Cupertino, CA -- Paving the way for secure electronic commerce,
Concentric Network Corporation will participate with Mellon Bank
Corporation and the U.S. Treasury in a pilot of the Secure Electronic
Transaction (SET) payment protocol. Concentric Network, a provider of
value-added IP-based network services, will furnish pilot members with
Internet access kits that include pre-installed SET software. Concentric
Network is also providing Mellon Bank co-branded virtual private network
(VPN) services, including a tailored network registration, browser and
network access solution. SET is an open industry standard for safeguarding
payment-card purchases made over open networks such as the Internet.

  Beginning this month, Concentric Network will provide a select group of
Mellon Bank MasterCard customers and U.S. Treasury employees with an
e-commerce network access kit that contains the latest version of the
Netscape Navigator browser software and IBM net.payment wallet, a
SET-compliant electronic wallet software that identifies the cardholder and
encrypts transactions. The Concentric e-commerce network access kit is
pre-configured for easy dial-up access to over 350 access points in the
United States and Canada.

  "Participating in this pilot with Mellon Bank is an important step toward
realizing the full capabilities of electronic commerce on the Internet,"
said Henry R. Nothhaft, president and CEO of Concentric Network.
"Concentric's superior network services, Mellon's leadership in the
financial community, and our joint relationship with MasterCard represent a
major alliance for the advancement of this exciting industry."

  "As a card issuer, Mellon is interested in exploring ways to provide a
secure process for making credit card payments over the Internet," said Ray
Duggins, senior vice president of Mellon Cardholder Services. "Concentric's
network capabilities will play a key role in helping us evaluate SET
protocol through this pilot."