WESTFORD, Mass., March 20, 2001 -Sonus Networks (Nasdaq: SONS), a leading provider of voice infrastructure solutions for the new public network, took top honors at the 5th Annual Massachusetts Telecommunications Council's (MTC) Awards ceremony last week. Sonus garnered three awards at the event: Company of the Year, CEO of the Year and Best Initial Public Offering for 2000. 

"The MTC Awards honor the state's most influential telecommunications companies, products, programs and policy makers," said Katherine Raphaelson, MTC executive director. "Sonus Networks is an outstanding example of a Massachusetts-based company that is shaping the future of telecommunications, and is also helping to make the state a major force in the telecom industry, both domestically and globally." 

Sonus was voted Company of the Year by members of the MTC. This award recognizes the company that best represents a combination of leading-edge technology, vision, competitive workforce, and marketing and sales ingenuity. Finalists for Company of the Year included RSA Security, StorageNetworks and Sycamore Networks.

Members of the MTC also named Sonus president and CEO Hassan Ahmed CEO of the Year. The criteria for this award are an individual's ability to manage a company through rapidly changing technologies, unsettled markets, fluctuating economies and a diverse workforce. Other nominees for this award were Michael C. Ruettgers of EMC Corporation, Dan Smith of Sycamore Networks and Chin-Cheng Wu of ArrowPoint Communications (acquired by Cisco).

Finally, Sonus was presented the award for Best Initial Public Offering. This award is given to the telecommunications company who made its public debut in 2000 and whose stock experienced the greatest appreciation from its IPO through the end of the calendar year. 

"We're in great company with the finalists for this year's awards, each of whom embodies the innovation and excellence that have become hallmarks of the Massachusetts telecommunications industry. It is extremely gratifying to be recognized by the MTC, and our peers, for our achievements in the past year," said Hassan Ahmed, president and CEO, Sonus Networks. "We are very honored to have received these awards, which truly reflect the tremendous amount of dedication and hard work contributed by every member of the Sonus team." 

About MTC

Based in Waltham, the Massachusetts Telecommunications Council (MTC) is a non-profit association supporting more than 300 telecom, Internet, data communications, and affiliated organizations throughout New England. The MTC works through its members, events, and workforce initiatives to promote the Commonwealth as an international center for telecommunications development and to bolster the global presence of local entities. An advocate and resource for industry participants, the MTC provides industry training and symposia, networking opportunities, seminars, and access to a variety of additional industry information. MTC members also participate in committees that deal with issues that affect them, such as workforce development, government affairs, public communications, programs development, and international trade, among others. Most recently, a separate Massachusetts Telecommunications Educational Fund was established to help support initiatives such as the MTC Technical Achievement Scholarship Award. Affiliate members are organizations with a stake in the telecommunications playing field, and include law firms, banks, investment firms, accounting firms, executive search firms, PR and marketing agencies, and universities. For more information, please contact MTC Communications Manager Maryellen O'Rourke at 617-747-7366, Maryellen@masstel.org or visit www.masstel.org.

About Sonus Networks

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(TM) (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 market share 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.

Open Services Architecture is a trademark of Sonus Networks. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

For more information, please contact:

Beth Morrissey
Sonus Networks
978-589-8579
bmorrissey@sonusnet.com

Maryellen O'Rourke
Massachusetts Telecom. Council
617-747-7366
maryellen@masstel.org

Cathy Suehisa
HighGround, Inc.
781-246-5522 x210
csuehisa@highgroundinc.com