networking 
market."

About ATCOM/INFO

Based in San Diego, ATCOM/INFO is the leading provider of services and software 
for public high-speed Internet access. ATCOM/INFO Internet systems are targeted 
for use in public facilities and the hospitality market segment throughout the 
United States and the world, including airports, hotels, convention centers and 
other public areas.

ATCOM/INFO's mission is to provide superior software products and services for 
information delivery to users in public places. This includes pay-per-use 
public Internet ports (IPORT Internet Access System), kiosk management software 
and custom software solutions designed to meet specific customer needs. For 
more information on ATCOM/INFO, please call 619/699-4003, fax at 619/699-4040, 
or visit its Web site at http:/www.atcominfo.com.

   -0- jm/sd*   ts/sd

 CONTACT: ATCOM/INFO           Tom Caldwell, 619/699-4000, ext. 203

          [email protected]           or

          Connors Communications           Chris Evenden, 212/807-7500

          [email protected]

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