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British Government Initiative Selects CosmoCall Universe
for Hosted Multimedia Teenage Helpline

CosmoCom, Cable & Wireless and Ezeehelp implement all IP-based Contact Center in just six weeks

MELVILLE, NY – March 11, 2002 – CosmoCom, Inc., teaming with Cable & Wireless and Ezeehelp, has delivered a hosted contact center solution to the University for Industry on behalf of the British Department for Education and Skills for its innovative new teenage helpline. Called Connexions Direct, the all-IP (Internet Protocol) contact center is powered by CosmoCall Universe™ and enables teens, parents and teachers to seek advice through a toll-free phone call, SMS (short message service), email or real-time Internet chat.

Connexions Direct has been up and running for several months, providing teens age 13 to 19 with honest, confidential information and counseling on topics related to the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It is managed by the University for Industry in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. CosmoCom, Cable & Wireless and Ezeehelp implemented the new helpline contact center in just six weeks, with full multi-channel functionality.

"We needed a resource to reach our teens and provide them with candid, confidential information that can help them make informed life decisions during the challenging adolescent years. More importantly, we needed to reach our youth through their medium of choice, which is increasingly the Internet," said Ivan Lewis, Minister for Young People in the U.K. "Connexions Direct enables that choice and allows teens to reach out for answers and advice through either a phone line or Internet connection with options for live or self-service."

CosmoCall Universe forms the backbone of the Connexions Direct solution. CosmoCall Universe 4.0 is an all-IP call center platform that connects an organization with its client base through rich multimedia, multi-channel options, including telephone, voice and video over the Internet, keyboard chat, IVR (Interactive Voice Response), voicemail and fax. This allows Connexions Direct users to interact with the helpline in their own preferred manner, either via live service or 24/7 Internet-based self-service. Teens may even start with a self-service option then opt for live assistance over the Web.

Connexions Direct is hosted by Cable & Wireless in association with Ezeehelp on its IP-based network. This substantially reduced upfront capital expenditure for the Department for Education and Skills as most of the hardware and software, including CosmoCall Universe, is hosted over the IP network. It further saves on maintenance and upgrade costs and frees the Department for Education and Skills to focus on core issues – the education of British youth.

"Connexions Direct demonstrates the advantages of a hosted contact center solution," said Chris Butcher, director for CosmoCom. "The helpline has the flexibility and rich multichannel functions provided by CosmoCall Universe, without the need to implement a costly contact center onsite. The system is fully maintained and will continuously be upgraded by Ezeehelp for optimal performance. This provides Connexions Direct with a high-end enterprise-class contact center at manageable, hosted model prices."

Elements of the Connexions Direct contact center include inbound and outbound IP-based ACD (automatic call distributor) telephony, online customer contact management (VoIP, Web chat and email) and CRM (customer relationship management).

About CosmoCom
CosmoCom is the leading provider of all-IP, universal access contact center platforms. CosmoCom’s flagship product, CosmoCall Universe™, is a carrier-class system enabling service providers to offer, on a hosted basis, mission critical contact center applications to their clients. CosmoCall Universe supports multichannel customer interactions via telephone and internet, live and message-based, fixed and wireless – in one high capacity, high availability, multi-tenant platform. Headquartered in Melville, New York, with offices and distribution partners throughout the world, CosmoCom has received an array of industry awards. Market analysts Frost and Sullivan recently reported that CosmoCom’s large and growing installed base represents a 50% share of the US IP-ACD market. For more information about CosmoCom, please visit www.cosmocom.com.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: For a photograph of the Connexions Direct contact center environment, go to www.cosmocom.com/images/CorpImages/connexions.htm

CosmoCall Universe is a trademark of CosmoCom, Inc. Other companies and products mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.