LDCOM Deploys XACCTusage 5.0 for Converged Mediation for DSL Services; New Version of N2B Platform Consolidates Multiple IP Mediation Systems and Reduces Operational Expenses.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

PARIS & SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 13, 2004

XACCT Technologies, a leading provider of network data management solutions for global communications service providers, today announced that LDCOM, France's leading provider of telecom infrastructure and services to other telecom carriers and Internet users, has chosen XACCTusage 5.0 to unify its IP mediation functions onto a single system to reduce operational expenses and support the unification of LDCOM's network operation after its acquisitions of 9Telecom, KAPTECH and Belgacom France. Integration of XACCTusage 5.0 in their back-office infrastructure is a key component of LDCOM's innovative services strategy, in their efforts to offer greater consumer choice and price plans for IP services. XACCTusage 5.0 also allows LDCOM to consolidate its future network mediation functions for voice and data services, quickly and cost-effectively.

"LDCOM has built its reputation as a telecom network and services provider by offering a wide range of high-quality, innovative and competitive telephone, Internet access, and data services to households and businesses," said Francois-Philippe Pic, CIO at LDCOM. "XACCTusage 5.0 allows us to future-proof our back-office infrastructure such that we can be more nimble in a competitive industry and better serve our customers."

Due to growing IP traffic and complexities of heterogeneous networks resulting from telecom industry consolidation, service providers are looking for ways to streamline their back-office operations and reduce the operational expenses associated with maintaining multiple mediation solutions, including many that are not easily scalable or flexible. XACCTusage 5.0's highly scalable and distributed software architecture is ideally suited for multi-vendor, multi-service networks and offers flexible business logic functions to manage all circuit-switched voice and packet-switched data services mediation, concurrently on a single platform resulting in increased performance, lower OpEx and improved operational efficiency.

"We are pleased that LDCOM has chosen XACCTusage 5.0 to consolidate data and other mediation functions across its entire network," said Eric Gries, President and CEO of XACCT Technologies. "We are working closely with LDCOM to ensure seamless integration of the XACCT platform with their back-office operation and provide LDCOM with a flexible framework to support their fast growing customer base, going forward."

XACCT's N2B platform offers a scalable, robust converged mediation solution with unmatched flexibility to allow quick and easy integration with carriers' existing networks as well as their back-office infrastructure. XACCT's software interfaces with multiple network and service elements and collects comprehensive usage data; dynamically correlates the data based on the company's business and service policies; and transforms the data into actionable business information that is fed to existing OSS/BSS applications, including billing, CRM, operational reporting, and customer reporting. With the introduction of XACCTusage 5.0, customers now have increased flexibility in managing complex and diverse mediation requirements of voice and data networks combined with increased performance, quick integration of new services, improved error handling and revenue assurance.

About XACCTusage 5.0

XACCTusage is designed to reduce typical development and customization costs of mediation projects. Its GUI-driven product accelerates the implementation of business rules to support new and existing services while reducing the time it takes to configure network interfaces. XACCTusage v5.0 includes many new features for the wire-line, wireless and cable operators. Significant new enhancements of XACCTusage v5.0 include:

1. Support for Concurrent File-based and Real-time processing modes - The ability to configure and deploy both capabilities on the same platform is crucial for supporting next generation services, operations support systems and migration.

2. An integrated Error Management System streamlines error management capabilities and enables the recovery of rejected and suspended CDRs. The Error Management System facilitates and automates a workflow process for detection, isolation, correction, and reprocessing of erroneous data. It has a GUI-based editor for correcting and reprocessing the rejected records.

3. User configurable CDR parsing simplifies billing and other back-end process complexities caused by frequent network equipment upgrades or changes. The operator can control such changes by configuring new parsing rules through a user interface, without the need to code or program the changes. Similarly, user-configurable formatting rules enable rapid integration with downstream applications and a quick adaptation of the mediation interfaces to the BSS/OSS.

4. Performance enhancements have been made to leverage the distributed architecture and multi-threaded design which enable complete application vertical scalability. The system has also been optimized to run on mid-frame, enterprise HP-UX and Sun Solaris operating systems.

5. Task and Process Monitoring features have been enhanced with new and dedicated visual screens. Configuration objects direct status messages to the centralized monitoring screens in real-time to enable easier and faster troubleshooting. SNMP-based interface of the application has also been enhanced with more many configuration options for filtering and sending information to fault management systems.

About LDCOM Networks

LDCOM (Louis Dreyfus Group Communications) is a leading alternative infrastructure and telecommunication service provider in France. The company has invested EUR 2 billion completing a 11,000 km national proprietary fibre-optic network, metropolitan loops and hosting centres in most large French cities. LDCOM offers a full range of voice, data and Internet services to 200 telecommunication and Internet companies, and to more than 60,000 business customers and 1.2 million residential customers under its commercial brand "9 Telecom".

The company is exending the coverage of its network via an extensive deployment of xDSL; its has invested a total of EUR 150 million in 2002-2003 to provide broadband services and internet access in 30 French cities. LDCOM employs 2,000 people and expects revenues of approximately EUR 1 billion in 2003.

Further information on the company and its service offering is available online at www.ldcom.fr

About XACCT Technologies

XACCT Technologies provides the leading network data management platform for telecommunications service providers such as network backbone providers, mobile operators, cable operators and managed services providers. XACCT's carrier-class Network-to-Business(R) (N2B(R)) Platform enables service providers to monetize their network traffic by harnessing network information to create new value-based services and lower operational costs. XACCT offers the industry's first and only platform that enables real-time data capture and enhancement; seamless integration with any business or operations application; and instantaneous, flow-through service provisioning.

XACCT has received numerous awards including Upside magazine's 'HOT100', 'Product of the Year' by Internet Telephony and 'Top 50 private companies most likely to change the world' by Red Herring magazine. XACCT investors include Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq:SUNW), Dell Computer (Nasdaq:DELL), Deutsche Bank, Technology Crossover Ventures, Trident Capital, Ampal (Nasdaq:AMPL), Eucalyptus Ventures and Israel Seed Partners. With offices around the globe, XACCT has more than 70 customers, including Bell Canada (NYSE:BCE), Boeing (NYSE:BA), Cable & Wireless (NYSE:CWP), SFR-Cegetel in France, COLT (Nasdaq:COLT), Czech Telecom, Equant (NYSE:ENT), Genuity-Level (3) Communications (Nasdaq:LVLT), Motorola (NYSE:MOT), SingTel Optus, Sprint (NYSE:FON/PCS), Teleglobe, (NYSE:BCE), TELUS (NYSE:TU), TV Cabo, Verio-NTT (NYSE:NTT), Vodafone-Ireland and Vodafone-Italy. The XACCT N2B platform links the network to the business.

XACCTusage are trademarks of XACCT Technologies, Inc. XACCT, N2B, and Network to Business are registered trademarks of XACCT Technologies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.