AP Engines And Sonus Networks Announce Oem Partnership to Accelerate Deployment of Enhanced IP Services

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MAYNARD, MA - September 6, 2000 – AP Engines, a provider of integrated service creation and billing mediation solutions, today announced it has entered into an OEM partnership with Sonus Networks, Inc., (Nasdaq: SONS) to speed deployment of carrier-class packet telephony networks. Through this partnership, AP Engines has integrated its financial-grade billing mediation software with Sonus’ award-winning voice infrastructure solutions. The alliance speeds deployment of packet voice solutions by enabling public network carriers to move telephony services from circuit to packet networks without disrupting the existing billing and customer care infrastructures. Under terms of the agreement, the OEM arrangement is valued at up to $24 million over the next 42 months.

"We were seeking a solution that solves the problem of billing for voice services in the new public network using a standards-based architecture that seamlessly interworks with carriers’ existing collection infrastructure," said Mike Hluchyj, Sonus founder and chief technology officer. "AP Engines’ billing mediation software meets that criteria, and will enable us to ease our customers’ migration to packet voice infrastructures."

The Sonus Insight element management system using AP Engines™ Billing Mediation Processor (BMP) technology makes it easier for carriers to implement Sonus’ solutions into their existing legacy circuit switched network. The combined technology allows carriers to begin billing for packet voice services without making major changes to their current billing and back office operational support systems (OSS). The companies’ products interoperate as follows: Integrated with the Sonus Insight solution, AP Engines’ BMP collects Call Detail Records (CDRs) from Sonus’ GSX9000™ Open Services Switch and PSX6000™ SoftSwitch. The BMP reformats and correlates the CDRs into the industry-standard AMA/BAF format that is used by more than 70 percent of all telephony carriers in the U.S. The BMP forwards these AMA records to the service provider’s billing system for rating and invoicing. 

"AP Engines welcomes the opportunity to work with such a progressive solutions provider that recognizes the need to deploy new IP-based services quickly," explains Jon Sieg, CEO and president, AP Engines. "This partnership will enable new revenue streams and reduced network costs for service providers without affecting their existing OSS infrastructure."

Designed to industry specifications, AP Engines’ BMP provides a highly available and fault tolerant infrastructure that ensures continuous delivery of usage data. The scalable BMP also helps to reduce costly billing errors through its financial-grade revenue assurance capabilities. 

About AP Engines, Inc.

AP Engines accelerates the creation of next-generation services. The company is a leading provider of carrier-class service creation and financial-grade billing mediation software solutions. AP Engines’ solutions enable telephony carriers and cable MSOs to deliver and bill for advanced services without disrupting their existing billing and customer-care applications. For additional information on AP Engines, please visit www.apengines.com or call 978-461-5000.

About Sonus Networks, Inc.

Sonus Networks, Inc. is a leading provider of voice infrastructure products for the new public network. Sonus’ solutions enable service providers to deploy an integrated network capable of carrying both voice and data traffic, and to deliver a range of innovative, new services. The Sonus Open Services Architecture (OSA) and award-winning Packet Telephony suite cut the time-to-market for competitive new service products, allowing carriers and third-party developers to expand marketshare and build important new revenue streams. Its highly scalable products fully interoperate with and extend the life and utility of today’s public network. Sonus embodies in its management and staff decades of experience in developing carrier-class voice, data and multimedia solutions for implementation in the world’s largest networks. Sonus, founded in 1997, is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts. Additional information on Sonus is available at http://www.sonusnet.com.

This release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Sonus that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results. Readers are referred to Sonus’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2000, filed with the SEC, which identifies important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.

AP Engines and AP Engines Billing Mediation Processor are trademarks of AP Engines, Inc. Sonus Insight, GSX9000, PSX6000 and Open Services Architecture are trademarks of Sonus Networks, Inc.