PRIMUS Telecommunications Canada Inc. today launched TalkBroadband, the first true alternative to traditional residential phone service in Canada, del...

PRIMUS Telecommunications Canada Inc. today launched TalkBroadband, the first true alternative to traditional residential phone service in Canada, delivering 25 percent savings on average to consumers and home offices. PRIMUS Canada, the wholly-owned subsidiary of McLean, Virginia-based PRIMUS Telecommunications Group, Incorporated, a global telecommunications services provider offering an integrated portfolio of voice, data, Internet, and Web hosting services, is offering the new Broadband Voice Service immediately to all residential and home office high speed Internet subscribers across the country.

Starting at just $19.95 a month, TalkBroadband uses leading edge Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology to transform high-speed Internet service into a local telephone connection simply, reliably and securely. "TalkBroadband begins a new era for Canadian consumers looking for a reliable, simple and less expensive alternative to traditional phone service," says Ted Chislett, president, PRIMUS Canada. "It's the perfect solution for DSL subscribers wanting a second phone line or for cable high-speed Internet subscribers looking to replace their existing phone line or add a second one."

TalkBroadband is an ideal solution for residential customers as well as small, home-based businesses. Customers can select from Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton local numbers. Any high-speed Internet user in Canada, or anywhere in the world - no matter where they are located - can take advantage of TalkBroadband by selecting an area code and number from one of the cities above. For example, consumers who live in Barrie (705) can select a Toronto (416) area code and number, ensuring that calls to and from Toronto are not subject to long distance charges.

"Since Canada's high-speed Internet penetration rate is the third highest in the world and is continuing at double-digit growth, there are literally millions of Canadians who can take advantage of PRIMUS Canada's TalkBroadband service,"says Andrew Day, senior vice-president, Residential Services, PRIMUS Canada. "Our more than 900,000 retail customers also provide us with a strong platform to reach Canadians with this new service." PRIMUS Canada will support the launch of TalkBroadband via a multi-media advertising campaign across Canada.

In coming months, PRIMUS Canada will expand the service: customers in other major Canadian centres will be able to subscribe to TalkBroadband service using their own area code. Operator services and 911 will not be offered at launch, however development is underway and the services will be enabled on a market by market basis in the near future. PRIMUS Canada also will introduce broadband phone services tailored specifically for larger business customers, at significant cost savings over traditional commercial phone service in the near future.


About PRIMUS Canada
PRIMUS Telecommunications Canada Inc. is the largest alternative communications carrier in Canada with over 900,000 retail customers. The Company offers facilities-based voice, data, e-commerce, Web hosting and Internet services. As a leading Internet service provider in Canada, PRIMUS Canada has approximately 60,000 Internet subscribers served by a national network of Internet points-of-presence (POPs) for dedicated and dial-up access. PRIMUS Canada also offers local services to businesses, bundling them with its long distance and Internet services. The Company has a fully redundant and diverse SONET network across Canada, extending from Quebec City to Victoria.

PRIMUS Canada's national network consists of Nortel DMS 500 switches with international connectivity through its parent company's global network, and ATM and IP nodes at major cities across the country. These network elements provide an integrated and converged backbone for all of PRIMUS Canada's voice, data, Internet and private line services. PRIMUS Canada is a wholly-owned subsidiary of McLean, Virginia-based PRIMUS Telecommunications Group, Incorporated (Nasdaq:PRTL).

For more information on PRIMUS Canada, please visit www.primustel.ca