GENBAND Acquires Baypackets to Extend Its IP Multimedia Applications and Expertise; Extensive Application Suite Strengthens GENBAND's Commitment to Global IMS-Based Solutions for Wireline, Cable, and Wireless Service Providers.

PLANO, Texas -- GENBAND(TM) Inc., a leading provider of IMS-based telecommunications applications and infrastructure products enabling converged IP multimedia services, announced today the company has acquired Fremont-based BayPackets, Inc. for its broad set of IP multimedia platforms and applications designed for wireline, cable, and wireless service providers.

BayPackets, with operations in Fremont, California and New Delhi, India, has established market presence through significant tier one customers and channel partners in the U.S., Asia-Pacific, Central and Latin America, and Europe. Wireline, cable and wireless service providers are currently using the company's IMS-compliant service delivery platforms and applications to rapidly deliver enhanced services via a flexible and open standards-based environment. By integrating BayPacket's proven set of IP multimedia platform and applications, GENBAND is strengthening its position as a strategic supplier of IP-based application and infrastructure solutions for VoIP and IMS networks worldwide.

The combined organizations will employ approximately 200 people and maintain the GENBAND company name, with headquarters in Plano, Texas and operations in Fremont, California; Austin, Texas and New Delhi, India. Current GENBAND President and CEO, Charles Vogt, and the existing GENBAND management team will continue to lead the company in addition to BayPackets' founder Sanjeev Chawla. Mr. Chawla will become GENBAND's chief technology officer. In addition, Alex Guira, an existing BayPackets' board member, will join GENBAND's board of directors. GENBAND will immediately begin to market the M5(TM) Multimedia Applications Server, representing the suite of applications from BayPackets that is field proven to scale up to millions of subscribers.

"By expanding our suite of IMS-based solutions, GENBAND can provide a unique combination of market leading carrier class IP infrastructure products and applications for a variety of VoIP, fixed mobile convergence, and multimedia solutions," said Charles Vogt, president and CEO of GENBAND. "Utilizing GENBAND's expanded product portfolio, service providers can quickly establish enhanced multimedia service offerings that enable revenue growth, while providing a foundation for migrating to a single communications solution that seamlessly integrates across different networks."

The M5 Multimedia Applications Server uniquely supports signaling and services across both legacy TDM and next generation VoIP networks via the use of standards-based protocols such as SIP, MGCP, AIN, INAP, and CAMEL. It is also pre-integrated with industry leading Call Session Control Function (CSCF) and Home Subscriber Server (HSS) products. The M5 platform provides an advanced suite of revenue generating residential and business applications including unified communications, prepaid, advanced toll free, and global voice VPNs. In addition, the M5 platform enables fixed mobile convergence and a host of trend-setting IMS-compliant multimedia applications, such as multimedia ringback tones, multi-player gaming, video mail, and multimedia conferencing. The platforms supports rapid creation of new applications via industry-standard interfaces, such as SIP Servlets, JAIN, Parlay, and provide comprehensive rating, charging and messaging frameworks for integration into OSS infrastructures.

"GENBAND's acquisition of BayPackets is a timely and strategic transaction, as it adds a strong mix of IP-based applications to the company's existing applications and infrastructure portfolio," said Joe McGarvey, principal analyst for Current Analysis. "The ability to provide a combination of IMS-based infrastructure products with a rich set of multimedia applications is unique for an emerging company like GENBAND and should help the company position itself as a strategic supplier for VoIP and IMS networks worldwide."

The M5 Multimedia Applications Server is a natural complement to GENBAND's existing S4(TM) Telephony Applications Server. The S4 provides an economical IP-based platform for offering revenue enhancing, Class 5 residential and SOHO voice and multimedia services. GENBAND's S4 provides a robust feature set of Class 5 services to both broadband and TDM customers and enables enhanced features such as web portals for improved subscriber call management.

GENBAND's suite of IP multimedia applications can be sold separately or bundled together for service providers looking to quickly deliver new, multimedia services for increased revenue and differentiation. These broadened set of IMS-based multimedia applications are a natural extension of its market-leading infrastructure solutions. With over 750 deployments including tier one service providers, GENBAND's infrastructure products are being used in native IP, legacy ATM, and converged IP/ATM networks utilizing copper, fiber-optic, and wireless access infrastructures. At the same time, many new competitive carriers from VNOs, ISPs, traditional CLECs, to municipalities, are using GENBAND's portfolio of products to provide advanced converged services. These infrastructure products are also PacketCable(TM) qualified and used across the globe by cable companies looking to leverage their HFC networks and prepare for an IMS architecture.

GENBAND's market leading, carrier class infrastructure solutions provide a common set of network elements that maximize existing carrier assets, enable an open environment for service creation and delivery, and establish an elegant migration path to next-generation networks. The G6(R) Universal Media Gateway is the market-leading gateway that uniquely provides Class 5 access, packet-line, and trunking gateway solutions while simultaneously supporting multiple service architectures including Class 5 switches, IMS-based SIP application servers and softswitches. It is designed to leverage legacy infrastructures and migrate to advanced VoIP and multimedia services as the foundation for the next-generation networks. The C2(TM) Signaling Gateway Controller combines media gateway controller functionality with an integrated signaling gateway providing a variety of signaling variants to help bridge legacy and IMS-ready VoIP networks.

About GENBAND(TM)

GENBAND is the leading supplier of IP multimedia application and infrastructure products and solutions for a diverse set of VoIP and IMS networks worldwide. These IMS-ready applications and solutions enable wireline, cable, and wireless service providers to rapidly deploy new multimedia services, while providing a foundation to transition legacy networks to next generation networks. GENBAND has deployed its IP Multimedia products and technology to over 100 customers with more than 750 deployments, across three continents. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, GENBAND has research and development facilities in Fremont, California; Austin and Plano, Texas; and New Delhi, India. Additional information is available at www.genband.com.