The program is aimed at growing our customer base in carrier-class switch partitioning and supporting the successful launch of new products and services such as: VoIP Direct, Network Operations, and Account Management Services. In addition, we are developing a customer referral program to reward our valued customers for generating new business leads. We'll be contacting you directly in the coming weeks to provide details and let you know how you can participate ' our customer referral program can benefit your business directly!

The General Telecom lead generation program is actually part of a larger international marketing and sales support effort. Current and prospective customers will notice a more visible General Telecom in the coming months through increased trade show activity, compelling direct mail campaigns as well as advertising activities. A central feature of our message is the Global Village ' a mechanism for quickly establishing partnerships built around simple, low-hassle route availability and demand for route access, free of charge. We are undertaking enhancements to the Global Village that we think you'll find very useful and productive. Please share this newsletter with friends who might benefit from General Telecom's services and the Global Village switching marketplace.

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General Telecom's VoIP Direct enables global carriers ' our customers ' to operate both IP and traditional networks without the capital expenditures and operating costs of owning and operating both networks. VoIP Direct is a simple solution that facilitates TDM carriers' ability to interconnect directly with VoIP carriers, enabling expanded revenue opportunities through a scalable service solution.

General Telecom's VoIP Direct is featured in an article in the May issue of Phone+ Magazine. The article by Khali Henderson describes how VoIP Direct opens up the TDM market to pure-IP carriers as well as many small IP carriers with direct routes. General Telecom's manager of business development Randy Weinberger was interviewed for the article and talked about how VoIP Direct also offers a new supply of direct routes to TDM carriers.

"That's the beauty of it from the large carrier perspective,' said Weinberger. "They still own the customer. They still negotiate their own rates, payment schedules, etc. Even all their current tools ' reporting, billing, disputes, CDR reconciliation ' that's all handled with their current toolset. They don't have to invest in a whole new set of tools that are IP based. With VoIP Direct, global carriers benefit from niche IP routes, without the additional investment, and IP carriers benefit from the Global Village of carriers with steady supply."

The full article can be viewed at www.phoneplusmag.com/articles/351FEAT1.html.

• TDM switch ports
• Cisco IP Gateway
• Co-location with power for VoIP platform
• Internet connectivity
• SS7 link
• 24x7 NOC services
• Onsite experienced technicians
• Optional CDR delivery, traffic performance reporting, call rating and invoice generation and co-location of customer-supplied gateway

General Telecom has also added Account Management (AM) services to its Network Managed Services portfolio to help customers more effectively manage international wholesale traffic. AM service enables global carriers to leverage experienced resources and proven systems to enhance the financial and network performance of international voice traffic. This turnkey solution provides the benefit of General Telecom's experience and perspective to assist with all aspects of managing international voice traffic, including commercial relationship management. The new service also includes a dedicated Account Manager to oversee activities such as code, rate and routing management, analysis, near real-time reporting, and interfacing with your customers / vendors.

For more information on VoIP Direct and Account Management, please send an e-mail to sales@gentel.net, or call General Telecom at 303-239-1025.

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The telecom industry is undergoing tremendous changes on a global scale, and the expertise of the General Telecom team is positioned to leverage that change into strategies for success. But this expertise is also something we want to share with our customers ' our most valued source of industry information. Therefore, in each issue of the General Telecom newsletter, we'll be examining emerging trends and issues destined to shape the industry both in the U.S. and internationally. From the latest industry news to new technologies to telecom regulations, each issue will deliver powerful information to keep General Telecom and our customers In The Loop and help them succeed in the global telecom marketplace.

Here are some of the topics we'll be covering in upcoming issues of In The Loop:

1. IP Services Spin the Telecom Flywheel.
   Carrier adoption and integration of IP technology is emerging as a major challenge for TDMs. Carriers, for example, are stepping up their technology efforts to develop and implement so-called "triple play' services ' voice, data, and video services delivered through one pipe. These disruptive IP technologies are supposed to reduce carrier operating costs, speed up interconnection time and make new, useful features and capabilities available to the mass (consumer and business) marketplace. But, how will TDMs meet the challenge of increasing service capabilities while reducing costs? And what are the consequences if they fail?
2. Careful planning avoids collision course between rapid rollout and reality.
   Timing is everything in telecom! Even the best ideas fail when they are not properly timed and executed, and the path forward can be treacherous when dealing with new technological capabilities. Using the right applications and services to properly manage the implementation and rollout of services based on breakthrough technologies (such as IP) marks the critical difference between success and failure for telecom carriers.
3. SMBs: lucrative link in telecom food chain.
   The historic focus on large enterprise customers means that small- and medium-sized businesses have been largely ignored. However, the telecom market is on the rebound and the SMB market is hungry for cost-savings and advanced capabilities that will fuel the reconstruction of the telecom industry. Products, services and partnerships targeting small and medium sized businesses are crucial to exploiting the new telecom marketplace.
4. Let's make a deal: the economics of consolidation.
   Limited availability of financial funding and slow market growth in the near-term mean that fewer players will hold even larger shares of the market, all around the globe. Smaller players in the industry will have to be extremely aggressive or risk losing out in the consolidation game.

If you have any thoughts or insights on the topics listed above, just drop us a line at intheloop@gentel.net and we'll consider including your information or comments when we address these topics in more detail in future editions.

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In this section, we will be providing you the latest news impacting our customers. We would also like to know how General Telecom's processes, systems, and tools have helped you to succeed in today's telecom marketplace. In upcoming issues, we will be highlighting specific success stories from our clients. If you would like your company to be featured in this section of future newsletters, contact intheloop@gentel.net or call General Telecom at 303-239-1025.

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General Telecom and New Global Telecom combined forces in anticipation of the General Telecom acquisition for a successful GTM 2003 show. More than 500 companies from 160 countries attended the show, which was held on more than 100,000 square feet of floor space at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Our Loop-Around event at the show was fun and exciting with lots of meetings scheduled and leads generated. Congratulations on the great teamwork and a job well done! The Loop-Around events have become a great way to support General Telecom's goal of providing customers with increased access to more markets at lower costs. They have become so successful that we're actually going to be adding even more Loop-Around events in the future, with planning already underway for the August event in New York City. Stay Tuned!

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Global Village Loop-Around Event ' Join other General Telecom customers for this opportunity to generate productive & profitable business with one another, and to enjoy yourself, August 12 in New York City. Existing customers will receive an invitation to this exclusive event. If you are not an existing customer and are interested in attending, please contact sales@gentel.net or call 303-239-1025.

CompTel 2003 ' CompTel's Fall Conference & Expo, October 7-10 in Orlando, Florida. For more information on this show, please visit www.comptel.org/meetingsfr.html.

ITU Telecom World 2003 ' The International Telecom Union's quadrennial show, October 12-18, 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information on this show, please visit www.itu.int.

PTC'04 ' "New Times ' New Strategies: ICT Rising from the Ashes' conference, January 11-14, 2004 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort, Honolulu, Hawaii. For more information on this show, please visit www.ptc.org/conference/ptc2004.html.

If you'd like to meet with General Telecom at any of these shows, please send an email to sales@gentel.net, or call General Telecom at 303-239-1025.

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General Telecom has a strong tradition of developing tools and helping to solve problems for customers, and in this Q & A section of the newsletter, customers can now tap into the expertise, enhanced services, and enhanced R & D efforts that our team brings to the table. With the inaugural edition of General Telecom's In The Loop Newsletter and news about the recent acquisition, we're excited to hear comments and questions from you, our customers. This kind of feedback is invaluable in helping us understand your needs and concerns, and developing solutions to help you succeed. If you have a question about any issues facing your company, please email solutions@gentel.net. All emails are confidential and will only be printed with your explicit approval. Our experts will review questions and will contact you directly to see if we can assist you in finding a solution.

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Our mission at General Telecom is to help global carriers exploit new and existing markets and to support low-cost, low-risk market expansion. The recent acquisition has enhanced General Telecom's management and technical expertise, expanded capacity, and reinforced the operations of our switching infrastructure and network management services. Therefore, each month we'll be providing you ways to cost effectively and competitively exploit fast, affordable access to new markets. Look for the Tip Of The Month in upcoming In The Loop newsletters.

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