Ascade signs major deal with Eesti Telefon

2/12/2003 8:10 AM EST

Ascade out of Stockholm, Sweden, today announces that it has signed a
major deal with Eesti Telefon, the number one telecom operator in
Estonia. Eesti Telefon has chosen Ascade's market-leading telecom
software solution Carrier Cockpit(TM) to manage and operate their
business of buying, routing, pricing and selling international voice
minutes.

"The strong references of Ascade at its current customers as well as the
superior functionality offered by Carrier Cockpit(TM) made Ascade the
best partner for Eesti Telefon and we are very much looking forward to
our cooperation", says Toivo Liblik, Director of the Network Carrier
Services Division at Eesti Telefon. "As a tool to manage our voice
carrier business, Carrier Cockpit(TM) offers Eesti Telefon essential
support in growing our voice business, allowing Eesti Telefon to succeed
in becoming the main hub for traffic to Russia, originating in Europe
and North America."

Ascade's solutions enable telecom carriers worldwide to maximise profits
by managing their international voice business more effectively.
Ascade's market-leading software, Carrier Cockpit(TM), empowers telecom
professionals in the wholesale and traditional voice carrier business to
streamline and automate all aspects of international voice minute
operations, from buying and routing to pricing and selling.

Eesti Telefon has chosen Ascade and Carrier Cockpit(TM) to manage and
operate its international voice business. The implementation and
integration projects have already started. The reasons for choosing
Carrier Cockpit(TM) were mainly the system's successful track record
with existing customers like Swisscom and Finnet International and the
holistic view that Carrier Cockpit(TM) provides.

"Eesti Telefon is a very interesting collaborator and we look forward to
a challenging and prosperous exchange. Ascade always strives for close,
long-term relationships with its customers and the relationship with
Eesti Telefon is no exception. We see a strong market emerging in
Eastern Europe and Russia and the relationship with Eesti Telefon and
the network they possess are definitely valuable for Ascade when further
exploring this market." says Ascade's CEO, Christopher Grahn.

Carrier Cockpit(TM) is a sophisticated IT-solution enabling telecom
operators worldwide to cut costs and lift productivity by optimising and
automating the management and operation of international voice minute
trading. It also contains extensive management support to help keep
track of everyday activities and indicators. Operators worldwide are
saving millions of Euros yearly, by using Ascade's Carrier Cockpit(TM).

Eesti Telefon:
AS Eesti Telefon is the largest telecommunications company in Estonia
owned by Eesti Telekom and established in 1993. Eesti Telefon provides
innovative client-centered communication and IT solutions. The company
offers Atlas data communication, Internet and ET telephone solutions to
companies and households. Eesti Telefon quickly established itself as
the market leader for Internet dial-up service and ADSL connections. AS
Eesti Telefon is the owner of the search engine Neti and the
communication center Hot.

Ascade:
Ascade is a Swedish telecom software company that has been profitable
since start in 1997. The company is totally dedicated to developing
solutions for the telecom operator wholesale industry. Among Ascade's
current customers are market leading international operators such as
Swisscom of Switzerland, Telenor of Norway and Finnet International of
Finland. In addition to existing customers, Carrier Cockpit(TM) is
currently also being evaluated by a number of major operators worldwide.
Shareholders of Ascade are the founders, SEB Företagsinvest, CapMan and
the employees of Ascade.

Ascade AB
Stockholm 12th of February 2003


For further information, please contact:
Patrik Ferlenius, Vice President, Sales, Ascade AB
Tel: +46-8-616 73 00, e-mail:  

Lars Kullberg, Vice President, Customer & Business Development, Ascade AB
Tel: +46-8-616 73 00, e-mail:  

Toivo Liblik, Director of Network Carrier Services Division, Eesti Telefon
Tel: +372 631 33 22, e-mail: