Agreement Expands Electric Lightwave's Competitive Phone Services to Upper
Midwest States; Provides Service Alternative for Touch America Customers While
TA Expands Its Network
VANCOUVER, Wash., March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Electric Lightwave Inc.
(Nasdaq: ELIX), one of the nation's leading integrated communications
providers, and Touch America, the telecommunications subsidiary of The Montana
Power Co. (NYSE: MTP), today announced a reciprocal agreement between the
two companies.
"Touch America's network extends Electric Lightwave's ability to provide
competitive, private line and other telecommunications services in Montana,
Wyoming, North Dakota and Minnesota," said Rudy Zaragoza, Electric Lightwave's
director of network services. "Forming this alliance is a great fit for
Electric Lightwave because it links our network across the northern US, from
the Northeast to the Northwest, and advances Electric Lightwave's strategic
plan to provide service nationwide."
"This reciprocal agreement allows Touch America to offer private line
services on Electric Light Wave's network at competitive prices," said Kevin
Dennehy, Touch America's director of marketing and sales. "Electric
Lightwave's network is in areas where Touch America's customers may have a
need for service. This agreement provides us additional options as we continue
to expand our 10,000-mile fiber network."
Sharing cost-effective access to companies' strategically located fiber
networks is a key feature of reciprocal agreements. It allows economical use
of assets, provides customer service at competitive rates while additional
infrastructure is built and avoids unnecessary fiber buildouts.
About Electric Lightwave: Electric Lightwave, Inc. is the leading
integrated communications provider of enhanced data services, frame relay, ATM
and Internet access solutions to bandwidth intensive businesses and the
growing e-commerce market. The company offers long distance, data and prepaid
services nationwide. As a full-service provider, the company offers local,
long distance, videoconferencing and high-speed broadband transport via an
expanding fiber optic network that interconnects major markets in the West.
The company owns and operates Metropolitan Area Networks in Seattle, Spokane,
Wash., Portland, Ore., Sacramento, Calif., Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Boise,
Idaho. Headquartered in Vancouver, Wash., Electric Lightwave employs 1,100.
Revenues in 1998 were $101 million, up 65 percent from 1997's $61 million.
Electric Lightwave is on the World Wide Web at http://www.eli.net and
http://data.eli.net.
About Touch America: Touch America is a wholly-owned telecommunications
subsidiary of The Montana Power Company, providing long distance services,
private line services, Internet, and business telephone equipment since 1983.
The company's digital fiber optic network employs the most advanced
telecommunications technology available today. Touch America offers a full
line of long distance services, as well as dedicated voice, data, video
services and frame relay solutions. Touch America's equipment services include
design, installation, and maintenance of PBX and key systems. The company also
offers construction management oversight of the installation of fiber-optic
systems. Touch America and The Montana Power Company are based in Butte, Mont.
Information about Touch America can be found at http://www.mtpower.com.
Forward-Looking Information is Subject to Risk and Uncertainty: This
release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements should be
read with the cautionary statements and important factors included in the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997 at
Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and
Results of Operations - Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements."
SOURCE Electric Lightwave, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.tamerica.com
http://www.eli.net
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/117258.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 117258
CONTACT:
Cort Freeman, Director of Corporate
Communication of The Montana Power Co., 406-497-2368, or
cfreeman@mtpower.com; or Susan Farmer, Public Relations Manager
of Electric Lightwave, Inc., 360-816-4518, or
susan_farmer@eli.net
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