Broadband Access Systems, Inc. and Emperative, Inc. Announce Interoperability To Deliver Communications Service Provisioning Solutions.

Business/Technology Editors

WESTBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2000

Companies Provide Complementary Products to Address the Needs

of Cable Operators and ISP Customers

Broadband Access Systems Inc., the industry's first company exclusively focused on providing cable access solutions for the deployment of value-added data and voice services, announced today that it has completed interoperability testing with Emperative, Inc., a leading provider of communications service provisioning software, to enable cable service providers to rapidly and reliably grow penetration rates in the high-speed data market.

One of the greatest challenges facing cable operators and broadband ISPs is bringing new data service subscribers online at a rate that meets strong demand. This challenge will increase as new services based upon DOCSIS 1.1 QoS features are created and launched. Automating subscriber registration and service provisioning increases subscription rates and reduces provisioning errors.

Emperative, a leading provider of software systems that automates the service delivery lifecycle for broadband service providers, addresses the service activation and management challenge with its ProvEn provisioning software. ProvEn automates the service creation and activation process, enabling service providers to rapidly and reliably provision services over the cable network.

Broadband Access Systems' Cuda 12000 IP Access Switch leads the market in scalability and performance. These characteristics are critical as operators scale their subscription rates and offer differentiated services. Simplifying the provisioning process on the Cuda 12000 reduces the cable operators time to market and increases penetration rates when offering new services in the highly competitive broadband services market.

"A complete service provisioning and delivery solution is complex, requiring the cooperation of companies engaged in these separate activities," said Abbot Gilman, chief operating officer of Broadband Access Systems. "The end result is a seamless and high-quality solution for multi-service operators."

"Allowing customers to self-provision value-added broadband services has the potential to create tremendous value, but is only possible if the network and the infrastructure that manages it are truly excellent," said Abraham Gutman, CEO of Emperative. "We are very excited to be working with an industry leader like Broadband Access Systems to deliver the promise of broadband services."

"The potential of broadband can be realized with auto-provisioning because now cable operators can increase the number of installations daily, significantly boosting scalability and providing customers with much more control over the entire service activation process," said Stephen Van Beaver, Senior Vice President, Operations of Road Runner. "We are pleased to see the innovation demonstrated by both Broadband Access Systems and Emperative that will enable cable operators to more rapidly increase their service deployments.

The joint BAS and Emperative solution will be on display at NCTA, New Orleans, May 8th-10th, BAS booth # 5201. The solution demonstrates interoperability between the two companies' products for automating subscriber registration and provisioning of tiered-data services. The solution uses Emperative's ProvEn software, BAS DOCSIS Provisioning Software, and the BAS Cuda 12000 IP Access Switch.

About Broadband Access Systems, Inc.

Founded in February 1998, Broadband Access Systems, Inc. is a leading supplier of a new generation of award-winning highly integrated carrier-class broadband access systems that allow cable operators to deliver high quality data, voice, and video services to large numbers of users. Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, the company's management team brings years of experience in networking and telecommunications from companies such as Nortel Networks (NYSE: NT), Lucent (NYSE:LU), AT&T (NYSE:T), FORE Systems, Digital Equipment Corporation, 3Com (NASDAQ:COMS), and Tellabs (NASDAQ:TLAB). Broadband Access Systems is funded by Matrix Partners, North Bridge Venture Partners, The Still River Fund, Norwest Venture Partners, Bowman Capital Management, Soros Private Equity Partners, and Vulcan Ventures. Additional company information can be found at www.basystems.com.

About Emperative

Emperative is a privately held firm founded in 1998 to bridge the three-way communications service provisioning gap. As providers install flexible new customer management systems, advanced applications and cutting-edge network devices, the service activation and management challenge is becoming more complex and more crucial at the same time. Engineered for robust handling of complex environments, ProvEn from Emperative provides automated, real-time communications service provisioning including customer self-provisioning enabling rapid subscriber enrollment, low operational cost and quick rollout of new, value-added services. Unlike generic software engineering tools, Emperative offers comprehensive solutions requiring minimal customization for several vertical markets within communications.

Emperative has offices in Waltham, MA and Boulder, CO. Additional information on Emperative's products and services may be obtained by visiting www.emperative.com or via email at [e-mail].