01/26/2006

QSC and HanseNet agree to partner: Alice to expand its ADSL2+ offerings with QSC as its partner

Cologne, January 26, 2006. Cologne-based QSC AG, a nationwide telecommunication provider with its own DSL network, has won HanseNet Telekommunikation GmbH and its Alice brand as a further major partner in marketing superfast ADSL2+ technology. Beginning in April 2006, Alice will be offering further ADSL2+ connections with bandwidths of up to 16 Mbit/s over QSC´s own infrastructure. In this context, QSC will be upgrading its DSL network correspondingly. The partnership will further support HanseNet´s expansion plans, which call for Alice to be represented in some 60 German cities by the middle of the year.

More than 500,000 residential and business customers in German metropolitan areas are already using Alice Super today, a package consisting of a telephony and a broadband Internet connection. QSC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Bernd Schlobohm views HanseNet´s willingness to collaborate with the company in expanding its ADSL2+ offerings as a mark of distinction: "HanseNet´s marketing strength and QSC´s technology competence complement one another outstandingly. I am confident that together we will be able to win any number of customers for this forward-looking technology."
"The partnership with QSC is the logical continuation of Alice´s success strategy. It will enable even more households in Germany to enjoy Alice Super, our bundled product that offers both telephony as well as DSL Internet access," says HanseNet CEO Harald Rösch. "We are pleased to have QSC, one of the leading network infrastructure providers in Germany, as our partner."

QSC also views this new contract as confirming its wholesaler strategy for the emerging world of Triple Play business - offering Internet, telephony and TV over one and the same ADSL2+ connection. QSC itself is focusing on the demand-driven upgrade of its DSL network with ADSL2+ technology, the provision of custom-tailored products, as well as the ability to execute highly scalable operational processes, while having experienced partners with strong brands to handle sales and marketing in the residential customer segment. Following contracts with HanseNet and debitel to roll out ADSL2+ in more than 20 cities, QSC CEO Dr. Schlobohm anticipates further successes during the course of the year: "Together with strong marketing partners, we´re planning to offer ADSL2+ connections in the residential customer segment in all metropolitan areas by the end of this year."

About QSC AG
Cologne-based QSC AG (QSC) is a nationwide telecommunication provider with its own DSL network, supplying businesses and premium residential customers with a comprehensive portfolio of broadband communication options ranging from leased lines in various bandwidths to voice and data services right through to custom enterprise networks (VPN). QSC operates on a nearly nationwide scale and connects together with its subsidiary celox more than 110 German cities with its own broadband network infrastructure. The group presently employs a workforce of some 460 people and is a member of the TecDAX 30, representing Germany´s 30 leading public technology companies.

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