Universal Access Hires Boxer

CHICAGO -- Universal Access Global Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: UAXS) today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Lance Boxer as Interim CEO, effective today, and has also appointed him to the Board as a Class I director. Founder Patrick Shutt has resigned as Chairman, President and CEO, but will remain on the Board. The Universal Access Board also announced that it has commenced a search for a new CEO, and will elect a new Chairman. Mr. Boxer, 48, brings 22 years of executive and technical management experience in telecom services to Universal Access. From 1982 until its acquisition by WorldCom in 1998, Boxer held a number of technical management and senior executive positions at MCI, culminating as CIO. From 1998 through 2000, he was Group President, Communications Software Group, Lucent Corporation. In 2001 and 2002, Boxer served as CEO of XOSoft and Sphera Optical Networks. As previously disclosed, the company has terminated an agreement to acquire certain assets from and extend post-bankruptcy financing to Sphera, and has entered into a settlement agreement related to this matter. Boxer is currently an independent consultant and also serves as a director of IPC Information Systems, a privately-held systems integration company. He holds a BSE from New York University and lives in New Jersey. About Universal Access Universal Access Inc.