New York, NY - February 14, 2005 - Last Mile Connections (LMC), a New York based neutral telecommunications exchange dedicated to helping telecom carriers and enterprises access bandwidth in the simplest and most-cost effective way, has launched the Online Exchange, a neutral e-marketplace utilizing reverse auctions for selling and buying telecom bandwidth services. The Online Exchange, found at www.lastmileconnections.com, is a powerful customer-focused application designed to connect buyers and sellers of bandwidth from around the globe through a single point of contact, thus dramatically streamlining and speeding the entire sales process and revolutionizing the way the telecom industry conducts business.

"From our in-depth knowledge of the telecom industry, we created the Online Exchange to help those who were inundated with thousands of choices and overwhelmed as to where to go for the best selection of bandwidth services," said James Martino, President and CEO of Last Mile Connections. "E-marketplaces and reverse auctions are used by 8 out of 10 Fortune 1000 firms to save millions of dollars each year and increase profitability. Industries where these auctions are used in strategic sourcing include energy, manufacturing, office supplies, IT and more. We believe the time is right for the telecom buyers and sellers to embrace this concept because of the characteristics of telecom services and the many benefits."

According to Martino, the Online Exchange is open to all carriers, service providers and enterprises and is a win-win business model by bringing the telecom marketplace to the buyer, while at the same time helping to increase the volume and frequency of sales for carriers. The Online Exchange will deliver true market pricing and cut the negotiation and sales process from up to two weeks to 24 hours or less. Last Mile Connections' existing relationships with key telecom carriers ensures that buyers will have access to virtually every option for the bandwidth service they desire. The new online service from Last Mile Connections is an interactive extension of its Exchange service, which is already utilized by many major carriers and enterprises.

The Online Exchange benefits buyers by guaranteeing them quick and easy access to true market prices from bandwidth suppliers from around the globe, while eliminating the hassle of multiple contacts and lengthy sales processes for daily telecom service needs. Conversely, sellers are offered the opportunity to offer their services to qualified, serious buyers. In addition, Last Mile Connections ensures the confidentiality of all involved as the identity of the seller is never revealed to the buyer and buyer identities are kept hidden from other bidders during the entire sales process.

The Last Mile Connections Online Exchange is active today with pre-qualified buyers and sellers requesting and bidding for private lines, Ethernet services, wavelengths, collocation and internet access, via a secure, confidential e-marketplace.

Last Mile Connections facilitates and monitors the entire process of the e-marketplace from request for quote to bid to sale. Registered buyers simply submit a Request for Quote (RFQ) to the Last Mile Connections trading desk via the Online Exchange, listing the service and terms they desire, including location details, date needed and price.

The Last Mile Connections trading desk will quickly return with three pricing points to buyers, including standard pricing based on public tariffs listing, "Buy It Now" pricing, which is competitive pricing guaranteed by Last Mile Connections and finally, the price expected through auction. If buyers choose to request an auction, Last Mile Connections will then invite multiple Tier 1, 2, and 3 carriers across the country to secure bids to meet the request.

Sellers are then given the option of placing a competitive bid or selecting the "Sell It Now" function, which meets all the buyer's requirements and closes the auction. If an auction is launched, sellers submit their decreasing bids in an open and competitive marketplace managed by the Last Mile Connections trading desk.

"We're also developing new features for the Online Exchange, including order tracking, online trouble tickets to be available in the coming months, which will make the e-marketplace a true all-inclusive and even more compelling service for our buyers."

The Online Exchange is made possible by the strong relationships Last Mile Connections has developed with a vast majority of Tier 1, Tier 2 and even Tier 3 carriers. This community of suppliers consists of registered members of the Last Mile Connections Online Exchange for which the Last Mile Connections Trading Desk monitors the service availability and the quality of service, making it a marketplace resource. The Exchange also manages point to point physical delivery of orders, as registered sellers can interconnect in one of Last Mile Connections seven Centers, including New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, and Washington DC.

The Online Exchange is open for orders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week but orders are processed during normal business hours. For more information, log on to www.lastmileconnections.com and click on Online Exchange.