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PACTOLUS GOES PLATINUM IN SONUS NETWORKS' OPEN SERVICES PARTNER ALLIANCE
Pactolus Reaches Highest Level in Sonus' OSPA Through Deployment at Touch America; Touch America Running Live Calling Card Services on Pactolus and Sonus Solution
WESTFORD, Mass., and WESTBOROUGH, Mass., April 22, 2002 -
Sonus Networks (Nasdaq: SONS) and Pactolus Communications Software Corporation today announced that Pactolus has achieved Platinum Partner standing in Sonus' Open Services Partner Alliance SM (OSPA). To attain Platinum status, companies' products must be deployed in a live, revenue-generating service provider network together with one or more Sonus solutions. Touch America (NYSE: TAA), a national broadband fiber-optic network and products and services company, has deployed a joint solution from Sonus and Pactolus, and is now delivering prepaid and Post Paid Calling Card services to its customers over the Sonus/Pactolus VoIP (voice over IP) infrastructure.
"To deliver VoIP-based calling card services for business and residential users, we required a solution that would offer our customers the highest levels of voice quality and reliability at a competitive price," said Sharon Pavlicek, product manager for Touch America. "The comprehensive solution from Sonus and Pactolus addresses these requirements, and allows us to rapidly roll out the calling services on our 22,000-route-mile broadband network."
Touch America has rolled out Sonus' award-winning packet voice solutions, including the GSX9000.... Open Services Switch, the Insignus.... Softswitch and the Sonus Insight.... Management System, as the foundation of the carrier's nationwide VoIP network. With the Sonus-based packet voice infrastructure, Touch America can provide a wide variety of next-generation, IP-based voice services.
Touch America's Business Anywhere.... Calling Card service for commercial customers and its Home Anywhere.... Calling Card service for residential customers uses Pactolus' SIPwareT Prepaid Calling Card and SIPware Calling Card applications. These applications are proven to establish brand identity, add new subscribers, and generate revenue for service providers. The feature-rich SIPware Services solutions offer subscribers a range of benefits, including a self-service Web portal for service customization.
"With their successful implementation of Pactolus' calling card applications, Touch America has proven that SIP-based enhanced services are indeed ready for prime time," said Terri Griffin, vice president, marketing, Sonus Networks. "We are proud of what we've already accomplished together in the Touch America network, and we congratulate Pactolus for achieving the Platinum level in our OSPA."
"The combined Sonus and Pactolus solution has enabled Touch America to take advantage of the latest in next generation, SIP-based service architectures and deliver proven revenue generating services in their network," said Ken Osowski, vice president of product management and marketing for Pactolus. "This deployment by Touch America is yet another indication that SIP-based enhanced services are highly scalable and are gaining momentum in the market."
Sonus offers a full complement of packet voice solutions that have been designed to carrier standards, delivering toll-quality voice, system redundancy, and the capacity to handle extremely large call volumes. Sonus' voice infrastructure solutions offer a single platform that allows carriers to deliver a range of communications services including traditional long distance and local voice services, wholesale voice services, and enhanced services, such as unified communications, presence management, enhanced voicemail, voice portals and many others.
Pactolus provides a complete set of turnkey SIP-based services called SIPware Services, which allow service providers to get up and running quickly in a converged network infrastructure. Beyond the calling card services that Touch America is deploying, SIPware Services include conference calling and toll-free number services. SIPware Services, used in combination with high-end media gateways, include everything service providers need for deploying new services, adding subscribers, and generating revenues in a single, comprehensive solution.
About Sonus' OSPA
Sonus Networks' Open Services Partner Alliance program provides a framework that offers service providers end-to-end packet-based network solutions using best-of-breed technologies and applications. The goal of the OSPA is to empower standards-based interoperability between applications, hardware vendors, and the Sonus product family. An integral part of the Sonus OSPA, the OSPA Interoperability Laboratory is the first in the industry where product interoperability is verified, trial testing is performed and complete solutions are ultimately produced. To find additional information on the OSPA, including a list of all OSPA partners, log on to http://ospa.sonusnet.com
About Pactolus Communications Software
Pactolus Communications Software, ( www.pactolus.com ) is the leading provider of SIP-based enhanced service solutions for converged network infrastructure. The company is the first to bring sophisticated, third-party call control capabilities to SIP-based networks. SIPware Services, the company's suite of applications, enables service providers to deliver advanced voice applications that are versatile and scalable. Pactolus is a venture funded, privately held company headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts.
For more information contact:
Ken Osowski
Pactolus Communications Software
508-616-0900 x 328
keno@pactolus.com
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