DEERFIELD
BEACH, FL, OCTOBER 28, 1997 -- CyberGate Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of
American Communications Services, Inc. (ACSI), and the largest Florida-based Internet
communications company, today announced an important strategic relationship with
NetRunner, Inc. that advances ACSI's strategy to deliver its fiber backbone network and
integrated services to business customers throughout the South Florida marketplace. In a
totally seamless transition, NetRunner customers automatically will be transferred to
CyberGate, thus benefitting from the extensive network infrastructure, reliability and
high-speed access of ACSI. Business customers will gain the ability to use ACSI's e*spire
family of integrated services. "This landmark agreement helps ACSI advance the
development of our e*spire product line in Florida, extending our reach to offer
region-wide integrated services for ACSI business customers," said Jack E. Reich,
ACSI President and CEO. "Now more businesses can take advantage of ACSI's
state-of-the-art, all-fiber backbone network, and at the same time benefit from the
simplicity and convenience of ACSI's e*spire integrated business data services."
Over
the next several months, the NetRunner network will be merged into ACSI's network,
resulting in even greater performance enhancements in reliability, speed and features.
NetRunner Inc. will continue to serve the business marketplace -- selling, configuring and
installing equipment required for Internet connectivity, and referring customers to
CyberGate for ACSI network service. "We are very pleased to forge this relationship
with NetRunner," said Jeffrey D. Rubenstein, CyberGate's Chief Operating Officer.
"Over the last three years, NetRunner has earned a solid reputation as a leader in
both business dial-up services and dedicated ISDN connectivity. In addition to increasing
our base, CyberGate will benefit from numerous synergies with NetRunner, including their
expertise in the Intranet and Local Area Network arenas." "The transfer of
NetRunner's customers to CyberGate assures that these important accounts will benefit from
the best of both worlds -- the power of ACSI's network infrastructure, and the sales
capabilities of NetRunner," said Mark Cole, NetRunner President. CyberGate offers
unlimited dial-up access at $17.95 per month. Customers may choose from among a range of
access options, including analog connections, ISDN 64k connections or state-of-the-art 56k
US Robotics X2 technology -- all for the same flat rate. Dial-up ISDN 128k access is
available for only $34.95 per month. NetRunner will provide customer support during the
transition. Going forward, NetRunner will focus on selling Internet solutions -- hardware
and software -- to new small and medium-sized business customers, and will act as an agent
for ACSI/CyberGate.
CyberGate,
Inc. is the largest Florida-based Internet communications company offering dial-up and
dedicated Internet access, web design and hosting services. CyberGate, Inc. is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of American Communications Services, Inc. (ACSI). ACSI (NASDAQ:
ACNS), based in Annapolis Junction, MD, is a competitive local exchange carrier providing
integrated local voice and data communications services in mid-sized markets in the
Southeastern United States. CyberGate may be reached at www.gate.net
.
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