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Equant in partnership with China netcom implements IP VPN for APL

Announcement posted by Equant 27 Jun 2003

Convergence solution provides cost advantages for shipping and logistics company at 24 sites in China
Equant (NYSE: ENT) (Euronext Paris: EQU), a recognized industry leader in global IP and data service for multinational businesses, recently implemented an IP VPN with converged data and voice in China for APL, one of the worlds largest container transportation companies.

Headquartered in Singapore, with regional headquarters in Oakland, Calif., APL was one of the first customers to select Equant IP VPN service in China after Equant and China Netcom announced a strategic partnership in 2001. The IP VPN implementation for APL includes 24 sites in China, eight of which are voice-activated. In addition to APL, Equant currently serves more than 100 customers with 500 connections in China. An early adopter of Equant IP VPN, APL currently has 113 sites with IP VPN connections in 30 countries. A total of 33 sites also have Equant Voice for IP VPN, and five locations have Equant IP Telephony for desktop-to-desktop calling. APL, which is realizing cost savings and ease of management benefits from the converged network, recently affirmed its confidence in Equant by signing a contract extension through February 2006.

Building a communications network in China can be very difficult. We have been really impressed with Equants accomplishments in China and the viability of the Equant-CNC partnership model, said Cindy Stoddard, CIO of the NOL Group, which owns APL. The knowledge sharing between Equant and CNC has enabled us to satisfy our growing needs with a cost-effective, scalable and reliable converged network solution.

Several factors were critical to the success of the APL implementation in China: The strength of the partnership between Equant and China Netcom Corp. Ltd. (CNC). Both Equant and CNC have garnered support from all management levels of their respective organizations to ensure the best possible network solutions for multinational customers doing business in China.
Equant and CNCs ability to match APLs aggressive lead-time to connect requirements in China. In the city of Fuzhou, for example, CNC installed more than 200 telephone poles in 40 days to provide fiber to the APL Fuzhou site. In other cities, installations were completed in half the time of previous standard implementations by local operators in China.
Equants ability to ensure a smooth implementation at all 24 locations. Equant local teams in China worked directly with the APL and CNC local teams. These teams ensured network connectivity not only in the major cities and ports such as Shanghai and Beijing, but also in APLs inland operations and logistics centers in cities such as Dalian.
Consultancy approach of the Equant team. Equants Cisco-certified Professional Services teams in the U.S. and China jointly designed a unique on-net-to-on-net VoIP solution for APL in China.

Equant also satisfied APLs requirement for redundancy on the network, including dual-nodes in key cities, as well as providing options for local access. The Equant-CNC network is identical in features, including resiliency, with the standard Equant network topology. Consequently, APL has the same visibility into its network in China as it does for all its IP VPN locations around the world. As part of its larger convergence plan, APL has voice-enabled eight of the 24 sites in China. By defining classes of service on its IP VPN, APL has prioritized its voice traffic to ensure high voice quality.

We are seeing more and more North America-based companies come to us as they expand their business operations in China, said Lisa LaBonville, head of China Market Development, Equant. Equant and CNCs strategic partnership brings unprecedented benefits to multinational customers, such as APL, who are doing business in China. By turning to Equant for their network requirements in China, multinational companies can tap into the local expertise and breadth of services now available through the unique Equant and CNC partnership.

About Equant:Equant (NYSE: ENT) (Euronext Paris: EQU) is a recognized industry leader in global data and IP network and integration services for multinational businesses. The Equant network has unmatched seamless reach, connecting key business centers in 220 countries and territories, with local support in more than 165 countries. Building on more than 50 years of experience in data communications, Equant serves thousands of the worlds top companies with the industrys most extensive portfolio of managed network services, including the market-leading IP VPN used by 800 global businesses as of May 13, 2003. Equant, a member of the France Telecom Group, was named Best Global Carrier 2002 at the World Communication Awards and consistently leads industry surveys in corporate user satisfaction.

About China Netcom :China Netcom Corporation Ltd (CNC) was founded in August 1999, by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the Ministry of Railways and the Shanghai Municipal Government. The company provides a full spectrum of services and solutions to meet the broadband telecommunications needs of businesses and individuals. It has a comprehensive collection of telecom licenses, including the license to operate international gateways out of China, and the EFTNS license in Hong Kong. To date, China Netcom has completed the first phase construction of CNCNet, a national backbone with 13,500 km of fiber optic routes and 360G overall bandwidth currently. As the first company to deploy IP over DWDM on a large scale, China Netcom offers businesses and individuals the power to communicate at the speed of light.

Further information may be found at http://www.cnc.net.cn.

About APL and APL Logistics:APL http://www.apl.com provides customers around the world with container transportation services through a network combining high-quality intermodal operations with state-of-the-art information technology. APL Logistics (http://www.apllogistics.com) is a premier provider of supply-chain management services. Both are wholly owned subsidiaries of Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines, a global transportation and logistics company engaged in shipping and related businesses.