PITTSBURGH, April 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Marconi Corporation plc

(LONDON: MONI) announced today that Carle Foundation Hospital has purchased the Marconi ViPr(TM) Virtual Presence System - a flexible, easy- to-use, high-resolution video telephony and multimedia communications platform - to make medical care more available and deliver it more efficiently to Carle's 38-county coverage area in central Illinois.

The new system will enhance Carle Foundation Hospital's existing telemedicine program. Since 1993, Carle Foundation Hospital has offered patient consults and video conferencing at 15 sites throughout east central Illinois. But the need for easier and more efficient ways to connect patients with physicians led Carle administrators to the ViPr system.

"We have demonstrated ViPr to our regional primary care physicians, to our retired physicians, and to just about every sub-specialist I can think of in our organization," said Stephanie Beever, director of Regional Outreach Services at Carle Foundation Hospital. "And without fail, they were fascinated with the clarity of the high-resolution real-time video and the simple set- up."

Von Lambert, director of facilities at Carle Foundation Hospital, added, "With ViPr, a conferee only has to touch a button on the screen and say, 'hello.' Our videoconferencing challenge has always been ease of use."

ViPr enables doctors at clinics and rural hospitals to get an immediate consultation at Carle Foundation Hospital - the region's only Level 1 Trauma Center - whenever they need a consultation. A physician simply calls the Physician Access Line (PAL) nurse, who uses ViPr's one-touch conference call system to connect the consulting doctor with the patient. Using the convenience of speed-dial, the nurse is able to easily affect live, real-time patient-to-doctor or doctor-to-doctor communications.

Immediate consultations can help determine that a patient may not need to be transferred, saving on transportation costs. Expert consultation could also result in a faster decision to transfer for more comprehensive care, perhaps before a patient's condition worsens.

The ViPr system's high-fidelity audio and DVD-quality video with multimedia (such as radiology images and stored video) provides completely synchronized video and audio that allows a "virtual presence" experience that's as close as one can get to being in the same room with another person.

"The experience closely resembles an office visit," Ms. Beever said.

ViPr's flexibility allows it to be easily deployed as a desktop video telephony system, in a room-sized conference set-up, or in a mobile environment on a cart for emergency room use. The mobile exam cart, integrated with a high-resolution camera and recorder, allows immediate telecast of patient conditions from the emergency room to specialists, and digitally records the information for medical record archives.

Another way ViPr helps enhance medical care is through its unique 15-way conferencing. ViPr's real-time video telephony gives physicians and administrators the tools they need to add precious hours to their week with travel-free meetings.

ViPr also integrates with older-generation videoconferencing systems, ensuring that previous technology investments remain useful while allowing Carle to upgrade to ViPr's simple touch-screen user interface and higher quality, real-time, virtual presence video communications.

"Using ViPr, Carle Foundation Hospital is able to harness the power of high-quality, multi-party, real-time video telephony to deliver a richer, more personal medical services experience," said Robert Wohlford, vice president of strategic marketing for Marconi's Broadband Routing & Switching business unit. "The hundreds of ViPr units deployed in government offices, courts, schools and now a large hospital system shows that Marconi is delivering a convergence of voice, video and data. It truly transforms business processes and service delivery in practical, influential ways."

ExhibitOne, one of the nation's largest providers and systems integrators of presentation technologies, provided design and installation services for Carle's ViPr video communications system.

About Carle Foundation Hospital

About to celebrate its 75th anniversary, Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois is an integral part of a not-for-profit, locally owned and operated health care system. In addition to the 295-bed Carle Foundation Hospital, the Carle system encompasses multiple health care businesses, including a primary care clinic, surgery centers, therapy services, nursing homes, a retirement center, medical transport services, retail pharmacies and durable medical equipment stores. The Carle Clinic Association, with whom the Hospital is closely associated, operates ten primary care clinics throughout the region. Together they serve fifteen regional hospitals and provide health care services to approximately 2.3 million people in 38 central Illinois counties.

About ExhibitOne

ExhibitOne is one of the nation's largest providers and systems integrators of presentation technologies to federal, state and local court systems, command and control centers, conference and meeting rooms, educational institutions, government agencies, hotels, law firms and religious institutions. Established in 1998, ExhibitOne has over 400 audio/visual presentation and videoconferencing solutions installed throughout the United States. For more information, please visit ExhibitOne's web site at http://www.exhibitone.com/ .

About Marconi Corporation plc

Marconi Corporation plc is a global telecommunications equipment, services and solutions company. The company's core business is the provision of innovative and reliable optical networks, broadband routing and switching, broadband access technologies and services. The company's customer base includes many of the world's largest telecommunications operators.

The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol MONI and on NASDAQ under the ticker MRCIY. Additional information about Marconi Corporation can be found at http://www.marconi.com/ .

All brands or product names are trademarks of their respective holders.

This press release contains forward-looking statements with respect to products, partners, customers, future growth and other matters. Please refer to the Form 10-K report filed by Marconi Corporation plc with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements.

Press enquiries: Joseph Ferrara, tel: 724-742-7740; email: joseph.ferrara@marconi.com Investor enquiries: Karen Keyes tel: + 44 207 306 1345; email: karen.keyes@marconi.com Industry Analyst enquiries: Colleen Rosander tel: 724-742-7794; email: colleen.rosander@marconi.com Carle Foundation Hospital Gretchen Robbins tel: 217-383-4602; email: gretchen.robbins@carle.com

CONTACT: Media, Joseph Ferrara, +1-724-742-7740, or
joseph.ferrara@marconi.com , or Investors, Karen Keyes, + 44 207 306 1345, or
karen.keyes@marconi.com , or Industry Analysts, Colleen Rosander,
+1-724-742-7794, or colleen.rosander@marconi.com , all of Marconi Corporation
plc; or Gretchen Robbins of Carle Foundation Hospital, +1-217-383-4602, or
gretchen.robbins@carle.com

Web site: http://www.marconi.com/
http://www.exhibitone.com/