EV1 and The Planet Announce Merger

Combination Creates Industry-leading Dedicated Hosting Company; Combined Company Will Continue to Deliver Industry-leading Client Experience

Houston, Texas and Dallas, Texas | May 6, 2006: Everyones Internet (EV1) and The Planet, two leading suppliers of dedicated hosting, declared today they have merged.

Customers of The Planet and EV1 will continue to receive the same sector-leading services and products they've come to enjoy. The combined entity will develop The Planet as well as EV1, both of which support over 50,000 dedicated servers and 20,000 customers. This blend creates the biggest dedicated hosting provider in the marketplace, which has the range, scale and financial strength to deliver advanced product offerings and outstanding service to existing and new customers.

The merger between EV1 and The Planet follows controlling investments recently made in each by GI Partners, a leading private equity firm with deep experience in technology infrastructure.

"The merger is exciting news for all stakeholders," said Robert Marsh, Headsurfer and creator of EV1. "It'll be seamless from a customer standpoint and will lead to a host of advantages for our customers."

"The changes created by this merger are tremendously exciting, and we anticipate combining our resources for the benefit of our customers," remarked Peter Pathos, creator of The Planet.

"Our Clients are really pleased to have this chance to invest in additional building upon the solid base at EV1 and The Planet," said Howard Park, Managing Director of GI Partners. "Our objective will be to supply the added accessibility to fiscal and other resources, this will enable the combined business to continue growing profitably while further improving service levels, expanding product offerings, and enriching the complete client experience."

About EV1

EV1, based in Houston, Texas, supplies small and midsized businesses with committed web technology services.

About The Planet

The Planet delivers business-level hosting options that are affordable, easily accessible, and scalable. The Planet offers dedicated servers, Internet access, email and business continuance. For added info, see www.theplanet.com.

About GI Partners

With offices in London and Menlo Park, GI Partners is a leading private equity firm with $2 billion of capital under management. The company invests in businesses with recurring revenue and asset-intensive business models in Western Europe and North America.