Broadband High Speed Internet Access Service

New Edge Networks is First Data 'Ready' for Fast Bankcard Payments

VANCOUVER, Wash. (Dec. 6, 2005) New Edge Networks and electronic commerce and payments leader First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC) have established high-speed direct network connections that will allow merchants that buy New Edge Network services to use First Data for processing bankcard transactions faster and at no added cost.
Through use of direct connections, merchants also eliminate the management overhead, operating costs, and monthly expenses for using and maintaining their own direct connections to the payment processor. Transactions go over a private network, avoiding the public Internet.

We believe direct, private and secure connections to payment processors will usher in a new wave of interest in IP payment processing through broadband networks, said Dan Moffat, president and CEO of New Edge Networks. These direct connections minimize the cost and complexity of managing multiple separate connections for merchants.

Direct connections are part of a New Edge Networks initiative called ARNie, short for Americas Retail Network information exchange. New Edge Networks is establishing direct connections with various suppliers to retail merchants.

Many merchants today use dial-up telephone connections for credit and debit card transactions, as well as gift card and electronic check acceptance services. Transaction times over broadband connections take as little as two seconds compared to about 12 seconds over a dial-up connection. This speeds up lines at the checkout counters and improves the overall customer experience.

New Edge Networks has national facilities and capabilities that are attractive to merchant customers with business locations anywhere.

New Edge Networks is one of the first national carriers to receive compliance statements that broadband networks it builds for business customers are compliant with credit card data security requirements of American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard, and Visa USA.

About New Edge Networks
New Edge Networks builds and manages broadband networks for businesses and communications carriers. Through its nationwide network of more than 850 switches and Internet routers, New Edge Networks uses various broadband access technologies for building business networks. These include all types of DSL, Frame Relay, ATM, cable modems, and Satellite. Its network coverage reaches 100 percent of U. S. business addresses. New Edge Networks product suite of managed WAN and VPN services received Frost & Sullivans Telecommunications Services 2005 Product of the Year Award. New Edge Networks is on the 2005 lists of the 500 fastest growing companies compiled by Deloitte & Touche and Inc. magazine. The companys Web site is www.newedgenetworks.com.

Source: New Edge Networks

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