SAN ANTONIO (BUSINESS WIRE) SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC) today announced a new three-year contract with VHA Inc., a privately-held, Texas-based healthcare cooperative that helps healthcare organizations nationwide enhance operational and clinical performance.

Under the terms of the contract, SBC companies are one of three providers that will offer discounted local and long distance services to 2,200 VHA healthcare organizations in 48 states. The three-year agreement could generate $50 million in annual revenue for SBC companies.

«VHA members rely on us to help them reduce their operating costs, and our new agreements for telecommunications services help members maximize their resources,» said Amy Anthony, vice president, supplier services at VHA.

«We’re committed to providing VHA and its members with high-quality, reliable communications services at compelling values,» said Chuck Rudnick, president, Business Communications Services, SBC Southwest. «Delivering local and long distance voice services to VHA members across the country underscores our growing strength as a premier national communications services provider that can follow large enterprises, wherever they do business.»

About VHA

VHA Inc. is a national cooperative of leading not-for-profit healthcare organizations that work together to improve the health of the communities they serve. VHA leverages the collective strength of the membership to improve clinical, operational, and financial performance. Through the VHA cooperative, members benefit from resources that assess critical needs and identify best practices to create customized solutions that lower costs and improve clinical quality. As a cooperative, VHA distributes income annually to members based on their participation. Based in Irving, Texas, with 18 offices across the U.S., VHA was named one of the «100 Best Companies to Work For» by Fortune in January 2004, for the fifth year in a row.

About SBC

SBC Communications Inc. is a Fortune 50 company whose subsidiaries, operating under the SBC brand, provide a full range of voice, data, networking, e-business, directory publishing and advertising, and related services to businesses, consumers and other telecommunications providers. SBC holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which serves 25 million wireless customers. SBC companies provide high-speed DSL Internet access lines to more American consumers than any other provider and are among the nation’s leading providers of Internet services. SBC companies also now offer satellite TV service. Additional information about SBC companies and SBC products and services is available at www.sbc.com.