Vonage: Cisco Introduces New SIP-enabled Voice over IP Solutions

Leading Carriers deltathree, TalkingNets, and Vonage successfully deploy Cisco SIP-based services SAN JOSE, Calif., - March 11, 2002 - Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, today introduced a broad array of voice over IP (VoIP) products supporting the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). In addition, Cisco announced several of its service provider customers have successfully deployed new, revenue-generating VoIP services using SIP-based solutions from Cisco and its partners.

deltathree (Nasdaq: DDDC), TalkingNets, and Vonage now offer their customers voice services using Cisco SIP-enabled products. With its foundation in Internet protocols, SIP enhances the ability to integrate voice with Internet-based services - making it a natural choice for service providers who want to develop and deploy new applications in less time and at a lower cost than traditional telephony services. "Cisco’s multi-protocol packet voice strategy includes support for SIP, and we believe the promise of SIP has become a reality," said Lou Santora, vice president and general manager of Cisco’s voice technology group. "These customers have successfully used our SIP-enabled products to create a foundation for new revenue-generating services that are deployed more quickly and easily than over a traditional telephone network." As part of Cisco’s strategy to support a variety of Internet protocols, the company has a complete portfolio of SIP-enabled products that are available today. The Cisco SIP-enabled product line includes the new Cisco SIP Proxy Server and SIP-support in Cisco’s industry-leading voice gateways, including the AS5000 Universal Gateways, the Cisco 2600 and 3600 Series Routers, the voice capable models of the Cisco 1700 Series Routers, Cisco IP Phones and Cisco ATA 186 Analog Telephone Adaptor, Cisco BTS 10200 softswitch and Cisco PGW 2200, and the Cisco PIX firewall. By adding support for SIP, Cisco allows its service provider customers to take advantage of the strengths of multiple call signaling protocols, including SIP, H.323 and MGCP. For more information about Cisco’s SIP-enabled solutions, please visit http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/cc/techno/tyvdve/sip/. deltathree Offers Complete Turnkey Voice Solutions Using SIP Founded in 1996, deltathree is a Cisco Service Provider Solution Ecosystem Partner and a leading provider of proven, high-quality Internet telephony products, services and infrastructure for service providers worldwide. deltathree’s private-label VoIP products include PC-to-phone, phone-to-phone, and broadband phone solutions, while its robust back-office suite includes billing, operations and network management. deltathree’s consumer division, iConnectHere, provides award-winning VoIP products directly to end users, and its PC-to-phone service is bundled with Microsoft’s Windows XP operating system and MSN Messenger client. In choosing Cisco, deltathree was one of the first service providers to adopt SIP. "With Cisco’s SIP solutions, we have already realized several benefits including 50% reduction in application development time and more than 30% reduction in operational costs," said Noam Bardin, president and CEO of deltathree. For more information about deltathree, please visit http://corp.deltathree.com TalkingNets Delivers Converged Solutions over LAN and WAN Networks Founded in 1999, TalkingNets provides true, converged, packet-based communications solutions that extend beyond the LAN to the WAN network. TalkingNets offers several services to its small and medium-sized business customers - ranging from easy-to-understand, value-based service bundles that include unlimited local calling, long distance minutes, and dedicated T-1 Internet access to innovative hosted application services which provide customers the features/functions of a PBX system without the capital expense and ongoing maintenance of an on-premise phone system. "We have built our network utilizing state-of-the-art voice applications and IP technology, and as a Cisco Powered Network service provider, our customers will benefit from the functionality and economics of our converged services," said Mark Cortner, vice president of marketing at TalkingNets. "With our converged, SIP-based WAN architecture, TalkingNets can deliver communications services at disruptively lower capital and operating costs that can’t be matched by yesterday’s circuit-switched and narrowband service provider PSTN networks." For more information about TalkingNets, please visit www.talkingnets.com. Vonage Rapidly Deploys Unique VoIP Services Founded in 2001, Vonage provides residential customers with SIP-based, carrier-grade VoIP communications services wrapped in a compelling customer care experience. Vonage’s innovative call management platform allows it to offer feature-rich, cost-effective alternatives to traditional telephony service. Additionally, Vonage’s unique service management platform enables the easy installation and management of its voice communications services through online, telephone and operator assisted channels. "Vonage offers a true communications alternative to residential customers. By combining the advantages of SIP-based VoIP and our proprietary technologies, we can deploy our services anytime, anywhere and through any broadband connection," said Carlos Bhola, president, Vonage. "Also, Vonage has developed next-generation features, which were cost prohibitive or simply not possible in the PSTN world. Partnering with Cisco has enhanced Vonage’s ability to offer high-quality and cost-effective services, which have truly set us apart in the VoIP industry." For more information about Vonage, please visit www.vonage.com. About Cisco Systems Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. News and information are available at http://www.cisco.com.