PRIMUS Telecommunications Named Winner in First-Ever American Business Awards

MCLEAN, Va., May 1, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- PRIMUS Telecommunications Group, Incorporated (PRTL) , a global telecommunications services provider offering an integrated portfolio of voice, data, Internet, and Web hosting services, today announced that it was named a winner in the Best Business Turnaround category for the first-ever American Business Awards(SM).

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Hailed as "the business world's own Oscars" by the New York Post (September 22, 2002), The American Business Awards are the first national, all-encompassing business awards program honoring great performances in the workplace.

"In the course of two years, PRIMUS has come from the brink of expected oblivion to being the honoree this evening. For this, we need to recognize the vision and will of my co-founder, K. Paul Singh, the support of a courageous Board of Directors, a deeply talented management team that flawlessly executed our strategy, the loyalty and sacrifices of our employees worldwide, and those customers, investors and analysts who never lost faith. On behalf of all those constituencies, I most gratefully accept this marvelous award," stated John F. DePodesta, co-founder and Executive Vice President of PRIMUS, who accepted the Stevies(TM)award on behalf of the Company at last evening's awards ceremony.

Nicknamed the Stevies(TM)for the Greek word "crowned," the award was presented at a nationally broadcast show yesterday, April 30, at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers in New York City. The ceremony was hosted by Charles Osgood, host of CBS News Sunday Morning and commentator for the CBS Radio Network, and was broadcast nationwide on radio, and worldwide via the Internet, by Business TalkRadio.

Almost 500 nominations from companies of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration in more than 40 categories. Members of the Awards' Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors and their staffs will select Stevie winners from among the finalists. The Board includes business luminaries such as Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes, Bruce Nelson, chairman & CEO of Office Depot, marketing gurus Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, Anthony Robbins, Chairman & CEO of The Anthony Robbins Companies, Drew Schutte, publisher of Wired Magazine, Jeffrey Tarr, chairman & CEO of Hoover's Inc., and Donald Trump, chairman, president and CEO of The Trump Organization.

About PRIMUS Telecommunications Group, Incorporated

PRIMUS Telecommunications Group, Incorporated (PRTL) is a global telecommunications services provider offering bundled voice, data, Internet, digital subscriber line (DSL), Web hosting, enhanced application, virtual private network (VPN), and other value-added services. PRIMUS owns and operates an extensive global backbone network of owned and leased transmission facilities, including approximately 250 points-of-presence (POPs) throughout the world, ownership interests in over 23 undersea fiber optic cable systems, 19 international gateway and domestic switches, a satellite earth station and a variety of operating relationships that allow it to deliver traffic worldwide. PRIMUS also has deployed a global state-of-the-art broadband fiber optic ATM+IP network and data centers to offer customer Internet, data, hosting and e-commerce services. Founded in 1994 and based in McLean, VA, PRIMUS serves corporate, small- and medium-sized businesses, residential and data, ISP and telecommunication carrier customers primarily located in the North America, Europe and Asia Pacific regions of the world. News and information are available at PRIMUS's Web site at www.primustel.com.

About The American Business Awards(SM)

A celebration of great performances in the workplace, The American Business Awards are the first national, all-encompassing business awards program. Honoring companies of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Awards recognize outstanding leadership, innovation, perseverance, creativity, teamwork, and integrity through more than 40 categories. The first American Business Awards -- nicknamed The Stevies(TM) from the Greek word for "crowned" - was presented at an awards show in New York City on April 30, 2003. The program is overseen by a Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors, which includes leading business executives, authors, and academics. Sponsors of the 2003 American Business Awards include Business TalkRadio, DHR International, Empire Media, Forbes, Hoover's Online, Inc. Magazine, Miller Heiman, Selling Power Magazine, and Wired Magazine.