PRESS

6th MARCH 2009

Welcome to Proximity Communications and my very first Blog.

Proximity Communications plc, launched today, has been created from the combined companies of Applinet plc and Unified Group. I will be communicating with everyone in a number of ways but wanted to start using this Blog to communicate with our customers, partners, suppliers and employees over the next few weeks and months on the activities that are underway with the merger, and our progress in this exciting time for us all.

I have been involved in a number of acquisitions and mergers but none with the potential, commitment and passion that I have witnessed from both board of directors and our people.

The Blog will provide a more personal insight into the creation of, not only a new entity, but a new communications service company. Creating a family begins with the birth of a child that needs nurturing, teaching values and above all else supporting with love and attention. As a parent you watch with pride as it grows into a mature adult where you see some of your traits, your ways, your beliefs, and then revel in its success and development. Starting any business is exactly the same and has similar challenges and rewards throughout the journey.

Getting to where we are today has involved discussions between the two businesses over the last nine months (strangely ironic that it has taken nine months to give birth to our new business!). Those talks, which have been detailed and of a serious nature, have been both positive and fruitful, and have led us to where we are today. Our goals as two separate businesses were nearly identical yet some of the methods of achieving those goals were very different. Our strengths are complementary and it became evident that working together to address the challenges and achieve these goals will be quicker and more effective.

Since those first conversations the world and market place has changed dramatically and the initial reasons for us to merge have only become stronger. If someone had said that it would have taken this long, once we had all agreed the merger was the right decision, I would have challenged the statement and said that with the enthusiasm and desire of all those involved we would complete the first phase of actually merging the companies in a third of the time. It is amazing the amount of legal and financial processes that have to be completed.

So for the last nine months the Directors and shareholders of the two companies have been in somewhat secret worlds, living two different lives, and it has been very, very hard not to lose sight of our clients and their needs. Knowing that you have a more complete tool-bag with more valuable services and solutions but unable to tell anyone, especially for me a salesperson through and through, is extremely difficult.

So for me the first nine months have been very hard yet the result is very rewarding. The view of what we can and will achieve is exciting, exhilarating and above all else very achievable. The next few months will shape our company's future and will be hard work for those tasked with carrying out the integration. We are able to talk freely and openly with all those concerned now and start building our brand new company, based on two successful businesses with vast experiences and a wealth of skilled and committed people. I look forward to keeping you informed and meeting with you as we all embark on this exciting journey.

Thank you for reading the Blog. Over time there will be different people from different parts of the business providing input via this blog and I hope you will become a regular reader and I welcome your input.

Darren Boyce
Chief Executive Officer Proximity Communications plc
dboyce@proximitycomms.com