Data Connection/MetaSwitch Wins Third Queen's Award with 95% Export Sales.

LONDON -- UK-based technology company Data Connection Limited, which includes its MetaSwitch Division, announced today that it has been granted its third Queen's Award for Enterprise, based on its outstanding export achievement. Since the company's last award in 1999, exports have doubled from GBP 18 million to GBP 36 million, representing 95% of total revenues.

The Queen's Awards for Enterprise are the UK's most prestigious awards for business performance. To qualify for the International Trade category award, businesses must be able to demonstrate substantial growth in overseas earnings and commercial success, to levels that are outstanding for the goods or services concerned and for the size of the applicant's operations.

"We are immensely proud of this achievement, and honoured that the hard work of our incredibly talented people has been recognized by Her Majesty," said Ian Ferguson, Chairman and Founder of Data Connection. "For us, this is the icing on the cake, coming just weeks after we were placed 5th overall in the Sunday Times' '100 Best Companies to Work For' survey."

Data Connection has become a British success story by focusing on the really complex technology at the core of the networks that are driving the 'communications revolution', or the convergence of voice, data, video and other exciting services on Internet protocols. Customers span the globe and include many of the world's leading software and hardware vendors such as Cisco, Microsoft, Nortel, IBM and Huawei, as well as major international network operators such as AT&T, Verizon and France Telecom.

In less than five years, the company's MetaSwitch division has established a leading position in the challenging North American service provider market, with more than 230 next generation telephony switching systems installed at over 150 customers across the continent. Now accounting for more than 40% of Data Connection's revenues, MetaSwitch's success is a testament to the ability of the very best British companies to invest in advanced technology development and build the substantial sales, marketing and support organisation required to compete on the world stage.

"The success of Data Connection and MetaSwitch is based on a few, deeply-held, core principles," said Ferguson. "First, we focus heavily on recruiting and training the very best talent. Second, we are truly committed to excellence in everything we do, including product quality and commitment to our customers. Third, we believe strongly in rewarding all employees equitably based on their contribution to our success."

Data Connection's commitment to its 350 employees is supported by its ownership structure. The company is 100% owned by an Employee Benefit Trust, which distributes its substantial operating profits (GBP 9 million last year) to all employees. The company is regularly listed at the top of independent surveys of the best workplaces in the UK and Europe.

About Data Connection

Data Connection Limited (DCL) is the leading independent developer and supplier of Unicast and Multicast IP Routing, MPLS, SIP, MGCP/Megaco, SBC, ATM and SNA portable products, as well as Web Conferencing, Voicemail, Unified Messaging, and Directory applications. The company's MetaSwitch division supplies industry-leading IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) switching and applications solutions for both packet and circuit-switched networks. Its widely deployed call agent, media/signaling gateway and application server platform supports a full range of legacy Class 4/5 capabilities and hosted unified communications services, and scales from a few hundred to millions of subscribers in both integrated and distributed configurations.

Net profits have exceeded 20% of revenue every year since the company was founded in 1981. Customers include the world's largest software and hardware vendors, including Cisco, IBM, Lucent, and Microsoft, and major telecommunications service providers such as AT&T, BT, France Telecom and Verizon. With over 300 employees, Data Connection is headquartered in London, UK with US offices in Alameda, CA, Boxborough, MA, Dallas, TX and Reston, VA. For more information, please see www.dataconnection.com and www.metaswitch.com.

'Data Connection' and 'MetaSwitch' are trademarks of Data Connection Limited and Data Connection Corporation. Brands and products referenced herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Copyright (C) 2006 Data Connection Limited.