Astracon Teams With Cisco to Deliver Multi-Vendor VPN Solution; Successful Deployment At Manitoba Telecom.

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Astracon Inc., a leading provider of high-performance service activation solutions for IP and broadband networks, announced today it is enabling multi-vendor equipment management to activate Internet Protocol (IP) Virtual Private Networks (VPN) services over networks that include Cisco and third-party equipment.

As a result, Cisco's industry-leading VPNSC now accommodates the multi-vendor equipment requirements of most current and planned Service Provider networks for VPN services.

Astracon's NetConnect adapters for networking equipment serve to interface third-party routers to VPNSC, allowing VPNSC to activate VPNs across multiple companies' routers. This facility enables Service Providers to activate IP VPNs seamlessly while also taking advantage of VPNSC's advanced provisioning capabilities. In addition, Cisco engages Astracon's experienced solutions delivery team to deploy VPNSC in service provider networks. These professional services, involving the installation and deployment of VPNSC and the training and consulting to Cisco's Service Provider customers, ease the process for Service Providers during the introduction of VPN services.

"Cisco VPNSC is the leading IP VPN management system -- it has over 100 service provider customers worldwide. By extending the proven VPNSC architecture, Astracon's NetConnect multi-vendor adaptors provide our customers an option to support heterogeneous IP VPN networks," said Daniel Kwong, director of product marketing at Cisco.

Astracon has successfully deployed VPNSC at MTS Communications Inc., a subsidiary of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. (MTS) (TSX: MBT). MTS is an incumbent telecom operator in Canada that has been in business for more than 90 years. MTS was recently awarded the contract to provide high-quality, multiple-VPN connectivity for government offices in 85 communities across the province of Manitoba. This large government contract was the primary driver behind MTS' investment in an MPLS-based network in order to better deliver next-generation data services. Astracon's deployment of Cisco's VPNSC platform enables MTS to quickly configure and deliver IP VPN services in an on-demand, near real-time fashion.

"We selected Astracon because of the company's expertise in the service activation arena," said Kelvin Shepherd, Vice-President Network Services and Chief Technology Officer, MTS Communications Inc. "We are extremely pleased with how quickly they got VPNSC up and running. Automated service activation enables us to accelerate order handling and the tracking of any problems or errors, resulting in a high level of customer satisfaction."

"Astracon is very pleased to have established a strong relationship with Cisco which has allowed us to extend VPNSC for multi-vendor environments -- and also to provide expert professional services to all of the existing and future customers of VPNSC," said Mike Wright, vice president of solutions for Astracon. "Our successful and on-time deployment at MTS represents the first step in what promises to be a key service for the rapidly growing IPVPN market. Both Astracon and Cisco are committed to our pursuit of operational excellence through the rapid deployment of Cisco's VPNSC platform around the world."

About Astracon

Astracon is a leader in high-performance service activation OSS solutions for broadband and IP networks. The Astracon xConnect(TM) platform provides coordinated activation across transport services, access connectivity services and business IP applications. These solutions activate, automate and accelerate service orders by creating and maintaining diverse, QoS-driven service connectivity across multi-layer, multi-technology networks. Astracon is currently deployed in high-volume, high-production environments of the top tier of service providers -- surpassing tens of thousands of connections daily. Astracon-Activated customers include British Telecom, 186K, Genuity, MTS and Telstra. Strategic and OEM partners include Alcatel, Cisco, CGEY, Granite, HP, and Lucent.