Avaya and Comverse Launch Joint Offering of Managed Carrier-Grade Communications Solutions.

Business Editors

CTIA Wireless 2003

WOODBURY, N.Y., & BASKING RIDGE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 2003

Telecommunications Service Providers Can Benefit From

CAPEX And OPEX Savings With Complete Managed Services 

Comverse, a unit of Comverse Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMVT), and the world's leading supplier of software and systems enabling network-based multimedia enhanced communications services, and Avaya Inc. (NYSE: AV), a leading global provider of communications networks and services to businesses, today announced that the two companies will jointly provide a new managed service offering of communications solutions and comprehensive services for telecommunications service providers.

Responding to service providers' efforts to reduce capital expense (CAPEX) and streamline operational expense (OPEX), Avaya Global Services will provide managed services to support Comverse solutions, including voicemail, prepaid and short messaging services (SMS). The joint offering will enable service providers worldwide to rapidly deploy Comverse's open, standards-based enhanced services solutions on an outsourced basis, with customer support from Avaya Global Services.

"Quality of service and rapid deployment of enhanced applications and features drive the average revenue per user for communication service providers," said Mark Winther, group vice president, Worldwide Telecommunications, at research consultancy, IDC. "The joint offering from Avaya and Comverse can help service providers simultaneously reduce capital expenses and improve operational expenses without sacrificing the quality of service required to maintain end-user satisfaction."

Avaya Global Services has almost three million carrier-grade voice mailboxes currently under management for service providers. Including enterprises, Avaya manages more than 100 million voice mailboxes globally. With expanded support capabilities for carrier-grade voicemail applications and Avaya's expertise in telephony and messaging, Avaya Global Services enables delivery of comprehensive multi-vendor managed services for service providers.

"Service providers are looking to offer solutions based on open standards that will drive revenue and customer satisfaction," said Paul Domorski, Vice President of Operations, Avaya Global Services. "With Avaya Global Services as a single point of accountability for managed services to support Comverse's robust solutions, service providers can focus on their core competencies to improve operational efficiencies and deliver high-quality service to their customers."

"Joining forces with Avaya is a step forward in enabling additional ways for the deployment of many enhanced services, such as Comverse's total communication and infotainment services," said Ramesh Barasia, President, Comverse Americas. "Avaya's extensive experience in managing value-added services for network operators and its global operations reach provide operators with a robust end-to-end managed services solution, on Comverse's market proven platforms."

About Avaya

Avaya Inc. designs, builds and manages communications networks for more than 1 million businesses worldwide, including 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500(R). Focused on businesses large to small, Avaya is a world leader in secure and reliable Internet Protocol (IP) telephony systems and communications software applications and services.

Driving the convergence of voice and data communications with business applications - and distinguished by comprehensive worldwide services - Avaya helps customers leverage existing and new networks to achieve superior business results. For more information visit the Avaya website: http://www.avaya.com.

About Comverse

Comverse, a unit of Comverse Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMVT), is the world's leading provider of software and systems enabling network-based multimedia enhanced

communications services. More than 400 wireless and wireline telecommunications network operators, in more than 100 countries, have selected Comverse's enhanced services systems and software, which enable the provision of revenue-generating value-added services including call answering with one-touch call return, short messaging services, IP-based unified messaging (voice, fax, and email in a single mailbox), 2.5G/3G multimedia messaging (MMS), instant communications, wireless information and entertainment services, voice-controlled dialing, messaging and browsing, prepaid wireless services, and additional personal communication services. Other Comverse Technology business units include: Verint Systems, a leading provider of analytic solutions for communications interception, digital video security and surveillance, and enterprise business intelligence; and Ulticom, a leading provider of service enabling network software for wireless, wireline, and Internet communications. Comverse Technology is an S&P 500 and NASDAQ-100 Index company. For additional information, visit the Comverse web site at http://www.comverse.com.

All product and company names mentioned herein may be registered trademarks or trademarks of the respective referenced company(s)

Note: This release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurances that forward-looking statements will be achieved, and actual results could differ materially from forecasts and estimates. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: changes in the demand for a company's products; changes in capital spending among the company's current and prospective customers; the risks associated with the sale of large, complex, high capacity systems and with new product introductions as well as the uncertainty of customer acceptance of these new or enhanced products from either a company or its competition; risks associated with rapidly changing technology and the ability of a company to introduce new products on a timely and cost-effective basis; risks associated with changes in the competitive or regulatory environment in which a company operates; risks associated with significant foreign operations and international sales and investment activities, including fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates, and valuations of public and private equity; the volatility of macroeconomic and industry conditions and the international marketplace; risks associated with a company's ability to retain existing personnel and recruit and retain qualified personnel; and other risks described in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties, as well as others, are discussed in greater detail in the filings of the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

These documents are available through the company, or through the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval system (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov. The company makes no commitment to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date any such statement is made.