08/25/2010

QSC launches first nationwide Open Access platform and wins city net operator HL komm and 1&1 Internet as partners

Cologne, August 25, 2010. Access to broadband internet connections and the ability to utilize them intelligently will be serving as a major driver for the future viability of the German economy. The growing demand for broadband is already everywhere to be seen today, and is going to increase rapidly in the years to come. This is the aim of the capital investments, often regional, in fiber optic infrastructures that extend right into the buildings. The better the network utilization factors, the faster these high capital outlays in Next Generation Access (NGA) will be able to be amortized.

The objective of Open Access is to raise these utilization factors. With Open Access, infrastructure providers open their networks for utilization by third parties, as well.

QSC AG, a mid-size telecommunications service provider with its own Next Generation Network, is now implementing the first Open Access platform; i.e. the first nationwide network, process and services hub for NGA providers and users. And the company has just won Leipzig-based HL komm Telekommunikations GmbH as its first partner and infrastructure provider. 1&1 Internet is the first user of the new Open Access Platform. The company will add NGA connections up to 100 Mbit/s to its product range early in 2011.

The crucial aspect in forging this partnership was QSC's long years of know-how as an NGA operator and experienced provider of Wholesale services - especially in connection with the implementation of consistent, automated business processes.

New QSC line of business

With this new service, QSC is broadening its Wholesale business to include a further, forward-looking line of business. "We view ourselves here as a network and services integrator for utilization of our NGN - independently of the connection technology in question and also independently of our own network," is the way QSC AG Chief Executive Officer Dr. Bernd Schlobohm explains this new line of business at QSC. "We're scoring points here first and foremost with the long years of services and process know-how that we enjoy as a Wholesaler."

A further advantage for QSC: The partnership with HL komm affords QSC access to both alternative network technologies as well as to territories the company not yet tapped into itself. The new contract with Leipzig-based HL komm Telekommunikations GmbH marks QSC's and 1&1's first step into this new marketplace.

HL komm Managing Director Werner Rapp cites the advantages of this partnership for his company: "With our decision to go with Open Access and to partner with QSC, we are achieving a significantly better network utilization factor, thus enhancing the cost-effectiveness of our network. The QSC platform offers us relatively easy access to any number of strong brands in both the residential and business customer markets."

About QSC
QSC AG (QSC), Cologne, is a med-size service provider to the telecommunications industry with its own Next Generation Network (NGN). QSC offers a complete portfolio of high-quality broadband communication services with a particular focus on medium-sized companies. In addition to providing intelligent network-related voice and data services, QSC implements complete enterprise networks (VPNs), including managed services. It provides high-performance DSL, Ethernet and wireless local loop connections of up to 800 Mbit/s. In the Wholesale line of business, QSC additionally supplies national and international carriers, ISPs as well as strong providers in the residential customer market with the necessary unbundled initial products. QSC currently employs about 700 people and is listed in the TecDAX index.

About HL komm
HL komm, owned by the Stadtwerke Leipzig GmbH, was founded in the Year 2000, and is today the leading alternative Telecommunications Company in Central Germany. HL komm offers a wide portfolio of Telephone Services, Internet Products and other Highspeed Data Communications Solutions for Private and Business Customers.

About 1&1 Internet:
With more than 9 million customer contracts, 1&1 Internet is one of the world's leading Internet Service Providers (ISP).
1&1 provides both consumers and small and medium businesses with a wide range of products and applications, such as web hosting, e-commerce solutions, access and telephony, entertainment and cloud applications.
1&1 Internet was established in 1988 and is based in Germany, with subsidiaries in France, Spain, the UK and in the United States. It is a full subsidiary of United Internet, listed at Frankfurt stock exchange.

Queries to:

QSC AG
Arne Thull
Investor Relations
Phone: +49 221 6698-724
Fax: +49 221 6698-009
E-mail: invest@qsc.de
Internet: www.qsc.de

HL komm Telekommunikations GmbH
Werner Rapp
Managing Director
Nonnenmühlgasse 1
04107 Leipzig
Tel: +49 341 8697 100
Fax: +49 (0)341 8697 499
E-Mail: werner.rapp@hlkomm.de
www.hlkomm.de

1&1 Internet AG
Ingrun Senft
Pressesprecherin Access-Produkte
Elgendorfer Straße 55
56410 Montabaur
Telefon: 02602/96-1276
Telefax: 02602/96-1477
E-Mail: presse@1und1.de
www.1und1.de