MobileIGNITE Adds Eight New Members; E28 Limited, BCT Global, Convergin, FG Microtec, HelloSoft, Netrake, NewHeights Software and tekVizion, Join Group Supporting Faster Convergence of Mobile and VoIP.

LONDON -- MobileIGNITE, the leading industry association fostering collaboration to accelerate Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC), today announced that it has added seven new members. Leaders of MobileIGNITE, which stands for Mobile Integrated Go-To-Market Network IP Technology, made the announcement at the Informa Telecoms Fixed Mobile Convergence Congress and EXPO in London today. The new members are E28 Limited, BCT Global, Convergin, FG Microtec, HelloSoft, Netrake, NewHeights Software and tekVizion.

The new members have agreed to the group's tenets of working on open standards-based interoperability and leveraging SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) with a commitment to IMS (IP-multi-media Subsystem), the industry's leading blueprint for convergence. The solutions and expertise each new member provides are described below.

--E28 Limited is a smart information device solution provider, it provides Linux mobile smart information device solutions to mobile manufacturers, operators and network partners flexibly from a PCB board level to the total device solution level. It provides solutions with customized formats according to customer needs. E28 Limited recently has just commercialized a most practical GSM/WiFi Dual Mode Smart Phone to contribute to the FMC society.

--BCT (Broadband Communications Technologies, Pty. Ltd.) Global is a South African-based multi-stage consulting and technology integration firm working to implement convergence solutions including Wi-Fi and WiMax infrastructure and dual mode devices based on open standards.

--Convergin provides leading FMC and Service Capability Interaction Management (SCIM) solutions. Utilizing Convergin's Wireless Convergence Server, service providers can accelerate deployments of IMS, and enable seamless orchestration of mobile, legacy and next generation core network elements.

--FG Microtec is a provider of embedded software and applications for real-time IP communication over different access networks such as UMTS, GPRS or Wi-Fi. Its solutions include QoS mechanisms, IMS framework clients, Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC), VoIP and Video applications based on standards supported by the 3GPP IMS, IETF, OMA and ITVT.

--HelloSoft offers highly integrated standards-compliant VoIP, WLAN and Cellular convergence technologies to major semiconductor companies, ODMs and OEMs. HelloSoft's offerings enable cost-effective, low-power and high performance mass deployment of multi-mode mobile and portable communication devices.

--Netrake is a leading provider to fixed and mobile service providers for real-time delivery of voice and multimedia solutions across IP networks. Utilizing Netrake's session border controllers and security gateways, service providers can leverage market leading security capabilities, scalability, and feature richness to interconnect and secure networks and users.

--NewHeights Software offers soft-clients which extract the value of today's SIP/IMS, MGCP and proprietary networks, and integrate feature-rich call control with enterprise applications to enable a unified, contextual communications environment for fixed and mobile users.

--tekVizion provides independent consulting, custom applications, integration and support, and testing through tekVizion Labs(TM)-- the first interoperability certification lab of its kind, for the telecommunications industry.

"Companies that join MobileIGNITE understand the advantage and benefit of driving MobileVoIP deployment based on existing open standards," said Sanjay Jhawar, the Chairman of MobileIGNITE's Executive Steering Committee. "Our members envision a scenario with interconnected fixed network environments and mobile network environments, in any combination, including GSM or CDMA on the mobile side, and with fixed broadband, cable, and ISP environments on the other. MobileIGNITE aims to ensure a tight integration of all these network linkages to generate new revenues to carriers of all types."

"This is the year that carriers -- beyond BT -- will likely start to offer hand-offs between wireless VoIP at home or in the office, and wide-area cell networks in the real world," said Peter Jarich of Virginia-based Current Analysis. "MobileIGNITE's role with multi-party interoperability testing should help to smooth carrier deployment of such offerings, while supporting a transition to IMS."

The new members, E28 Limited, BCT Global, Convergin, FG Microtec, HelloSoft, Netrake, NewHeights Software and tekVizion now join initial MobileIGNITE existing members: 724 Solutions, Apertio, Acme Packets, Aruba Networks, Boingo Wireless, BridgePort Networks, Centile, CoreMobility, CounterPath, Kyocera Wireless, Net2Phone, PCTEL, QualPhone, Reef Point Systems, SIPquest, Sonim, Sylantro, Tekelec, TapRoot, VeriSign, Vivox, and WorldCell.

About MobileIGNITE

MobileIGNITE is an independent industry association of leading service providers and vendors that collaborate on accelerating the time to market for multi-vendor fixed-mobile convergence solutions that work in existing fixed and mobile networks with a smooth transition to the IP Multimedia System (IMS) environment. Key initiatives include interoperability specification, market requirements development and liaison with industry standards organizations and other industry groups. Further information and application procedures may be found at www.mobileignite.org.