Madritel Teams With CosmoCom and Siemens to Deliver Spain's First Interactive Customer Service From Cable Subscriber's Television Sets

Television-Accessible eCare Complements Madritel Offerings In Telephony, Wideband Access Internet, And Cable Televisi

Madrid, Spain / Hauppauge, NY, November 23, 1999 – Madritel Communicaciones S.A., Madrid’s optic fiber cable operator, announced today that it has chosen CosmoCom, Inc., the industry leader in pure IP-based customer care technology, and Siemens Business Services, the world renowned provider of business services, to implement Spain’s first interactive customer care initiative. To do this, Madritel is utilizing CosmoCall Universe with Siemens’ Activy set-top box to enable Madritel’s cable subscribers to access live customer service directly from their television sets.

This is the first time that cable television subscribers in Spain will be able to communicate in real time with customer service representatives through their televisions – via television remote control devices equipped with keyboards -- as well as by telephone. This new capability complements Madritel’s current offerings in telephony, wideband access Internet and cable television.

The interactive, television-accessible customer service system, developed by Siemens Business Services and CosmoCom, is scheduled for general availability in the first half of 2000.

CosmoCall Universe is CosmoCom’s pure IP-based, multimedia contact center that supports both Internet-based users and telephone callers and manages customer interaction not only for live calls, but also for e-mail, fax, and voice messages. CosmoCall Universe will route Madritel’s customers’ calls to the service agent best able to deal with specific customer issues, such as billing inquiries, service interruptions, and so on.

Siemen’s Activy is a multifunctional, interactive media box for receiving virtually all kinds of multimedia information, including audio and video formats, data, programs and documents. Activy allows all of this information to be displayed on commercially-available television sets and also offers such PC functions as e-mail, Internet access, and home banking.

“CosmoCom and Siemens have a long history of cooperation,” said Stephen R. Kowarsky, Executive Vice President of CosmoCom. “This project is particularly rewarding because it allows us to leverage our partnership to bring exciting new technology to Spain’s cable industry.”

“CosmoCom’s eCare technology made CosmoCall Universe the obvious choice for this project,” said Eduardo Vara, Enhanced Telecommunication Solutions Manager, Siemens Business Services. “We look forward to expanding our relationship with CosmoCom so that together we can continue to build the highest quality customer service applications, as we have done for Madritel.”

“Our company is dedicated to providing superior customer service,” said Luis Rodrigo, General Manager at Madritel. “We are pleased that this implementation of advanced technologies will enable us to expand our service, enhance the relationship with our customers, and positively impact our business operations.”

About Madritel Communicaciones S. A.
Madritel (www.madritel.es) is the recipient of the fiber optic cable license for Madrid and the surrounding communities. For the past year and a half, Madritel has been installing the most advanced fiber optic cable network in Europe. By the end of 1999 the network will be 725 Km long and service 200,000 homes and Madritel will have invested over 35.000 million pesetas.

Madritels current offerings in telephony, Internet and cable television are available in seven districts within Madrid as well as in Alcobendas, Alcalá de Henares and Móstoles y Leganés. In addition, service will be available soon in Alcorcón, Getafe, Coslada and San Sebastián de los Reyes.

About Siemens Business Services
Siemens Business Services (www.siemens.es) is a leading global provider of innovative solutions and services in the areas of business services, consulting and systems integration. As a strategic partner, SBS provides its customers with one-stop shopping for a comprehensive portfolio of services encompassing the entire design-build-operate continuum. One of SBS´s key strengths is its intimate knowledge of mission-critical business processes in the market sectors it serves. This know-how allows SBS to tailor information and communication solutions that produce competitive advantages for its customers. In order to offer best-in-class solutions and services worldwide, SBS has structured itself into an organization in which resources can be quickly and flexibly pooled on a project-by-project basis in response to the customer’s specific needs.

About CosmoCom, Inc.
CosmoCom, Inc., (www.cosmocom.com) developer of CosmoCall Universe, is a major enabler of two important industry trends: live Internet customer care and distributed call centers. With CosmoCall Universe, eBusinesses and their customers worldwide can connect in multimedia, multi-channel interaction centers that include telephone, voice and video over the Internet, keyboard chat, IVR, e-mail, voice mail, and fax. CosmoCall’s pure IP technology also provides unlimited geographical distribution of call center operations with unprecedented cost-effectiveness, capacity, and system availability. CosmoCom has received an array of awards since its founding in 1995. Headquartered in Long Island, New York, the company also maintains offices in New York City and the United Kingdom.

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