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Sydney - 12 June 2008 — Sterling Commerce, an AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) subsidiary, today launched the availability in Australia of its Sterling Collaboration Network, an on demand business-to-business (B2B) network which makes it easier for companies to securely integrate trading processes and enhance B2B process automation and orchestration among their trading communities.

Organisations signing onto the Sterling Collaboration Network in Australia now have immediate access to more than 280,000 unique trading entities around the globe.

At the same time, the Sterling Collaboration Network will enable local companies to automate the flow of information regarding their mission-critical business activities across organisational and geo-political boundaries. Traditionally, these processes have been manual, fraught with complexity due to multiple standards and data formats and provided for low visibility in tracking supply chain activity end-to-end.

In the past, many retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers, and third-party logistics firms have automated portions of their core purchase-to-pay and order-to-cash processes with their B2B communities and supply chains. However, even for “best in class” organisations, the greatest opportunity for additional cost savings and efficiency lies in electronically integrating trading partners that still transact business via phone, fax, e-mail, and postal mail.

In existence for over 30 years, the Sterling Collaboration Network eliminates all paper-based transactions and has 19,000 customers, including Orica Australia, and more than 90 global network interconnects already in operation. While Orica Australia signed onto the network eight years ago via an international license agreement, worldwide cosmetics provider, L’Oreal Australia is the first customer locally to sign onto the Australian network extension this month. The on demand network will make it easier for L’Oreal to integrate its trading community. “The Sterling Collaboration Network will enable L’Oreal to operate as a business in a stable electronic data interchange (EDI) trading environment with seven key retailers and thousands of retail outlets throughout Australia.

“On an average day, we can process at least 1,500 orders and ship more than 4,000 SKUs. By signing on with Sterling Commerce, we know we are working with a technically adept organisation which has many years of experience in value-added network services,” said Aaron Khong, General Manager – IT, L’Oreal Australia.

The Sterling Collaboration Network uses Sterling Commerce B2B integration expertise and its global supply chain community to maximise the number of supply chain partners with whom retailers, manufacturers, distributors, and logistics firms conduct business. Companies can gain a complimentary assessment of their potential savings from greater B2B automation by using the Sterling Commerce B2B Automation Savings Calculator at: www.sterlingb2bautomation.com.

“The Sterling Collaboration Network has been an invaluable part of our business for several years. It acts as an electronic Australia Post providing a one-stop shop connection to our trading network. Not only does it provide immediate visibility into document status, it gives us simplicity, security and peace of mind in being able to track and manage hundreds of thousands of orders each year with all our valued customers and suppliers,” said Mark Zrna, Senior Systems Engineer – B2B, IT Shared Services, Orica Australia.

“We are excited that Australian and multi-national firms with offices in Australia can now contact us directly to join the Sterling Collaboration Network. Companies will now be able to achieve process improvements by managing issues in real-time as they occur and respond proactively to supply disruptions and improve market responsiveness. At the same time, they will have local access to Australian account management, technical staff, migration services and support,” said Michael Vulcan, Managing Director, Australia/New Zealand, Sterling Commerce.

About Sterling Commerce

Sterling Commerce, a subsidiary of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), helps customers thrive in a global economy by connecting their business communities, processes, people and technology. More than 30,000 customers worldwide – including 80 percent of the Fortune 500 – use Sterling Commerce solutions for business process integration, multi-channel selling, and supply chain fulfillment to improve profitability inside and outside their company walls. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Sterling Commerce has offices in 19 countries with regional offices in Sydney and Melbourne. For more information visit: www.sterlingcommerce.com.au.