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WilTel Debuts Enhancements to Award-Winning Customer Web Portal

Posted on: Monday, 1 November 2004, 12:00 CST

ORLANDO, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- CompTel/ASCENT Fall 2004 Convention & Expo, Booth 605 -- WilTel Communications announced today the release of an upgrade to its award-winning customer web portal, Direct Network Access(SM) (DNA). Already recognized as an innovative tool for viewing and monitoring services, the upgrade of DNA provides new pricing tools, enhanced online service ordering and new performance management functions to give customers true end-to-end lifecycle management.

Launched in June 2002, DNA provides extensive visibility into WilTel's operational systems, enabling customers to order new services, view circuit- level performance and open trouble tickets from a simple web interface. Offered at no cost to WilTel customers, DNA is secure, robust, and easy-to- use. In 2003, DNA won the SUPERQuest award for Best Operational Support System/Back Office Support System and today serves more than 400 domestic and international WilTel customers.

KDDI America, one of Japan's largest telecommunications companies, has been using DNA to manage its network services for the past two years. "DNA is one of the core components of our network management function," said Toshiro Akiyama, Director of Marketing for KDDI America. "It allows us to rapidly respond to new and existing network requirements and manage the growth of our overall network more cost efficiently, from pricing to support."

Tony Tomae, senior vice president of marketing for WilTel, said the company's 18 years of experience in building and managing next-generation networks for other customers has given WilTel unique insight into building powerful, flexible IT operations systems.

"WilTel leveraged significant experience in developing custom applications to design a customer operations platform that provides customers with substantial visibility into our systems and their network services. Now by expanding that visibility, DNA generates opportunities for customers to enhance their own customer service capabilities, improve internal business efficiencies and identify areas for cost reductions," Tomae said.

The DNA upgrade improves customers' ability to manage the entire lifecycle of their network solutions. DNA's new pricing tool allows customers to generate up to 45 network design solutions at one time, including least-cost routing and local access options to meet their specific business needs. Pricing is created in minutes using customized rate plans, enabling customers to make definitive business decisions quickly.

Online data order capabilities have also been expanded to include Dedicated Internet Access and WilTel FocalPoint(SM) services in addition to private line. Voice order capabilities include One Plus Switched, Toll Free Dedicated and Switched and Direct Access Line services. Customers can generate orders from a prior order, save partial orders to complete at a later time, and download online forms to order and modify other services. DNA's order management capabilities have also been enhanced to present provisioning information such as customer firm order commitment dates to track installation progress at all stages and allow customers to easily monitor and manage their orders.

DNA performance reporting capabilities have also been improved to provide utilization reporting of virtual local area networks in addition to circuits, further enhancing the customer's ability to manage all aspects of their DIA, MPLS IP VPN and EWAN services.

These enhancements have been well received by WilTel's enterprise customers and wholesale providers like UCN -- a full service provider of data and voice, dedicated and switched long distance services -- which leverages DNA to provide better service to its customers.

"UCN has enjoyed considerable success in providing communications solutions to the business community because we have focused on providing quick, accurate and professional support. WilTel's online DNA tool has been invaluable in our ability to do so," stated Mike Perry, UCN's director of Provisioning. Carl Churchill, UCN's vice president of Voice and Data added, "We already had an outstanding business relationship with WilTel. That partnership has been strengthened by the value-add that WilTel's online DNA tool provides UCN to best serve our sales force and most importantly, our customers."

About WilTel Communications

WilTel Communications Group Inc., through its operating subsidiary, WilTel Communications LLC, provides advanced solutions for data, voice, IP, and video solutions and Professional services to a growing carrier-class and broadcast quality customer base with complex communications needs. Such customers include leading global telecommunications, media and entertainment companies served by the Vyvx division -- companies where innovative network solutions enhance or enable the products and services they deliver. WilTel's advanced network infrastructure reaches border-to-border and coast-to-coast with international connectivity to accommodate global traffic. WilTel Communications Group Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Leucadia National Corporation. For more detailed information, visit http://www.wiltel.com/ .

This press release may contain "forward-looking statements." Although WilTel believes any such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there is no assurance that actual outcomes will not be materially different. WilTel assumes no obligation to update those statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions and other factors. The forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Additional information that could lead to material changes in performance is contained in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission made by Leucadia.

Contacts:

Cheena Pazzo (Media) Jeff Pounds (Media & Industry Analysts)

918.547.4387 (office) 918.547.8920 (office)

918.527.3050 (mobile) 918.284.8695 (mobile)

cheena.pazzo@wiltel.com jeff.pounds@wiltel.com

WilTel Communications Group Inc.

CONTACT: media, Cheena Pazzo, +1-918-547-4387, or mobile,+1-918-527-3050, or cheena.pazzo@wiltel.com , or media & industry analysts,Jeff Pounds, +1-918-547-8920, or mobile, +1-918-284-8695, orjeff.pounds@wiltel.com , both of WilTel Communications Group Inc.

Web site: http://www.wiltel.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/875550.html

Source: PRNewswire

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