Aksh Broadband Limited Selects Verso for One of the World's Largest End User VoIP Deployments.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 11, 2003

Verso's Clarent(TM) Edge and PSTN Access Softswitch Solutions to

enable primary line and long distance telephony services over new

optical fiber broadband networks in rural India

Verso Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSO), an integrated communications solutions company, today announced that Aksh Broadband Limited (ABL) has selected Verso's Clarent(TM) Edge Access and PSTN Access Softswitch solutions to create the next generation access voice infrastructure for its new broadband network in India.

In association with local basic service providers, ABL, a subsidiary of AKSH Optifibre Limited, has been approved to launch a much-needed Village Public Telephony (VPT) offering that will bring residential primary line and long distance telephony services to Rajasthan, India by the end of 2004. Under the terms of the contract, Verso will provide licenses to serve 256,000 endpoints with its Edge Access Softswitch solution, making it one of the largest local VoIP networks in the world. Verso and ABL estimate revenues from Clarent products for this project to total $5.7 million.

In 2002, ABL announced plans to build a next generation network to provide telephone and Internet services to the rural villages of India, which are home to between 70% and 75% of India's 1.1 billion citizens, many of whom have no access to basic telephone service. Rajasthan, the largest state in India, is home to 51 million citizens, or about 5% of India's population, and has over 4,000 villages with populations as high as 30,000. In the first phase of the project, ABL will bring local service to rural homes in multiple dwelling units and set up public kiosks providing services to villages in Rajasthan. Additionally, the solution provided by Verso will deliver capacity for 10,000 simultaneous calls to the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN) using Verso's Clarent PSTN Access Softswitch. Verso's solutions will provide access to VoIP based long distance services as well as traditional switched services. Further, Verso will provide technical support and on-site training to ABL engineers during the initial installation phase of the project. ABL expects similar rollouts in India's other 27 states in the future.

"Next generation solutions combining optical fiber, wireless and voice over IP make it possible for emerging nations like India to move beyond the economic constraints of traditional telephony and bring profitable voice services to even the most remote villages," said Steve Odom, Verso's chairman and chief executive officer. "This is a landmark opportunity for Verso to play a fundamental and continuing role in Aksh's vision of bringing accessible, high-quality communications to each state and village in rural India. We look forward to working together to ensure the fastest, most efficient and successful deployment possible."

"This project is fueled by the belief that technology can be an economic 'leveler' for India. Although India has not been able to take advantage of industrialization as quickly as other nations, we are now in a position to utilize the latest technology to pull ourselves ahead," said Dr. Kailash Choudhary, chairman of Aksh Broadband Limited. "By making high quality, low cost communications services available to the over 90% of India's population with no access today, we believe we will help India better realize the immense potential of its economy. Not only do we believe that Verso's VoIP-based solutions are the only solutions that deliver on both the end-user and carrier interconnection requirements while offering the most flexibility and scalability, but we believe these solutions will be the fastest and easiest to implement, largely due to Verso's extensive experience deploying VoIP-based solutions throughout the world. Further, Verso's high level of commitment to the Clarent product line has meant that we can move forward with deployment having confidence in the continuity of the technology," Dr. Choudhary continued.

Verso has completed all trials and testing required for implementation. Most significantly, Verso's Clarent(TM) PSTN Access Softswitch solution completed extensive homologation and SS7 testing by India's Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) in March, joining a short list of products approved for interconnect with India's public telephony networks, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) and Mahanagar Telephones Nigam Limited (MTNL).

"We have been working with Aksh for more than a year on requirements, trials, testing, and certification," said Steve Langion, vice president of softswitch engineering. "During this time we have brought major new versions of our Edge Access and PSTN Access softswitch solutions to market. Worldwide deployment of our PSTN Access softswitch solutions for tandem bypass made it a natural choice for Aksh's long distance services. And because our newer Edge Access solution supports multiple broadband technologies for enterprise and end-user access, it is a clear fit with Aksh's plan for fiber deployment. We are excited that Aksh has chosen to deploy both solutions."

The Rajasthan deployment of Aksh's broadband network is to be completed by the end of 2004. The deployment will begin with basic local and long distance service and provide a solution for future applications, such as video conferencing, video-on-demand, online educational resources and gaming. ABL plans to continue expansion into surrounding states shortly thereafter. iLocus estimates that VoIP will carry as much as 7.1 billion minutes of international long distance traffic for India by the year 2007.

Deployed by over 500 service providers worldwide, Verso's Clarent Edge Access and PSTN Access softswitch solutions offer some of the most flexible, feature rich and industry proven solutions for enterprise, end-user, and toll bypass applications in the market today.

About Verso Technologies

Verso Technologies provides integrated switching solutions for communications service providers who want to develop IP-based services with PSTN scalability and quality of service. Verso's unique, end-to-end native SS7 over IP capability enables customers to leverage their existing PSTN investments by ensuring carrier-to-carrier interoperability and rich billing features. Verso's complete VoIP migration solutions include state-of-the-art hardware and software, OSS integration, the industry's most widely used applications and technical training and support. For more information about Verso Technologies, contact the company at www.verso.com or by calling 678.589.3500.