The ECT Group, European market leader for intelligent value-added services, completed the business year 2003 with an operative profit of more than five million euro (before taxes and reserves). In 2003, ECT doubled its direct sales by procuring important contracts for new projects at first-tier carriers, implementing system expansions at existing customers, and replacing products of weaker competitors with ECT solutions. As a direct result of this growth, the ECT Group has increased its personnel by 46%. Munich, Hanover, March 18, 2004 –The European Computer Telecoms Group (ECT), European market leader for intelligent value-added services, recorded high-level growth during the 2003 business year, which concluded on December 31, 2003. The ECT Group posted an operative profit of more than five million euro before taxes and reserves, while also doubling its direct sales compared to 2002. Maintenance revenue grew by 20 percent compared to the previous year. Contrary to the general market trend, ECT maintained profitability and is indeed expanding its current market position with several upcoming projects at first-tier carriers.

Major Contracts Have Accelerated Growth

During the 2003 business year, the ECT Group again won several major tenders across Europe.
UK-based BT Global Services, for example, realised a turnkey ECT solution with an overall annual capacity of 1.5 billion minutes and is utilizing ECT technology to provide BT resellers with value-added services.

The Tele2 Group implemented and now operates its pan-European intelligent network (IN) based on ECT’s technology. Using a mated pair of INtellECT® Service Control Points in Paris and Frankfurt, Tele2 realises number portability in fixed-line and mobile networks throughout Europe and is planning to expand this intelligent network to include additional ECT value-added services.

In a large tender for Vodafone D2’s new ring back tone service, the ECT Group edged several high-profile competitors and won the contract. Vodafone D2 will debut the new service, “Ring-Up-Tones,” based on ECT’s ring back tone solution, at this year’s CeBIT.

Expansions at ECT Customers

Small initial investments, low operational costs, and the unique selling points of ECT’s value-added services have fueled the substantial economic success of ECT’s current customers: due to their own growth, ECT customers generally purchased major expansions in 2003.
Additionally, the ECT Group has successfully helped numerous carriers and service providers (e.g. UK-based Alpha Telecom) to replace products from weaker competitors with ECT solutions. This development is also set to continue in the future. “The refocusing on measurable ROI benefits not only the carriers, but also ECT. The ECT Group a very attractive partner – for alternative providers as well as major carriers – because value-added services realized with our products are cost-effective and generate significant revenues,” explains Dr. Marshall E. Kavesh, CEO and co-founder of ECT.

New Sales and Services Centres Across Europe

For 2004, the ECT Group plans to further expand its network of subsidiaries and sales and services centres across Europe. With on-site presences already in all major European markets, ECT is further expanding its reach – and service – to other countries as well. For the current business year, ECT is especially focusing upon its sales activities in France, Scandinavia, and the Russian Federacy. This move is backed by an increase in the number of employees from 45 in 2002 to currently 66. In the wake of customer requests from southern Europe and Africa, a separate sales and service centre covering the Mediterranean region is also in planning.

Product Highlights at CeBIT 2004

ECT will demonstrate the new ECT Ring Back Tone Service at CeBIT 2004 (Hall 13, Stand C57). Vodafone D2 will also use the CeBIT stage to present to the public its new service “Ring-Up-Tones,” which is based on the ECT Ring Back Tone Service. Prepaid mobile and number portability are two other services that ECT will present to mobile carriers during the fair. Other highlights include innovative solutions for providers of televoting and service numbers, also to be demonstrated live, on the basis of ECT’s effECTive® Service Number Suite.
CeBIT visitors are also encouraged to take a glance at new projects in the areas of push-to-talk, voice XML, and mobile video services.

Financial Focus on Continued Growth

Due to its financial success, the ECT Group was able to expand its assets to more than 11 million euro (as of December 31, 2003), a 70-percent increase compared to 2002. “Because we reinvest our profits, we are today in the very fortunate position to not only consider but actually realise sound expansions,” says Dr. Kavesh.

About the European Computer Telecoms Group

The European Computer Telecoms Group, or ECT for short, was established in Munich, Germany in 1998, shortly after the German telecommunications market was liberalised. Today ECT encompasses the mother company European Computer Telecoms AG as well as the European Computer Telecoms Ltd. in London and the ECT Vertriebs- and Servicegesellschaft mbH in Munich. In addition, there are registered ECT Sales and Service Centres in Paris, Strasbourg, The Hague and Vienna. ECT is also affiliated with Interactive Technologies Holdings Limited in Hong Kong and has a direct sales and service presence in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Manila.

ECT enables highly profitable value-added services via software applications running on its own complete line of open platforms for public switching, service nodes, intelligent networks, intelligent peripherals and next-generation networks based on the Internet Protocol (IP). ECT's customers include major incumbents, such as BT and Deutsche Telekom, major mobile carriers, such as Vodafone and Hutchison, alternative carriers, such as Tele2, Completel and Versatel, Internet service providers, such as the United Internet AG, as well as larger providers of prepaid telephone cards and service, such as Alpha Telecom, the Calling Card Company Ltd., Kertel and Mox Telecom. In the recently liberalized markets of Eastern Europe, ECT also provides cost-efficient and low-maintenance public switching with interconnection. In the Czech Republic, for instance, ECT has equipped virtually all the alternative carriers including PragoNet, the local subsidiary of the Deutsche Telekom Group.

ECT has developed a large family of applications for value-added services, such as number portability, free-phone and premium-line service numbers, Ring Back Tone Service, teleconferencing services, personal-number services, virtual call centres and prepaid services. Additional service applications are introduced on a regular basis, all of which run on both the ECT AutoCarrier® and INtellECT® platforms. The AutoCarrier® is a class 4 softswitch that can be utilised for both interconnection to the public telephone network as well as intelligent value-added services. Via its INtellECT® Service Control Point, ECT realises intelligent networks with the Intelligent Network Application Protocol (INAP) CS1 and CS2.
For further press information

European Computer Telecoms AG
Hagen Gutsfeld
Marketing and PR
Ridlerstraße 55
80339 Munich
Germany
Tel.: 0 89/ 55 29 47 - 169
Fax: 0 89/ 55 29 47 - 111
E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

European Computer Telecoms AG
Albrecht Faber
Head of Marketing and Sales Strategies
Ridlerstraße 55
80339 Munich
Germany
Tel.: 0 89/ 55 29 47 - 911
Fax: 0 89/ 55 29 47 - 111
E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.