Sonus Networks Appoints Joop van Aard Vice President, Sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa

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Strategic appointment to drive sales in EMEA market

SWINDON, UK, March 18, 2004 - Sonus Networks (Nasdaq: SONS), a leading provider of carrier packet voice infrastructure solutions, today announced the appointment of Joop van Aard as vice president, sales for Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA).  A seasoned telecoms professional with more than 14 years industry experience, Van Aard will lead Sonus Networks' EMEA sales force in driving the adoption of packet voice technology among European service providers.

Van Aard brings considerableexperience in building customer relationships within key European carriers and has a track record of successfully growing businesses and sales organisations. His responsibilities at Sonus will include developing the direct sales force and generating new business opportunities throughout the EMEA region.

"This appointment is evidence of Sonus' continued commitment to the EMEA marketplace and the service providers that operate in this region," said Hassan Ahmed, president and CEO, Sonus Networks.  "Joop has the experience and qualities to capitalize on the market opportunity in EMEA and to positively impact our business.  He has an excellent understanding of the telecoms market in this region and has a history of building relationships and ensuring outstanding customer service."

"Sonus has a great team, strong management and industry-leading technology,” said van Aard.  I look forward to working with the Sonus team to expand its position in the EMEA VoIP market." 

Prior to joining Sonus, van Aard has worked for Juniper Networks where he held the role of vice president, EMEA, and Redback Networks.

About Sonus Networks

Sonus Networks, Inc. is a leading provider of packet voice infrastructure solutions for wireline and wireless service providers.  With its Open Services ArchitectureTM (OSA), Sonus delivers end-to-end solutions addressing a full range of carrier applications, including trunking, residential access and Centrex, tandem switching, and IP voice termination, as well as enhanced services.  Sonus' award-winning voice infrastructure solutions, including media gateways, softswitches and network management systems, are deployed in service provider networks worldwide.  Sonus, founded in 1997, is headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.  For more information, visit 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 the “Cautionary Statements” section of Sonus’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, dated November 10, 2003 and filed with the SEC, which identifies important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.  Risk factors include, among others, unforeseen issues encountered in the completion of the Company’s independent investigation and the year-end audit, the continued adverse effect of developments in the telecommunications industry, Sonus’ ability to grow its customer base, dependence on new product offerings, market acceptance of its products, competition from large incumbent vendors, rapid technological and market change and manufacturing and sourcing risks. 

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