Elematics Delivers Breakthrough Control Plane Software for Unprecedented Carrier Network Control.

Business Editors, Technology Writers

BEAVERTON, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 4, 2002

First Multi-Carrier, Multi-Vendor Control Plane Solution Speeds Provisioning, Reduces or Eliminates Expenses and Enables New Services

Elematics, Inc. today announced the availability of the industry's first multi-carrier, multi-vendor control plane software solution, the Intelligent Network Control Plane(TM).

Elematics' control plane gives service providers dramatically enhanced control and utilization of their existing networks, allowing them to realize new operational efficiencies, avoid or defer capital expenditures, and power new, higher-margin services across multiple networks and vendors. With today's launch, Elematics is redefining the transport network by driving many of the efficiencies found in packet networks into the circuit-switched transport network.

"As carriers work to improve the automation and self-healing capabilities of their infrastructures, it is essential to bridge the gap between circuit and packet networks. The unification of multi-carrier, multi-vendor networks will most likely be achieved by solutions that offer complete network control and intelligence," said Elisabeth Rainge, director at IDC.

Elematics' Intelligent Network Control Plane is the first product to interconnect both next generation and legacy transport equipment within a carrier's highly complex, multi-vendor network, and enable the real-time control and provisioning of these transport services across not only on-network resources, but also extending to off-network resources of multiple carrier networks. This accelerates carrier revenues through rapid service delivery, and powers unique revenue-generating services based on enhanced control. Capital and operating expenses are minimized -- or completely eliminated -- by automating the provisioning process and improving network and network equipment efficiency, utilization, and life-span. This can yield a 10x return on investment for those carriers adopting this new control plane architecture.

"Most carrier networks are comprised of hardware and software from multiple vendors," explained Clive Cook, Elematics' co-founder and CEO. "This creates islands of narrow functionality and limited intelligence, bounded by proprietary vendor, technology and operational processes. Before today, there was no solution that simultaneously unifies the management of multi-domain networks while providing high-performance network control to fully utilize the network assets that are already in place. The Intelligent Network Control Plane(TM) eliminates the painstaking manual configuration needed to link these island domains, providing unified access to -- and control over -- resources and services at the physical layer.

"By deploying new functionality on multi-vendor equipment without disrupting existing operations or requiring forklift upgrades, we allow carriers to rapidly do more with their existing systems."

Intelligent Network Control Plane(TM)

The Intelligent Network Control Plane delivers instant multi-carrier, multi-vendor connectivity that is compatible with legacy and next generation equipment, integrates with existing management applications, and provides comprehensive, real-time operations management of the network. By consolidating network element control and management into an independent control plane, the Intelligent Network Control Plane seamlessly connects a carrier's new and legacy transport equipment, and allows it to interface with installed Operational Support Systems (OSS) applications. This not only speeds integration and provisioning, it also provides partitioned, secure single or multi-carrier domains, enabling new services such as Layer 1 Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).

When deployed in an existing transport network, the Intelligent Network Control Plane creates a common GMPLS-based control plane that consolidates management, signaling, and provisioning across multiple domains, analyzes and optimizes collective network resources, and presents a common interface to OSS applications, as well as to individual network elements. By providing a common signaling and control mechanism across multiple vendors' new and established transport network equipment, the Intelligent Network Control Plane facilitates the discovery and inventory of network elements and services, real-time provisioning, end-to-end connectivity, and unified communication between the complete (optical and electrical) transport network and northbound OSS applications.

About Elematics

Elematics, formerly known as QOptics, is the leading provider of multi-carrier, multi-vendor control plane software that maximizes carrier revenues and minimizes expenses by providing the industry's first software solution for real-time network control and connectivity in global communications networks. The company's unique Intelligent Network Control Plane(TM) allows carriers to provision network connections in real-time, as well as offer new services, recover stranded assets, and seamlessly integrate next generation and legacy transport equipment. By helping carriers do more with what they have today, Elematics is changing the face of global communications. Elematics is backed by the global private equity leader, Warburg Pincus LLC. For more information on Elematics, please call 503/716-1060 or visit www.elematics.com.