Dimension Data Strengthens Telco Service Provider Offerings, Cements Global Partnership with Visionael

Visionael and Dimension Data announced that they have partnered in an effort to provide service providers with an innovate approach to managing their networks as strategic assets. As part of the partnership, Visionael's products will be integrated into Dimension Data's iBOSS (integrated Business and Operations Support Systems) end-to-end solution for service fulfillment.

SYDNEY, Australia - July 22, 2002 - In a move aimed at delivering increased competitive advantage to telecommunications service providers globally, Dimension Data has cemented its partnership with Visionael, a leading developer of carrier-grade network resource management (NRM) solutions.

Visionael's award-winning products are being integrated into Dimension Data's iBOSS (integrated Business and Operations Support Systems) offering. This will result in a solution that makes it easier for telecommunication service providers to implement true end-to-end service fulfilment processes so that complex, bundled services can be developed and released to market faster and more cost effectively than ever before.

Sean Taylor, general manager at Dimension Data Service Provider Solutions, points out that with the global telco market under enormous financial pressure, competitive advantage depends on the service provider's ability to deliver new services to market speedily; to ensure the quality of those services; and to provide customers with a single, integrated access to new and existing service offerings.

"Service providers need to create more dynamic networks which can easily adapt to change -quickly and cost effectively. Together, Dimension Data and Visionael offer these organizations an innovative approach to managing their communication networks, allowing the SPs to maximize the power of their networks and manage them as strategic assets."

While highly successful joint deals with major clients in Africa and Europe led the two companies to strengthen their partnership, Dimension Data's and Visionael's relationship goes back to November 2000.

Visionael participated in the first Dimension Data-led Plug-and-Play IP VPN Management solution project, one of several Catalyst undertakings held under the auspices of the TeleManagement (TM) Forum. This prototype project was incorporated into iBOSS, a pre-integrated service management solution based on the integration of best-of-breed commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) projects like Visionael 6, a top-tier NRM solution and Visionael ServiceBase.

Richard Zambuni, vice president of marketing and business development at Visionael, says that Dimension Data adds value through its extensive project expertise and domain knowledge.

"Dimension Data has an exemplary track record in the delivery of network resource management and service creation solutions to the service provider industry. Visionael looks forward to continuing to work with Dimension Data to drive value into the marketplace."

Visionael 6 - a Best Inventory Management Product finalist at the TeleStrategies 2002 OSS Excellence Awards - combines auto-discovery and data collection, validation/reconciliation, engineering and network change management, circuit and cable management, engineering design and workflow to provide service providers with an accurate, real-time view of their network resources.

Visionael ServiceBase works seamlessly with Visionael 6 to deliver the market's first open, automated multi-service creation engine, empowering companies to rapidly and cost-effectively deliver high-demand services to their subscribers and users.

About Dimension Data
Dimension Data Holdings plc (LSE: DDT) is a leading global technology services company, specializing in providing IT solutions that enable businesses to operate and communicate flexibly and seamlessly. The Group's unique combination of networking and application integration expertise and global managed services capabilities make it ideally positioned to deliver these solutions.

Dimension Data, founded in 1983, had revenues of $2.5 billion in 2001 and operates in 30+ countries with over 9,500 employees.

About Visionael
Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Visionael transforms the economics of deploying, delivering and managing network services, providing carrier-grade service creation and network resource management (NRM) software solutions that form a key component of any operations support system (OSS). Recognized in 2002 as one of UPSIDE magazine's "Hot 100" private companies, Visionael has more than 50 service provider, outsourcer, enterprise and government customers worldwide. For more about Visionael, please visit www.visionael.com or call +1.650.470.8920. In Europe, please contact Visionael SARL in Paris at +33.140.71.28.28 or emea@visionael.com.
# # #

Note to Editors:
Visionael, the Visionael logo, WEBcentral, APIcentral and ServiceBase are trademarks of Visionael Corporation. All other companies and products referenced herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.