AVST Unifies Communications for the Education Market.

CallXpress[R] Unified Communications Platform on Display for College and University Administrators at ACUTA Conference

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. -- Applied Voice & Speech Technologies, Inc. (AVST) today announced its plans to demonstrate the benefits of unifying voice and data communications in the higher education marketplace by showcasing its CallXpress product line to IT professionals from colleges and universities around the world. Aiming to educate higher education administrators about the options available for upgrading to advanced communications systems, AVST will exhibit its industry-leading unified communications platform at the 2006 ACUTA Fall Seminar from October 22-25, 2006 at the Marriott Portland Downtown in Portland, Oregon.

ACUTA, which stands for the Association for Communications Technology Professionals in Higher Education, is an international non-profit educational association serving colleges and universities. Representing nearly 2000 individuals at 825 institutions of higher education with members ranging from small schools and community colleges to the 50 largest U.S. institutions, ACUTA's core purpose is to support higher education institutions in achieving optimal use of communications technologies.

Already successful in the higher education marketplace and boasting a product line that appeals to education campuses of all sizes, AVST's technology is a natural fit for ACUTA's audience. As a leading provider of advanced unified communications solutions for companies and organizations of all sizes, AVST has been transforming learning environments, from small school districts to large colleges and university departments, with its CallXpress unified communications platform for more than 20 years. According to the company, communications technology is rapidly changing with the integration of voice and data applications, and educational organizations can benefit from the innovative features and capabilities of these applications without breaking the bank.

"Many higher education institutions are using outdated voice mail systems that are reaching end-of-life or no longer provide effective functionality," said AVST's Vice President of Marketing, Denny Michael. "As campus IT administrators consider upgraded or replacement systems, it is important that they learn about and fully understand all the options that are available to them. Those who choose to adopt unified communications will have a tremendous advantage, including increased mobility and productivity for faculty, staff and students, as well as lower costs."

CallXpress, for example, delivers world-class call processing, voice messaging, unified messaging and advanced speech applications to help colleges and universities become more productive. Staff can manage voice, fax and e-mail messages from any location at any timeCovia laptop, telephone, cell phone or the Internet. In addition, the platform easily integrates with most legacy voice mail systems as well as the latest IP systems. It therefore offers quick, painless and inexpensive system upgrades through speedy implementation, simple administration and maintenance, and added user interface emulations that are already familiar to users and result in minimal training.

AVST is a Corporate Affiliate of ACUTA and has been acknowledged for its support of ACUTA's regional and national events over the last two years. As part of its higher education awareness initiative, AVST also recently teamed with Campus Technology, the only monthly publication focusing exclusively on the use of technology across all areas of higher education, to deliver a webinar titled "The Roadmap to Unified Communications: Surprise! You May Already Have What You Need." The webinar, which took place last week, was archived on the Campus Technology website and can be viewed at http://www.avst.com/r/ct.asp.

For more information about AVST's products for the higher education marketplace visit the company's website at www.avst.com. AVST's CallXpress Education Resource CD can be accessed at www.avst.com/education.

About AVST

Applied Voice & Speech Technologies, Inc. (AVST) is a leading developer of communications solutions for businesses of all sizes. Through its world-class unified communications platform, CallXpress[R], and its innovative speech application module, Seneca[R], AVST offers the industry's most powerful suite of second generation communications solutions including voice messaging, unified messaging, speech-enabled applications (including automated attendant and hands-free mobile worker access), and call processing (including embedded IVR).

The CallXpress unified communications platform is designed to facilitate the enterprise migration from legacy TDM call processing and voice mail solutions to IP-enabled unified communications by delivering the interoperability, scalability, feature depth and flexibility, and administrative capabilities that enterprise IT and Telecom teams are demanding.

Headquartered in Orange County, CA, AVST maintains facilities in Seattle, WA and the United Kingdom and has remote sales offices across the United States. With over 35,000 systems installed worldwide, AVST's unified communications solutions are sold and supported internationally by an extensive network of resellers and OEM partners. Established in September 2003, AVST was formed from the combined businesses of Sound Advantage (established in 1997) and the AVT division (established in 1982) of Captaris, Inc. For more information contact Denny Michael, Vice President of Marketing, at 949-699-2300 or access the company's website at www.avst.com.