MCLEAN, VA--(Marketwire - May 8, 2012) - [ PTGi (Primus Telecommunications Group, Inc.) ] (NYSE: [ PTGI ]) today announced that Primus Australia has been chosen by NBN Co as the lead partner in its UNI-V Enhancement Program. Primus was appointed following an Expressions of Interest process that restricted applications to companies that could meet strict selection criteria outlined by the NBN Co including that the applicant must have already entered into a Wholesale Broadband Agreement with NBN Co and be certified to supply the UNI-V product component.

The UNI-V Enhancement Program will test and strengthen the development of the UNI-V feature which will enable Primus Australia and other service providers to provide a telephony service to every home in Australia covered by the NBN fiber rollout, and could potentially provide voice services to millions of Australians nationwide.

As part of the program, Primus Australia will work with NBN Co to help determine a suitable test plan for the UNI-V enhancements covering both SIP level testing and electrical interface testing. Primus will also execute test plans and regularly provide reports which specify test success or issues.

Primus CEO Tom Mazerski said, "Our objective in working with NBN Co is to ensure our customers get an equal or better quality voice connection while transitioning from copper to fiber. It will enable us to fully utilize the UNI-V port connecting all phones in the home or business to offer our True Fibre Voice™ product to all NBN consumer and business fiber customers."

NBN COO Ralph Steffens said, "We understand that there will be a number of people who only want a telephone service and that we need to offer quality telephone services while making the transition to fiber as easy and straightforward as possible. By undertaking these tests we want to ensure it is easy for retail service providers to offer their customers the services they are familiar with using the equipment they already have."

Primus has extensive experience of providing high quality voice services to both consumer and corporate customers across Australia, using its own voice network, built to provide a quality voice service to customers.

About Primus Australia [ http://www.primus.com.au ]
Primus Australia is part of Primus Telecommunications Group, Incorporated (PTGi) and is one of Australia's largest telecommunications carriers. It offers a range of Business and Residential services across Australia, including data, broadband, VOIP, Mobile, Telephone and Data Centre services. Primus Telecom provides nationwide coverage through a combination of its own and leased network components. Primus Telecom has deployed its own backbone network with facilities in all states and territories, and operates 290+ DSLAM exchanges across Australia. Primus operates its own fibre network in the five major capital cities, delivering a range of business direct-connect services including Hosted IP PBX services, IP, Ethernet, ATM, ISDN, high speed broadband, data centre and inbound and outbound voice services. On 16 April 2012, it was announced that M2 Telecommunications Group Ltd (ASX: MTU) had executed an Equity Purchase Agreement to acquire 100% of Primus Telecom Holdings Pty Ltd and its subsidiaries. The transaction is scheduled to complete on 1 June 2012.

About PTGi [ http://www.ptgi.com ]
PTGi (Primus Telecommunications Group, Incorporated) is a leading provider of advanced communication solutions, including broadband Internet, traditional and IP voice, data, mobile services, collocation, hosting, and outsourced managed services to business and residential customers in the United States, Canada, and Australia. PTGi is also one of the leading international wholesale service providers to telecommunications carriers worldwide. PTGi owns and operates its own global network of next-generation IP soft switches, media gateways, hosted IP/SIP platforms, broadband infrastructure, fiber capacity, and data centers located in Canada, and Australia. Founded in 1994, PTGi is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.