Cramer Surges Ahead with Release of Cramer5; Latest Software Release Addresses New Strategic Role for Inventory Management.

Business Editors

Billing & OSS World 2004

WASHINGTON & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 6, 2004

Note to Editors: Visit the Cramer5 Zone at Booth #921 at

Billing & OSS World 2004, May 5 - 7 at the Washington Convention

Center.

Cramer today announced the release of Cramer5, the latest version of its award winning product suite for telecom back office automation through inventory management.

The result of a two-year R&D program by one of the world's largest dedicated telecom inventory management software development teams, Cramer5 provides an enterprise class software platform that integrates and automates telecom back office processes around an active inventory management core. With Cramer5, service providers can consistently manage network and service provisioning, network build-out programs and planning, while maintaining a totally accurate and consistent inventory.

Cramer5 also completes Cramer's adoption of a full web architecture across its product set.

Cramer CTO Don Gibson said: "As inventory management becomes more strategic, so top tier telcos are increasing their expectations of any solution. They are looking not just for rich out-of-the-box functionality, but a web-based architecture, extensive configurability, low cost of ownership, and commitments to ongoing R&D. Cramer5 addresses all of these issues and more."

Cramer5 extends the evolution of Cramer's award-winning inventory management product, which is used by more than 50 global service providers in 20 countries on five continents, including leading Tier 1 operators. Cramer5 follows and develops the single, unified code line from its predecessor, Cramer4, ensuring a consistent product evolution while expanding the functionality of a proven solution.

Cramer CEO Jerry Crook said, "Cramer continues to win because we 'think big.' That means investing the most in development, teaming with the best partners, and focusing our solution on the largest operators. Tier 1 telcos including BT, Bell Canada, KPN and Japan Telecom trust us with their business because Cramer is the best option for meeting their need for inventory powered back office automation."

Cramer CTO Don Gibson added, "Cramer5 represents the most significant commitment to an OSS vision in more than 30 years. It's the next step in OSS evolution that operators have been waiting for."

Specific advancements in the Cramer5 evolution created in response to operator requirements, include:

-- Web Architecture. Cramer5 provides the same Java 2 Enterprise

Edition (J2EE(TM))-based, n-tier architecture across all

products in the Cramer family, enabling simpler integration

and scalability.

-- User-Driven Configurability. Operators demand a flexible

solution that can be quickly, easily modified internally.

Cramer5 expands operators' control, offering more options for

tailoring the application without the need for code. Cramer5

also provides JSP, XML and tag library environment for user

interface configuration.

-- Low Cost of Ownership. Cramer5 provides off-the-shelf

integration products for rapid connection to other

widely-deployed back office components.

-- Usability. By anyone, anywhere. Cramer5 is easy to use. A

contemporary user interface look & feel, full mouse and

keyboard support, and seamless access to and from other

applications means users can quickly become productive.

-- Localization. Cramer5 includes extensive support for multiple

languages and time zones, selectable by the user at the point

of login, including Japanese/Kanji.

Cramer5 provides all the components required at the heart of an automated back office:

-- ResourceManager The Active Inventory at the core of the back

office, accurately and completely representing the structure

and behavior of a telecoms network and underpinning other

applications. Supporting all network technologies and service

types, ResourceManager actively validates additions or network

change requests, and ensures such changes can be implemented

in the real network.

-- TaskEngine Providing Network Process Automation to scale the

skills and experience of back office specialists through

policy-based process templates, resulting in a unique

application capable of managing high levels of process and

design complexity.

-- DeliveryEngine For Implementation Control to optimize and

drive electronic and field engineering and processes that

actually change the network. The inventory changes generated

by design activity are grouped together into real world jobs,

or work orders. The work orders are then automatically

sequenced and managed for the most efficient execution.

-- SyncEngine Providing Data Integrity Management that

automatically discovers, synchronizes and reconciles other

network-held or system-held data sources to the reference

inventory, ensuring that alignment between designed and actual

configuration is maintained.

With Cramer5, telcos have a robust, comprehensive and strategic foundation for back office automation powered by inventory management.

About Cramer

Cramer is the leading provider of inventory-powered back office automation software for the global telecommunications industry. For top tier wireline and wireless operators worldwide, Cramer lowers costs and reduces time to market by automating processes that rely on a detailed knowledge of network inventory, capacity and service configuration information. The Company has over 240 staff at locations worldwide including Bath and London (UK), Washington (US) and Sydney (Australia).