February 14, 2001

Over 300,000 Inquiries on Fusion's Long-Distance Telephone Service since Rate Plan Announced a Month Ago

In the month following the January 10 announcement of its long-distance service program, Fusion Communications Corporation received about 330,000 inquiries via telephone and the Internet (as of February 9), far more than anticipated. In fact, the overwhelming response--with about 160,000 requests for information coming in on the day after the announcement--forced the company to enhance its telephone information desk's operating capacity, and even then it was barely able to keep up with the flood of consumer interest. In line with the inauguration services on April 1, Fusion plans to further expand its information operation system to ensure that all potential customers will be served.

Many inquirers were pleased with the simple rate system included in the announcement: "20 yen per 3 minutes, 24 hours a day, nationwide." Requests for information have come in from virtually all parts of Japan, leaving Fusion with the impression that people appreciate the fact that the farther you call, the cheaper the rate becomes.

Japanese consumers are showing an increasing interest in the MYLINE Carrier Selection Service, a system of pre-selecting one's default long-distance carrier, to be introduced in May 2001. The resultant rate competition, however, has generated a flurry of complex discount plans from telecommunications carriers, making selection of an optimal provider difficult for many consumers. Some consumers, in fact, have expressed dissatisfaction with the whole new system, claiming that the rate-menu complexity neutralizes any potential benefit that comes from pre-selecting one's carrier. It is in this context that Fusion is confident that its extremely simple "20 yen per 3 minutes, 24 hours a day, nationwide" system of low-cost, long-distance service will be welcomed by the Japanese public.