CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 8, 1999--Arthur D. Little, a global strategic consulting firm, has completed its acquisition of Contactica, the worldwide telecommunications consultancy company. Contactica was founded in 1994 to offer services to the telecommunications market, working with multinational companies to build networks, both fixed and mobile, employing the latest SDH, CDMA and GSM technologies.

Contactica has in-depth strategic and operational experience, working in 28 countries on over 150 projects from offices in London and Hong Kong. It has helped clients with successful license application and network build in Indonesia, India and Hong Kong, including a major CDMA license in Korea.

Contactica's management team also has extensive experience of establishing new companies to implement such networks, covering all aspects of customer service, support systems, design and implementation. Contactica's client list includes major operators, vendors and financial institutions worldwide. Over 90% of Contactica's consultancy assignments have been outside of the countries of Hong Kong and United Kingdom, where their offices are located.

Commenting on the acquisition, Dr. Werner Knetsch, leader of Arthur D. Little's global Telecommunications, Information Technology, Media and Electronics (TIME) Practice, said, "Arthur D. Little's business with the digital industries is growing at an extremely rapid pace and the acquisition of Contactica allows us to significantly increase our services to our clients."

"Contactica's skills and project experience with telecommunication companies enables Arthur D. Little to not only recognize problem areas but physically provide the right technical and managerial personnel to resolve those problems, a growing demand among our clients in the telecommunications industry. In particular, we envisage Contactica strengthening Arthur D. Little's presence and position in telecommunications in Asia."

Malcolm Way, Chairman and cofounder of Contactica, said, "Contactica is very enthusiastic about working with Arthur D. Little because we will be able to provide a depth of expertise unrivaled by other consultancies. While working closely with Arthur D. Little, Contactica will remain a separate legal and marketing entity, operating under its own name."

Arthur D. Little

Arthur D. Little is one of the world's leading consulting firms. Through its spectrum of innovation--its integrated expertise in strategy formation, process management, change management, and technology and product development--its helps leading organizations establish a sustainable innovation premium, creating strong financial performance and accelerated growth. Founded in 1886, Arthur D. Little is distinguished from its competitors by the caliber of its people and the breadth of its experience. It is also unique in its commitment to helping its clients reinvent their organizations, enhance their capacity for learning and change, and create lasting value.

Contactica

Contactica is a global telecommunications consultancy company which was established in 1994 to offer services to the telecommunications market place and has expertise based on practical, first hand experience. The three founding partners, Alvin Botting, Paul Berriman and Malcolm Way, previously held senior executive positions within leading telecommunications companies. Alvin Botting was Technical Director at Hutchinson Telecom U.K., having previously worked with Cable & Wireless group. Paul Berriman was Technical Director at New World Telecom, a fixed and mobile network operator in Hong Kong and, before that, with Reuters and Hong Kong Telecom. Malcolm Way was Managing Director of Microtel (renamed Orange), the leading mobile service provider in the U.K., prior to that he was Group Technical Director of Hutchison worldwide.

The terms of the acquisition will not be disclosed.