Alcatel and Quallaby Announce Partnership Agreement; Alcatel to OEM PROVISO from Quallaby for End-to-End Service Level Management.

Business/Technology Editors

LOWELL, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 6, 2000

Quallaby Corporation and Alcatel today announced they have signed a Protocol of Agreement which will be the basis for a global partnership to integrate the Quallaby(R) network performance solution PROVISO(R) software into ALMA Vision IP, the Alcatel management solution for IP-centric networks and services.

In the extremely competitive market of IP services, the customers of network service providers and carriers are expecting and demanding service commitments, known as service level agreements (SLAs). In addition to retrieving and analyzing network performance data for their own needs, now service providers must be able to report on Quality of Service (QoS) for their own customers.

PROVISO is a suite of network monitoring, analysis, and reporting applications for IP-based packet switched networks. PROVISO supports a variety of data sources including SNMP, RMON, RMON 2, and non-SNMP data elements such as those generated by help desk and provisioning applications. A fully flexible report generating engine customizes reports based on technology or service, for example ATM or VPN, allowing service providers to optimize their networks in order to deliver key differentiating services to their customers.

ALMA Vision IP consists of an integrated set of applications for fault, configuration and performance management dedicated to IP networks and services. This is the Alcatel next generation management solution, specifically addressing the needs of IP-based carriers and service providers.

The inclusion of PROVISO technology will enable Alcatel to extend its service assurance offering by providing end-to-end QoS and SLA management capabilities to its telecommunications customers worldwide.

"Alcatel is emphasizing its focus as a provider of a complete management solution for IP networks and services," stated Jean-Pierre Gaillat, Alcatel VP of the Revenue Assurance Business Unit. "The relationship with Quallaby extends our portfolio of service assurance applications for the benefit of our customers."

"Alcatel has a long legacy in building and managing very large networks for service providers," said Greg Ferguson, President and CEO of Quallaby. "Their choice of PROVISO for ALMA Vision IP is a first-rate endorsement of our software's scalable, carrier-class architecture for service level management."

About Alcatel

Alcatel builds next generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice and data solutions to established and new carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers worldwide. With 120,000 employees and sales of EURO 21.3 billion ($25.0 billion), Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.

About Quallaby(R)

Quallaby Corporation is a leading provider of highly scalable network performance solutions worldwide. The Quallaby flagship product line, PROVISO(R), uniquely meets the needs of large carriers and network service providers for service level management software that aligns to their business requirements. Internationally headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts and with European headquarters in Paris, France, Quallaby has additional sales offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, California, Texas and Virginia. For more information, visit Quallaby's web site at www.quallaby.com or call toll-free 877/QUALLABY (782-5522).

Quallaby(R), the Quallaby logo, PROVISO(R), the PROVISO logo, PROVISO Manager, PROVISO Report, and PROVISO Library, are trademarks of Quallaby Corporation. Worldwide registration of trademarks is in progress.