VITAL NETWORK SERVICES AND TELCO SYSTEMS SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

VITAL to become Telco Systems Primary Service Provider

CLEARWATER, Florida and FOXBORO, Massachusetts -- September 23, 2002 -- VITAL Network Services, Inc., a multivendor provider of worldwide network lifecycle services, and Telco Systems, Inc., a leader in network edge technology and IP switching platforms, today announced they have signed an agreement to establish a long-term business relationship whereby VITAL will perform installation and maintenance services for Telco Systems worldwide.

As part of this agreement, VITAL will become Telco Systems primary service provider for the entire Telco Systems line of products. VITAL will provide on-site installation services, 24x7 remote and onsite maintenance services, as well as logistics services for both the Enterprise and Carrier marketplaces.

"Telco Systems is dedicated to providing our customers with the highest quality products and understands that the installation and maintenance experience our customers have with our products affects their overall satisfaction with our company," said Dave Boulos, VP of Product Line Management for Telco Systems. "By utilizing VITAL as our primary service provider, we will be partnering with a company with a proven service and support infrastructure that has demonstrated our same high-level of commitment to ensuring customer satisfaction."

"We are pleased to begin providing services for Telco Systems products," said John Koehler, president and CEO of VITAL. "With our history of 24x7 support and on-site service capabilities in the US and major cities throughout the world, supporting Telco Systems products fits well into our multivendor support strategy. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Telco Systems."

About Telco Systems
Based in Foxboro, Massachusetts, Telco Systems combines over 25 years of experience in carrier solutions with a rapidly expanding portfolio of enterprise solutions. Telco Systems provides industry leading solutions for 10/100 Mbps and Gigabit Ethernet over fiber, VDSL solutions for the MTU/MDU market, the broadest possible range of multi-layer IP platforms, and the company's EdgeLink family of integrated access, multi-service access and multi-service broadband transport products for seamless migration from circuit-based equipment to emerging packet and cell technologies.

Telco Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of BATM Advanced Communications. BATM (London stock exchange ticker symbol: BVC) is a worldwide leader in designing and supplying IP packet-based systems, such as high-capacity, self-routing switches with extensive QoS.

For more information, please visit Telco Systems' web site at www.telco.comand BATM Advanced Communications' web site at www.batm.com.

About VITAL Network Services
VITAL Network Services, a global multi-vendor, multi-technology support provider, delivers world-class network support services to large enterprise customers, network equipment manufacturers, integrators, value-added resellers, distributors, and carriers around the world. VITAL's comprehensive portfolio of data, voice, and video network services helps customers realize the full value of their network by addressing all facets of the network lifecycle including network design and planning, integration, training, maintenance, and proactive monitoring. With its own technical staff and over 3000 authorized service provider technicians located throughout the world, VITAL provides on-site service in more than 60 countries across six continents.

VITAL provides round-the-clock support for over 2000 customers from its operations centers in the US and England. Corporate headquarters are located in Tampa, Florida with sales and field support organizations throughout the world. More information about VITAL and its services is available at www.vital-ns.com, or by calling 1-888-248-4825 (U.S. and Canada) or +1-813-818-5100 worldwide.

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