Sonus Networks Establishes Operations in India
Sonus Opens Regional Office in Mumbai, Appoints Country Director
WESTFORD, Mass., August 12, 2003 – Sonus Networks (Nasdaq: SONS), a leading provider of carrier packet voice infrastructure solutions, today announced it is continuing its global expansion with the launch of the company's direct operations in India. Sonus has established a regional office in Mumbai, India, and has named Mahinder Mansukhani as country director to oversee Sonus' sales, marketing and support operations in India.
Sonus' new direct operations in Mumbai will serve the rapidly growing India telecommunications market, including next-generation carriers as well as established service providers. According to industry statistics on teledensity, a measure of the number of telephone lines per 100 of population, India had a teledensity of nearly 5% at the end of 2003, with plans to increase teledensity to 7% by 2005 and to 15% by 2010. Further, approximately 75 million telephone connections are to be added in India by 2005 and 175 million by 2010.
"Packet voice solutions, such as those offered by Sonus, are particularly well-suited for "green field" deployments where there is minimal existing infrastructure, because service providers can build infrastructure and deliver voice services more easily and cost-effectively than with legacy circuit equipment," said Michael O'Hara, vice president, marketing, Sonus Networks. "Regulatory changes have opened up the Indian telecommunications market, bringing telephony to a wider population. The direct presence that we are establishing today will help us capitalize on the opportunities presented by this expanding market."
Mahinder Mansukhani has been named Sonus' country director, India, and will lead all sales, marketing and business functions in the country. In this role, Mansukhani will also be responsible for establishing strategic relationships with leading telecommunications providers, as well as developing Sonus' network of reseller and channel partners in India.
Mansukhani joins Sonus from Sify Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway Ltd.), India's largest network and e-commerce services company, where he was responsible for sales of services such as broadband, virtual private networks (VPNs), Internet access and security solutions. Prior to that, Mansukhani served as a business development manager for Cisco Systems India, where he was responsible for sales to service providers. While at Cisco, he was instrumental in helping Cisco capture the lead position in the service provider RAS (remote access server) and router markets. Previously, Mahinder held sales and marketing management positions with telecommunications companies including Ericsson Communications, Sprint RPG India, Wipro Infotech and Modi Olivetti India.
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 Architecture (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 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 the "Cautionary Statements" section of Sonus' Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, dated May 9, 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. These risk factors include, among others, the adverse effect of recent developments in the telecommunications industry, the weakened financial position of many service providers, Sonus' ability to grow its customer base, dependence on new product offerings, market acceptance of its products, rapid technological and market change and manufacturing and sourcing risks. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent Sonus' views only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing Sonus' views as of any subsequent date. While Sonus may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point, Sonus specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.
Sonus is a registered trademark of Sonus Networks. Open Services Architecture is a trademark of Sonus Networks. All other trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, or registered service marks are the property of their respective owners.
