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                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1


WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 22 6:09 PM EDT

COMPANY PRESS RELEASE

SMARTALK TO BUY FRONTIER'S RETAIL PREPAID BUSINESS

STRATEGIC ACQUISITION TO ADD OVER 4,000 PHONE CARD RETAILERS

Los Angeles--(BUSINESS WIRE)--October 22, 1997--SMARTALK(SM) Teleservices, Inc.
(Nasdaq:SMTK) today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire
the retail prepaid business from FRONTIER CORPORATION (NYSE:FRO) for $35 million
in cash. Frontier prepaid phone cards are distributed in over 4,000 retail
locations, including Merit Stations, King Sooper, Southwest Supermarkets, Acme
Supermarkets, Qwik Shops and Wegmans, amongst others. When combined, SMARTALK
will have distribution agreements providing access to more than 40,000 locations
throughout North America for the sale of prepaid calling cards.

"As a result of this acquisition, SMARTALK clearly establishes itself as the
leading manufacturer and distributor of prepaid calling cards at retail with
agreements providing access to more than 40,000 locations. Our distribution
combined with our quality and feature-rich products are making SMARTALK the
national brand that consumers will look for when purchasing prepaid calling card
products and services," stated SMARTALK Chairman and CEO Robert H. Lorsch. "Most
importantly, we are excited about the opportunity to serve Frontier's prepaid
retailers and to work with these valuable customers to expand their business and
transition them into prime SMARTALK accounts. We take our responsibilities to
all our retail customers seriously. At the end of the day, this transaction
gives SMARTALK another opportunity to continue doing what we do best, which is
manufacture, market and distribute prepaid calling cards at retail."

Joseph P. Clayton, President and CEO of Frontier Corporation, stated, "Our
decision to exit the prepaid business reflects Frontier' decision to focus on
its core business. The prepaid business being acquired by SMARTALK is
fundamentally a good business that lies within SMARTALK's core competencies.
SMARTALK is a market leader in prepaid and SMARTALK's retail focus should permit
our prepaid customers to realize the significant potential that exists in retail
prepaid telecommunications."

Added SMARTALK President and COO Erich Spangenberg, "SMARTALK continues to
responsibly execute on its strategy and through this transaction we will add to
our size, scale and scope, which should permit us to further leverage our
existing infrastructure and supplier relationships. The Company has already
demonstrated our ability to integrate acquired operations and we believe the
integration of Frontier's retail prepaid business will go smoothly. Though we
foresee some increased expense in the short term attributable to the cost of
integrating the Frontier operations, we believe the transaction will be
accretive to 1998. We anticipate the closing of this transaction will occur at
or before year end."



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Under a separate agreement, the two companies have entered into a carrier
services arrangement.

SMARTALK manufactures and distributes prepaid calling cards and other enhanced
telecommunications products which are sold at retail and marketed to advertising
and promotional clientele. Also included in the acquisition are a number of
licenses for entertainment and celebrity images such as World Championship
Wrestling which are popular amongst collectors and traders of phone cards.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SMARTALK maintains additional offices in Boston,
San Francisco and Orlando. The expected completion of SMARTALK's previously
announced acquisition of ConQuest Telecommunication Services Corp. will also
create an Ohio operation and will add retail distribution agreements with such
companies as Winn-Dixie, Marathon Oil, SuperAmerica, Pick Kwik Food Stores, and
others.

SMARTALK currently maintains distribution agreements with mass merchandisers,
consumer electronics retailers, supermarkets and home office superstores, such
as Office Depot, Future Shop, Venture Stores, The Good Guys, Staples, Service
Merchandise, Jewel/Osco Combo Stores, Osco Drug, Sav-On Drug, OfficeMax,
Dominick's Finer Foods, Eckerd Drug, Food4Less, Ralphs Supermarkets, Bradlees,
Marshall Field's, Best Buy, and Builders Square, as well as university book
stores and convenience stores nationwide. SMARTALK also offers specialized
value-added promotional phone card programs to clients including Gillette,
Hewlett-Packard, Wells Fargo Bank, Nabisco, Pfizer and Prudential Securities.
The Company maintains strategic marketing partnerships with Choice Hotels and
HFS, the two largest hotel franchisors in the US, along with Simon DeBartolo
Group, the largest publicly traded real estate company and operator of shopping
malls in North America.

Frontier Corporation is the parent company whose long distance, local telephone
and wireless communications subsidiaries provide a range of integrated services
to customers. Frontier is a Standard & Poor's 500 company with annualized
revenue approaching $2.5 billion. With sales locations nationwide, Frontier is
the fifth largest long distance company in the United States.

Note: Certain statements made herein that are not historical are forward-looking
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
statements include, but are not limited to the completion of the proposed
transaction; the Company's utilization of Frontier's existing retail
relationships to expand market share; the company's ability to successfully
integrate Frontier's prepaid operations into its current business; and the
completion of the previously announced acquisition of ConQuest Telecommunication
Services, Corp. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements
involve risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, risks related to
the Company's ability to successfully integrate Frontier's operations in a
timely fashion, ability to maintain existing business and retailer relationships
including Frontier's current business relationships, market acceptance and
consumer demand for the Company's products and services, pricing dependence on
third-party vendors and the Company's ability to maintain efficient marketing
and distribution. Investors are further cautioned







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that completion of this and other transactions are subject to, among other
conditions, receipt of applicable state and federal regulatory consents. This
list is not intended to be exhaustive. Investors who seek more information about
the Company's business and relevant risk factors may wish to review the
Company's SEC reports, including, but not limited to, its Annual Report on Form
10-K for 1996, and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.