Ascendent Systems and AT&T Wireless Form Strategic Alliance; Companies Extend Advanced Voice Services and Applications Across the Enterprise.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Ascendent Systems, a leading developer of mobility and business continuity solutions for voice communications, announced today that it has signed an agreement with AT&T Wireless to jointly market next generation voice application services and technologies to existing and emerging customers to provide ubiquitous communications, mobility, business continuity, and conferencing solutions across the Enterprise. These solutions will deliver new levels of communications efficiency and employee productivity for today's mobile staff, while empowering telecom managers with the tools to preserve existing investments, maximize your return on investment, and reduce overall costs.

AT&T Wireless was one of the first to offer advanced mobility options to enterprise customers via their in-building Wireless Office Service. With today's announcement, customers can enjoy an even richer set of voice services and applications for not only in-building applications, but across the entire Enterprise through the Ascendent solution. AT&T Wireless customers will be introduced to Ascendent's premier Suite of Enterprise Voice Applications, which enables corporations to fully integrate existing voice infrastructures (e.g. PBX and Voice Mail) with the AT&T Wireless cellular network to provide a unified communications infrastructure, delivering a common set of voice services and applications across heterogeneous devices. Enterprise customers can explore new mobility options while leveraging their existing communications investments -- without the constraint of being tied to a proprietary infrastructure.

"We are extremely proud and excited to be working alongside one of the leading names in next generation wireless technology," said Walt Blomquist, vice president of marketing for Ascendent Systems. "The AT&T Wireless brand connotes stability, innovation and quality. By marrying Ascendent's enterprise voice application services with the AT&T Wireless network we realize the significance of such an endeavor and are looking forward to delivering a complete solution package for enterprise customers."

By leveraging both companies' expertise in the voice application industry, the relationship will benefit enterprise customers with a powerful combination to effectively maximize and manage their communication requirements. Traditional Private Branch Exchange (PBX)-like services are extended to remote devices so users can enjoy one-number reach-ability with a consistent set of voice services, including unified voicemail, replicating an in-office environment. As customers also look to augment their business continuity strategies to include voice services and applications, solutions combining the two companies' products can be deployed to maintain "business as usual" communications effectiveness in the event of an outage. These capabilities are available across traditional PBX desk sets, as well as VoIP, WiFi, cellular, home office, and MSN Messenger(TM) devices, so customers can choose the most appropriate communication technologies for their business.

About Ascendent Systems

Ascendent Systems Inc., headquartered in San Jose, Calif., is a leading developer of Enterprise Voice Applications that provide mobility and business continuance capabilities to enterprise customers regardless of existing communication infrastructure. Ascendent's products are designed with an open architecture giving customers the power to seamlessly integrate a comprehensive feature-set with their existing business processes or with future multi-modal applications.