AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands and KARLSRUHE, Germany; April 17, 1997:

EUnet International B.V. and Xlink today announced the signing of a sales and marketing agreement which will bring the benefits of EUnet International's one-stop shopping services to the German market. EUnet International is the leading provider of Internet services in Europe, while Xlink is a leading provider of Internet services to the German market.

The agreement is expected to be of interest to companies in Germany with multiple locations abroad who wish to deal with only one full-service ISP, and to EUnet International customers with locations in Germany. In addition, German customers acquired through EUnet International's business partners will also benefit from this agreement. In addition to sharing development activities, Xlink and EUnet International have agreed to synchronise their sales and marketing efforts to ensure both parties get the highest return on their co-operative efforts.

Commenting on the alliance, Xlink Managing Director, Michael Rotert said: "Our customers with offices abroad will be able to reap the benefits of working with EUnet International immediately. Xlink will be able to offer a complete range of Internet services to German customers with multiple locations outside Germany, virtually overnight, without having to build an enormous infrastructure ourselves."

According to Wim Vink, Managing Director of EUnet International, "Together with Xlink, EUnet International is now present in Germany, Europe's biggest market for Internet services. Xlink shares our values in terms of quality and services; and together we share a common vision. Our combined network is the strongest in the world, and our services offering the most complete. Together, we offer a unique set of solutions to our customers."

Xlink will continue to expand its network in Germany and provide its customers with greater reliability and better performance. This will be achieved by connecting to EUnet International's Internet backbone via the Network Operating Centre in Amsterdam. This connection will initially operate at 10 Mbit/s and become available by July 1997.

EUnet International will use Xlink's product portfolio to offer connectivity services in Germany. Outside Germany, Xlink will use EUnet International's services and branding. In addition, Xlink will license EUnet International's mobile access service EUnetTraveller, which is currently available in 25 countries. This service is intended to be made available in Germany under Xlink's brand name and will be called XlinkTraveller.

EUnet International has been building a reputation for Web storefronts and secure transactions, especially in the banking industry. Along with international, fully managed connectivity, it is complementary skills and product offerings such as these, which will make the new alliance a force to be reckoned with in the German market.

Xlink was originally founded in 1983 as a university project. Since then, the company has developed into one of the leading providers of Internet services for the business community in Germany. With its broadband-highspeed 34 Mbit network and more than 60 points of presence, Xlink guarantees its clients a most efficient infrastructure. As a Full-Service-Provider Xlink offers a range of Internet services, from Internet access and Web-services to turnkey security solutions and project management.