News: Nortel -- ConnectSouth

ConnectSouth Communications, Inc., continues to drive toward its business goal of creating a superior, customer driven network infrastructure by selecting the Nortel Networks* Shasta* 5000 Broadband Service Node (BSN). ConnectSouth will be able to give its customers industry-leading network-based Virtual Private Network (VPN) services which bring quality, corporate-level Intranet or secure network services to small and medium sized businesses.

The Nortel Networks Shasta 5000 BSN allows ConnectSouth to extend its customer network interface much closer to the actual customer location than other similar service providers. The advantage is a world-class network connection that is backed by a customer-driven suite of performance and service related Service Level Agreements (SLAs) tailored for small to medium sized business customers.

"Our strategy is to put the power, service selection and tools in the hands of the customer that allow them to truly use high-speed Internet access to enhance their business experience and reduce their costs," said Jeff Mucci, Chairman, CEO and Founder of ConnectSouth. "We intend to team with companies such as Nortel Networks, that offer today’s leading technology and that have the system flexibility to expand future service offerings."

Enterprises will benefit from ConnectSouth’s network solutions by taking full advantage of the security features, flexible service options and cost saving alternatives that deliver the necessary building blocks of the new corporate IP network. With this solution, customer’s will have access to web-based management tools that will put network control in the hands of the customer. As customer’s bandwidth needs increase, they can quickly and easily upgrade their service on demand, without the expense of customer premise hardware.

"The selection of the Nortel Networks Shasta 5000 BSN puts our customers in a great position to use the Internet for their businesses," said Leonard Conn, ConnectSouth Chief Technology Officer. "The capabilities of the Nortel Networks Shasta 5000 BSN personal network portal allow ConnectSouth to deliver broadband content and provide users with the ability to prioritize their applications and content over their high speed Internet connections. This is an essential part of our future application service strategy that puts the intelligence to manage the Internet in the hands of the customer."

* Nortel Networks and Shasta are trademarks of Nortel Networks.

	PRESS RELEASES ConnectSouth Teams With Nortel Networks to Deploy Advanced Network Technology.

		May 31, 2000

		ConnectSouth Communications, Inc., continues to drive toward its business goal of creating a superior, customer driven network infrastructure by selecting the Nortel Networks* Shasta* 5000 Broadband Service Node (BSN). ConnectSouth will be able to give its customers industry-leading network-based Virtual Private Network (VPN) services which bring quality, corporate-level Intranet or secure network services to small and medium sized businesses. The Nortel Networks Shasta 5000 BSN allows ConnectSouth to extend its customer network interface much closer to the actual customer location than other similar service providers. The advantage is a world-class network connection that is backed by a customer-driven suite of performance and service related Service Level Agreements (SLAs) tailored for small to medium sized business customers. "Our strategy is to put the power, service selection and tools in the hands of the customer that allow them to truly use high-speed Internet access to enhance their business experience and reduce their costs," said Jeff Mucci, Chairman, CEO and Founder of ConnectSouth. "We intend to team with companies such as Nortel Networks, that offer today’s leading technology and that have the system flexibility to expand future service offerings." Enterprises will benefit from ConnectSouth’s network solutions by taking full advantage of the security features, flexible service options and cost saving alternatives that deliver the necessary building blocks of the new corporate IP network. With this solution, customer’s will have access to web-based management tools that will put network control in the hands of the customer. As customer’s bandwidth needs increase, they can quickly and easily upgrade their service on demand, without the expense of customer premise hardware. "The selection of the Nortel Networks Shasta 5000 BSN puts our customers in a great position to use the Internet for their businesses," said Leonard Conn, ConnectSouth Chief Technology Officer. "The capabilities of the Nortel Networks Shasta 5000 BSN personal network portal allow ConnectSouth to deliver broadband content and provide users with the ability to prioritize their applications and content over their high speed Internet connections. This is an essential part of our future application service strategy that puts the intelligence to manage the Internet in the hands of the customer." * Nortel Networks and Shasta are trademarks of Nortel Networks. About ConnectSouth

	ConnectSouth Communications, Inc. (www.connectsouth.com), headquartered in Austin, Texas, is an "e-enabler," providing a full range of high-speed connectivity and Internet tools for small and medium sized businesses in traditionally underserved cities and towns. ConnectSouth is one of the best-funded companies of its kind, with more than $100 million in committed equity from Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Private Equity, Fleet Equity Partners and Waller-Sutton Media Partners.