One.Tel chooses AboveNet Communications UK Ltd. for IP Transit

London, October 10, 2003 —AboveNet Communications UK Ltd., the leading provider of optical infrastructure services for unconstrained information exchange, announced today that it has signed a contract with Centrica owned One.Tel to supply dedicated Internet transit capacity on the AboveNet IP network. One.Tel will use the network to carry data generated by broadband and narrowband access products for its UK customer base.

"AboveNet's ability to deliver consistent network performance at the highest levels of reliability means they are well positioned to provide One.Tel with the IP connectivity needed to meet our future requirements," said Alan Park, Broadband Network Manager for One.Tel.

AboveNet will provide One.Tel with resilient and scalable Gigabit Ethernet capacity at multiple sites. By enhancing the speed and quality of their existing service, One.Tel is able to focus on meeting the demands of broadband and narrowband customers. The stability and performance of the AboveNet service gives One.Tel an advantage in the highly competitive Internet access market, providing them with the freedom to concentrate on providing high quality, low cost Internet access to its customer base.

"With our private IP network and infrastructure services, AboveNet is well positioned to provide business' like One.Tel with the optical IP connectivity needed to meet the anticipated growth of broadband access," said John Dowbiggin, Managing Director of AboveNet Communications UK Ltd. "It gives me great satisfaction that AboveNet is continuing to build on the existing strength of our relationship with One.Tel."

About AboveNet, Inc.
AboveNet, Inc., the US parent company of AboveNet Communications UK Ltd., is the leading provider of network infrastructure services that enable unconstrained information exchange within and between businesses. AboveNet builds and operates an office-to-office, 100-per cent optical network enabling customers to create an efficient, cost-effective network that breaks economic and performance barriers imposed in the last mile by complex legacy telecom infrastructures. With the most extensive metropolitan optical network in the world, data centers throughout the US and Europe, top quality managed services and a high-performance IP network, AboveNet is able to offer the most flexible and complete information exchange solutions in the industry.

An aggressive and agile player in the industry, AboveNet provides security, performance, scalability and reliability in a wealth of interconnected services designed to facilitate information exchange. The Company's metropolitan fiber network provides the foundation for its offerings. This all optical metropolitan network, combined with AboveNet's portfolio of integrated solutions, allow enterprise customers to rise above legacy networks to create truly customised networks that enable the real-time information exchange when and how it is needed.

About One.Tel
One.Tel is the UK's leading alternative communication supplier, providing 960,000 fixed line, mobile and Internet accounts to customers. One.Tel is famous for its low cost call rates both at home and abroad and is an ISP, offering flat fee and per minute narrowband connection and broadband services. One.Tel scooped the ISPA Award for Best Consumer ISP at the 2003 Internet Industry Awards.

One.Tel is a Centrica company. Centrica acquired One.Tel UK in July 2001. Centrica also operates under two other brands in the UK - British Gas and the AA.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause or contribute to such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, and various other factors beyond the Company's control. This also includes such factors as are described from time to time in the SEC reports filed by the Company including the most recently filed Forms S-3, 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K.