MasterMind Announces Release of VoIP IVR Platform; AOS 100 Delivers Customizable, Enhanced Services to the Packet Networks.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 2001

MasterMind Technologies, a leading provider of revenue-generating service solutions to communications service providers (CSP's) worldwide, is pleased to announce the release of the AOS 100 IP-IVR Media Server platform.

This VoIP-enabled interactive voice response (IVR) and enhanced services solution provides next-generation network service providers with an open platform for deploying feature rich, extensible and reliable services across the packet networks.

IP IVR describes applications that accept touch-tone keypad selections or voice input over a telephone operating on the IP networks and responding with appropriate call routing or recorded announcements.

Along with traditional IVR, AOS 100 collects digits and invokes prompts obtaining user data such as passwords or account identification, and with optionally available automated speech recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS) functionality, can extract and parse Web-based content and transmit this data to customers over any telephone, thus facilitating the delivery of Web-maintained information to a voice media user.

With an intuitive visual service creation environment and customizable off-the-shelf solutions, AOS 100 lets CSP's deploy a full range of traditional IVR and enhanced telephony services.

"Our AOS IP IVR platform meets CSP requirements for rapid deployment of traditional revenue-generating services on their new IP networks, and it accomplishes this on a platform that can host innovative new services that bridge the voice and data worlds in new and powerful ways. CSPs that deploy our AOS IP IVR platform get immediate returns on their investment by rolling out already accepted services such as auto-attendant and voicemail, and have the ability to follow up with premium revenue generating services," said MasterMind CTO, Rick Ringel. "In addition, with AOS 100, CSP's can host these traditional and enhanced services on the same platform, either in combination with softswitch network components, or as stand-alone services. In a technology environment that changes on a daily basis, flexible architecture is critical."

Inherent in AOS 100 and common to all MasterMind products and solutions is its award-winning visual service creation environment (SCE), allowing for the rapid development, deployment and customization of applications while providing a fully scalable platform for launching more sophisticated services.

In concert with MasterMind's ready-to-deploy source call-flows--such as EKKO Unified Communications or the ARGOS voice portal solution--and scalable application deployment architecture, CSP's can use the AOS 100 to rapidly deploy, scale and customize services particular to their markets.

This modular approach deploys a base service (or services) which can be continuously modified, allowing for the future growth or modification of the applications using the SCE.

With call control via H.323 or SIP IP protocols, and having recently completed interoperability testing with industry-leading softswitch vendors, gatekeepers and intelligent gateways, AOS 100 delivers virtually any IP-IVR solution including those incorporating the latest speech recognition (ASR) and/or text-to-speech (TTS) technologies.

"The AOS platform is well suited for forward-looking carriers that want to offer enhanced speech services across the packet networks," said MasterMind CEO Curtis Jones, "and the need for these value-added applications is what we are finding to be driving the industry."

MasterMind Technologies

MasterMind Technologies, an Inc. 500 company, provides enhanced services solutions to the new communications infrastructure marketplace - solutions that enable service providers to differentiate themselves from the competition by cost-effectively delivering high performance telephony and messaging services across the global spectrum of disparate telecom and data networks.

MasterMind's field-proven products - deployed in over 30 countries - help bring customized service applications from concept to market faster than any alternative. For more information, visit: www.mastermindtechnologies.com.