Taide, filiale de Telenor, lance une passerelle internationale de t?l?communications au Kenya. La Soci?t? s'appuie sur le r?seau de donn?es kenyan afin d'ouvrir un r?seau priv? de services sur IP par satellite

Telenor's Taide Opens International Gateway in Kenya; Company Partners with Kenya Data Network to Launch Privately-Owned Network for IP-Based Services Via Satellite

Business Editors/Technology Editors

OSLO, Norway & NAIROBI, Kenya--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 23, 2005--Taide, a subsidiary of Telenor Satellite Services, today announced the opening a new international telecommunications gateway in Nairobi, Kenya

The new gateway, a joint project with local service provider Kenya Data Networks (KDN), now offers a carrier-class alternative to the Kenyan marketplace for international communications.

Upon opening, the facility immediately began serving customers, with more than 50 percent of the capacity already in use

The gateway provides Internet service providers (ISP), calling card operators and corporate customers international Internet Protocol (IP) access for Internet services and virtual private networks (VPN) as well as access to the international public switched telephone network (PSTN) over IP

Located at the Kenya Data Networks building in Nairobi, which serves as the main communications center for Kenyan ISPs, the Taide gateway features fully-redundant operations over satellites in the Intelsat and New Skies systems

"Kenya is already a major hub in this region both in transport and international aviation, and there is no reason why it should not also be the same in terms of information and communications technology," said Kjell Harald Dalen, Norwegian Ambassador to Kenya.

"I believe this can be a major step toward bringing Kenya up to an international level in interconnectivity, something that will be important both for business and for those of us who either have a professional or personal need to use this form of communication." "Africa is experiencing double digit growth in international telecommunications and with recently liberalized telecommunications laws in Kenya, we are extremely pleased to team with Kenya Data Networks to build this gateway," said Stefano Vittor, managing director for Taide.

"By combining efforts with KDN we now offer Kenyans a competitive international telecommunications service - from local infrastructure and customer support to international connectivity and global Internet access." Based in Norway, Taide is part of Telenor Satellite Services and is a leading provider of high-quality IP services over satellite

Telenor Satellite Services is a subsidiary of Telenor ASA of Norway, listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (TEL) and NASDAQ (TELN)

CONTACT:

Telenor Satellite Services In the U.S.:

Tom Surface, +1 301 838 7805

E-mail: [email protected]

or In Norway: Eunike Ditlefsen, +47 90 92 35 56

Email: [email protected]

KEYWORD: NORWAY INTERNATIONAL AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST EUROPE

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TELECOMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE NETWORKING INTERNET E-COMMERCE

SOURCE: Telenor Satellite Services