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GTE E-Commerce Solutions Offers a Secure and Easy Way to Build and Conduct Business Over the Internet; Mercantec SoftCart Selected to Power GTE's E-Commerce

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 3, 1999--

GTE today announced the availability of GTE E-Commerce Solutions, a comprehensive suite of e-commerce and Web-hosting technology. The company's newest e-commerce offer helps small businesses and entrepreneurs combine technology with business strategy to securely and easily establish and maintain reliable online businesses with minimal financial investment.

GTE E-Commerce Solutions provides the technical support, marketing guidance and online security that small businesses need to market and sell products or services over the Internet, eliminating the need to invest time and capital in hardware, software and administrative support.

"GTE E-Commerce Solutions provides an entry point and migration path for small business to enter the global marketplace, effectively erasing national borders and giving even the smallest of companies a worldwide reach," said Alex Coleman, vice president and general manager of GTE's Internet services. "Customers provide the entrepreneurial spirit and idea -- GTE provides the reliable and user-friendly tools to make those ideas happen."

Features and Functionality

GTE E-Commerce Solutions includes a host of robust and reliable features:

-- Security: To ensure the most protected methods for online ordering and payment, this service provides merchant end-to-end security throughout the transaction environment, including Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and public/private key encryption.

-- Web Hosting: Allows customers to develop and maintain their own Web sites, as well as e-mail functions such as multiple-domain e-mail boxes, mail forwarding and auto-responders. This feature also enables customers to include domain name registration, search capabilities within the customer's Web site, visitor statistics and CGI-BIN access.

-- Store Manager: Gives customers simple, browser-based point-and-click access to build and maintain their online stores, eliminating the need for HTML knowledge.

-- Store Construction Wizard: Offers customers the ability to create their own Web sites, providing a wide selection of templates for first-time, browser-based store creation. More advanced needs and professional Web designers can use any third-party HTML creation tool to create and manage a more sophisticated site design.

-- Tax and Shipping: Calculation capabilities automatically determine sales tax and shipping charges according to geographic region and method of shipping established by the merchant.

-- Merchandising: Capabilities supporting standard retail functions, including the promotion of sales items, merchant-definable promotions, upselling, discontinued items and out of stock items.

-- Virtual Shopping Environment: Includes a virtual shopping cart that allows customers to window shop, select multiple purchases, modify their purchases or proceed to the cashier. Additionally, it provides shoppers with a variety of secure online or offline payment methods.

-- Marketing Tips: Provides customers with advice on how to leverage their e-commerce sites to increase visibility and sales. Customers are also provided with a free listing in GTE's Web-based SuperPages(SM) interactive online directory service with more than 11 million businesses nationwide.

GTE E-Commerce Solutions integrates the award-winning SoftCart virtual storefront software from Mercantec. GTE combines its secure Web hosting infrastructure and customer support with the functionality and robust features of the SoftCart e-commerce software.

"Our SoftCart technology has built-in security measures that offer the highest level of security in the industry," said Andrew Parker, president and CEO of Mercantec. "We do this with high-level encryption software so that neither order nor credit card information is stored or accessible on the Internet. Partnering with GTE, experts in the field of managed security, gives small businesses and entrepreneurs the safest, most reliable and easiest way to sell their goods or services online. GTE E-Commerce Solutions, together with Mercantec, provides quality service, safe environment, and performance that small businesses depend upon for conducting e-businesses." Pricing and Availability

GTE E-Commerce Solutions provides three e-commerce plans, depending on a customer's product requirements and complexity of their Web site design. Plans range from $39.95 to $129.95 per month and give customers the flexibility to choose one that meets current needs but allows them to easily upgrade as their requirements change.

Customers can order GTE E-Commerce Solutions by completing an online registration form at www.gte-hosting.net, or calling toll free 1-877-483-4112.

For more information on the reliability and security of Mercantec's SoftCart technology, please visit the following address: http://www.mercantec.com/news/security.htm.

About GTE's Internet services

GTE Internet services for consumers and small business was launched in 1996. With more than 750 local points of presence nation-wide, its subscriber base has grown from 70,000 to over 850,000 resident and small business subscribers. The increase was driven by GTE's continued success in bundling consumer Internet access with other communications services, as well as the company's success in leveraging distribution relationships with computer manufacturers such as Compaq, Hewlett-Packard Company, Dell Computer, Sony Electronics Inc., Acer and Recompute.

About GTE

With 1998 revenues of more than $25 billion, GTE is a leading telecommunications provider with one of the industry's broadest arrays of products and services. In the United States, GTE provides local service in 28 states and wireless service in 17 states, as well as nationwide long-distance, directory, and internetworking services ranging from dial-up Internet access for residential and small-business consumers to Web-based applications for Fortune 500 companies. Outside the United States, the company serves customers on five continents. To learn more about GTE Internet services and GTE, visit the company Web site at www.gte.com.

About Mercantec Inc.

Since its founding in 1995, Mercantec, Inc., has become the leading provider of virtual storefront software delivered through Internet Service Providers (ISPs) on shared servers. Mercantec's flagship SoftCart software is the winner of New Media magazine's 1999 Hyper Award in the Out-of-the-Box Store category. Based on an open, API-based architecture, SoftCart enables merchants to expand their geographic reach by marketing and selling goods and services via the World Wide Web. Mercantec's worldwide network of ISPs and Web hosting service providers offer affordable hosting and electronic commerce solutions to merchants. Mercantec's other partnerships include Web consultants, software developers, integrators and OEMs, including American Express and Compaq Computer Corporation.

Mercantec SoftCart supports all known Web servers including, Netscape, Microsoft, and APACHE. Mercantec SoftCart runs on Windows NT, Windows 95/98 and the most popular UNIX platforms including Sun Solaris, SGI IRIX, Linux, HP/UX, DEC UNIX, FreeBSD and BSDI. Mercantec is headquartered in Naperville, Illinois, USA. To learn more about Mercantec, visit the company Web site at www.mercantec.com.

All product names and trademarks mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.