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DigitalXpress, a St. Paul-based provider of satellite communications services, announced today that it has signed a business agreement with New England Financial (NEF), a provider of insurance, investment and retirement products.

DigitalXpress specializes in high-quality, low-cost satellite-to-desktop digital video, audio and data information distribution solutions for the business community. The company was established through the joint efforts of Boeing Commercial Information & Communication Company, Conus Communications and Ceridian Corp.

New England Financial is tapping DigitalXpress to broadcast programming on WaveNET, the company's business television network. The monthly broadcasts, which consist of sales training and education and other companywide communications, will reach 73 sites nationwide and approximately 700 field associates per broadcast. Special broadcasts, including NEF's annual compliance program and programs that provide education credits, are expected to be seen by nearly 100 percent of the field staff, or up to 2,300 people. New England Financial will produce 15 to 20 programs annually at its headquarters in Boston.

The programs will be transmitted to DigitalXpress via fiber optic lines to the DigitalXpress operations center in St. Paul, Minn., where they will be uplinked and broadcast to WaveNET sites.

"With a widely dispersed field staff, it's critical that New England Financial invest in a cost-effective technology that sends simultaneous, unified messages to field associates from our home office," said Scott Nussey, WaveNET manager.

"DigitalXpress clearly has the vision and technical know-how to effectively use satellite communications to give our company a significant competitive advantage moving into the next century." "New England Financial is an excellent example of how a financial services organization is leveraging DigitalXpress' efficient, low-cost satellite communications to provide hundreds -- even thousands -- of associates at many locations with ongoing, consistent communications," said Amy Sayre, chief executive officer of DigitalXpress.

"We're delighted to welcome New England Financial into our family of companies that benefit from the DigitalXpress solution."

New England Financial is one of the country's premier financial services organizations. An affiliate of MetLife, one of the country's largest insurers, NEF traces its roots back to the nation¹s first chartered mutual life insurance company, founded in 1835. In addition to providing the company's field representatives with live satellite programming, NEF also offers studio rentals, post production and graphic design services to external clients. DigitalXpress specializes in high-quality, low-cost satellite-to-desktop digital video, audio and data information distribution solutions for the business community. For product information, call 1-888-591-1053.