News: Operations Support System -- ConnectSouth

ConnectSouth, a provider of digital subscriber line (DSL) high-speed Internet service and e-Business applications for small to medium-sized businesses in the southeastern and southwestern U. S., is completing integration of its new operations support system (OSS).

By combining "best of breed" subsystems in its OSS, ConnectSouth will ensure increased efficiency and seamless communication between internal and external e-Business applications. The new OSS features order entry and service activation by CommTech, messaging from Vitria, billing by Portal, circuit inventory management by Granite Systems, fault monitoring by AI Metrix, ILEC provisioning by DSET, trouble ticketing by Remedy and enterprise resource planning (ERP) by Oracle.

"As a customer driven company, we have invested more than $12 million in a web-enabled OSS designed to change the customer's experience with their service provider," said Jeff Mucci, ConnectSouth Chairman, CEO and Founder. "In the same way Cisco and Dell changed the competitive playing field by allowing customers to control their own service provider experience, we will e-enable our customers to take full advantage of their own web-related services and applications."

ConnectSouth's OSS will offer a wide range of Internet-based business tools and applications to suit the needs of individual businesses. ConnectSouth's service offerings include e-Business and e-Commerce tools, Web site and domain hosting, virtual e-mail, intranets and extranets, virtual private networks, firewalls, and remote network access via switched Internet.

"Our OSS supports a broad range of e-Business applications," said Dr. Ralph Freeman, ConnectSouth Chief Information Officer (CIO). "These subsystems provide our customers with the ability to request services and see flow-through activation without the normal manual interventions."

ConnectSouth began provisioning high-speed DSL Internet access and e-Business applications in Austin in April and in Waco, TX; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, OK; Birmingham and Mobile, AL; New Orleans, LA, and Biloxi/Gulfport, MS, on May 1, 2000.

ConnectSouth will utilize their $100 million in committed equity to expand into 32 more second and third-tier markets across the Sunbelt by the end of 2000 in a move to help bridge the Digital Divide in that region.

	PRESS RELEASES ConnectSouth Announces Operations Support System (OSS) Selections. CommTech featured as a key building block of scaleable system.

		May 8, 2000

		ConnectSouth, a provider of digital subscriber line (DSL) high-speed Internet service and e-Business applications for small to medium-sized businesses in the southeastern and southwestern U. S., is completing integration of its new operations support system (OSS). By combining "best of breed" subsystems in its OSS, ConnectSouth will ensure increased efficiency and seamless communication between internal and external e-Business applications. The new OSS features order entry and service activation by CommTech, messaging from Vitria, billing by Portal, circuit inventory management by Granite Systems, fault monitoring by AI Metrix, ILEC provisioning by DSET, trouble ticketing by Remedy and enterprise resource planning (ERP) by Oracle. "As a customer driven company, we have invested more than $12 million in a web-enabled OSS designed to change the customer's experience with their service provider," said Jeff Mucci, ConnectSouth Chairman, CEO and Founder. "In the same way Cisco and Dell changed the competitive playing field by allowing customers to control their own service provider experience, we will e-enable our customers to take full advantage of their own web-related services and applications." ConnectSouth's OSS will offer a wide range of Internet-based business tools and applications to suit the needs of individual businesses. ConnectSouth's service offerings include e-Business and e-Commerce tools, Web site and domain hosting, virtual e-mail, intranets and extranets, virtual private networks, firewalls, and remote network access via switched Internet. "Our OSS supports a broad range of e-Business applications," said Dr. Ralph Freeman, ConnectSouth Chief Information Officer (CIO). "These subsystems provide our customers with the ability to request services and see flow-through activation without the normal manual interventions." ConnectSouth began provisioning high-speed DSL Internet access and e-Business applications in Austin in April and in Waco, TX; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, OK; Birmingham and Mobile, AL; New Orleans, LA, and Biloxi/Gulfport, MS, on May 1, 2000. ConnectSouth will utilize their $100 million in committed equity to expand into 32 more second and third-tier markets across the Sunbelt by the end of 2000 in a move to help bridge the Digital Divide in that region. 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.