Computer Associates And Cable & Wireless HKT Form eBusiness Enabling ASP Joint Venture

ISLANDIA, N.Y., and HONG KONG, MARCH 6, 2000 -- Computer Associates International, Inc. (CA) and Cable & Wireless HKT today announced a joint venture intended to accelerate Application Service Provider (ASP) development in the Asia-Pacific region. The partnership will create Hong Kong's first ASP that delivers integrated eBusiness solutions via broadband network access.

The new company will offer a full array of Web-based business software applications to small-to-medium-sized enterprises and mid-sized corporations through high-speed broadband network connections. To enhance security, the company will employ Public Key Infrastructures that utilize digital encryption to provide secure transactions over the Internet.

"We are delighted to be partnering with Computer Associates, the world's leading business software company, since it marks a major step forward as we stretch our lead in eBusiness solutions development in the Asia-Pacific region," said Linus W L Cheung, Cable & Wireless HKT Chief Executive Officer. "The two sides bring to the table a wealth of eBusiness enabling expertise, technology and value-added applications. We will offer our customers access to these enterprise solutions via a reliable and secure broadband platform, enabling them to capture rapidly-growing eBusiness opportunities with confidence."

The eBusiness enabling solutions that are being provided will help enterprises improve productivity and reduce business risks by offering enhanced security -- allowing companies to move into the global eBusiness marketplace with a brand new IT costing model to optimize investment.

"Our partnership with Cable & Wireless HKT marks an exciting step forward in our plans to help Hong Kong enterprises take advantage of the explosion in eBusiness," said CA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Charles B. Wang. "By removing the need for companies to individually procure, implement and obtain their own technology infrastructures, we aim to encourage quick adoption of new technologies driving eBusiness today."

The two partners will initially invest US$8 million into the new company, which will bring together Cable & Wireless HKT's world-class broadband infrastructure, extensive data center management experience and solid sales/marketing expertise with CA's leading-edge ASP technology and applications.

"The combination of CA's leading-edge applications and Cable & Wireless HKT's market knowledge and excellent service reputation will help stimulate eBusiness development and help Hong Kong achieve its goal of becoming an eBusiness center for Asia," continued Wang.

The new venture will immediately begin operations in Hong Kong, expanding to Greater China in 2001 and the Asia-Pacific region in three years. Hera Siu has appointed as the designated Chief Executive Officer of the new joint venture.

Initial offerings of the new ASP include an accounting package (ACCPAC) and a Manufacturing Resource Planning application (MK Manufacturing). Eventually, the new company will develop a complete range of vertical industry applications for inventory control and work-in-process management, as well as horizontal packages for finance, payroll and human resources management.

Computer Associates International, Inc. (NYSE: CA), the world's leading business software company, delivers the end-to-end infrastructure to enable eBusiness through innovative technology, services and education. CA has 18,000 employees worldwide and had revenue of $6.3 billion for the year ended December 31, 1999. For more information, visit www.ca.com.

Cable & Wireless HKT, a Cable & Wireless company, is Hong Kong's major full-service communications provider, marketing a full array of quality voice and data telecommunication services backed by a state-of-the-art, fully digital fiber-optic network. Services include basic telephony, mobile telephony, international calls, specialized fax and data products, value-added services, Internet access, multimedia services, satellite links and telecommunications equipment and systems.

Apart from owning and operating Asia's largest commercial teleport, Cable & Wireless HKT is a pioneer in a wide range of communications solutions, such as launching the world's first fully digitized urban network, the world's first fiber-optic cable linking China, and the world's first interactive television services.

With customers in 70 countries, Cable & Wireless is a major global telecommunications business with revenue of around ? billion in the year ended March 1999 and over 50,000 employees. Its businesses around the world offer a range of services spanning broadband data and Internet services, fixed and mobile voice, as well as interactive entertainment and information. Cable & Wireless' priority for expansion is the fast growing market of data and IP (Internet Protocol) services for business customers. Since November 1998, it has announced major investments in advanced networks in the US and Europe, the restructuring of Cable & Wireless Communications in the UK and has acquired full control of Cable & Wireless IDC in Japan to support this strategy.

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