NBX Corporation Announces Release 1.1 of its Award-Winning LAN-based Telephony System, The NBX 100; H.323 Gateway and Dynamic Layer 2/3 Support for Universal Remote Access.

ANDOVER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 1, 1999--NBX Corporation, developer of the world's only reliable, convergent LAN-based telephony solution now shipping--the NBX 100(TM) Communications System--will be demonstrating Release 1.1 at CTExpo at the Los Angeles Convention Center March 2-4, 1999. Release 1.1 is the latest enhancement to NBX's Network-Based Telephony offering in the traditional PBX arena. Release 1.1 is comprised of: NBX ConneXtions(TM) and IPServe(TM), the newest building blocks in NBX's Internetworking Solution; significant worktop and messaging enhancements; and administrative software for simplified management. The latter two categories will be offered free of charge. NBX is showcasing Release 1.1 enhancements in the Microsoft Partners' Pavilion, kiosk 6355-22, as well as in the NBX booth, #2151.

"With the introduction of NBX ConneXtions and IPServe, NBX continues to maintain its leadership position in network-based telephony," said Daniel J. Massiello, President and CEO of NBX Corporation. "NBX is continuing its tradition of being first to market with IP/PBX telephony solutions that will meet the current and future needs of small to mid-size businesses, workgroups, and branch offices/telecommuters of enterprise customers. Software-based solutions are more economical to implement and manage. They preserve infrastructure investments by extending the useful life of existing hardware, providing a simple-to-administer, cost-effective upgrade path. Only NBX provides toll-quality audio on a busy-shared network, scaleability, and the rich suite of applications these organizations need to meet their communications needs to help them grow."

Internetworking

The following Release 1.1 functionalities are optional and are available on a site license basis to NBX customers. NBX ConneXtions (which will ship in 4/99) is NBX's H.323 software-only gateway running on Windows NT. It requires no special cards to connect the phone system to the gateway. Instead, ConneXtions uses the LAN to transmit all voice communication directly from telephones to gateway to across the enterprise. ConneXtions meets the needs of customers seeking ways to connect multiple locations over a standard infrastructure. NBX's H.323 ConneXtions provides interoperability between multivendor VoIP products.

IPServe provides end users with IP address allocation to the telephone endpoints of their networks. IPServe allows any NBX 100 telephone to alternate dynamically between Layer 2 and Layer 3 (static IP, DHCP, or IP-on-the-fly). This is important for two reasons. First, because customers often have a fully IP routed network, they can now make every NBX phone a node on the network; i.e., assign each phone an IP address. As a result, they can plug NBX phones anywhere into the IP-routed network, either at the customer premise or at any customer location worldwide. Second, IP-on-the-fly permits IP address pooling and allocates IP addresses to conversations as needed. As the business grows, branch offices and other remotely located personnel can connect to the network by plugging an NBX phone into any switch or router anywhere. IPServe, by supporting routed IP communications over ISDN, Frame Relay, Wireless, xDSL, and VPN, extends the NBX 100's communications services to remote offices, telecommuters, and branch locations. NBX has also added speech compression capabilities to enhance its telecommuter/remote worker solutions, significantly reducing the networking cost between sites.

Messaging

The NBX Release 1.1 offers two key messaging enhancements. The first is the ability to use any standard IMAP4 E-mail client--e.g., Microsoft Outlook Express or Eudora--to manage all voice mail messages on the NBX APX Media Server. This allows end users who use the most popular E-mail clients for data traffic to manage all voice mail traffic as well. It's a single-user interface with no learning curve or incremental investment. Proprietary GUIs from other vendors add a lot to system cost.

The second NBX Release 1.1 enhancement is offsite notification of new messages. Now, users can be notified of all new or urgent messages. Telephone or pager numbers at up to five different locations will be called in a cascade.

Worktop

In another example of building in unique functionality while keeping prices low, every NBX 100 now comes with TAPI services installed free for from 1-100 users. TAPI allows users to take advantage of numerous TAPI applications that support screen pops, point-and-click dialing, GUI control of conference transfer, and other related services. NBX's unique packet-based architecture makes this available for all users of the NBX 100 for free. No proprietary CTI boxes or servers are required.

Also available for every NBX telephone is the DSS/BLF (Direct Station Selector/Busy Lamp Field) adjunct. The DSS/BLF adjunct is invaluable because it improves call handling and routing capabilities, allowing one-button transfer of up to 100 extensions. This in turn allows end users to manage phone system growth as the company grows, handling an ever-increasing number of calls, extensions, and functions with one-button control.

Other Free Functions

Release 1.1 also provides Enhanced Toll Restriction and NBX Call Reports free with every NBX 100. Enhanced Toll Restriction with list override capabilities adds another tool for administrators who are managing long-distance calling plans.

NBX Call Reports--a.k.a. Station Message Detail Recording or Call Detail Recording--is available for free with every NBX 100. The value in this capability is that both detail and summary reports and graphs are built into every NBX 100, allowing system administrators to monitor every incoming and outgoing call by individual, group, time of day, and facility. The entire resulting file can be exported to other applications; e.g., Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access.

In a related development, NBX will ship at the end of 3/99 a suite of Microsoft applications with every NBX 100 Communications System at no charge: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook Express, and Microsoft NetMeeting.

Pricing and Availability

All Release 1.1 components will ship 4/1/99. With all optional and built-in components on board, an NBX Communications System in a typical configuration will cost between $500-700 per user.

About NBX Corporation

Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Andover, MA, NBX Corporation is the developer of the world's only reliable, high-quality, Network-Based Telephony System integrating voice and data communications over LANs and WANs. The NBX 100 delivers this feature-rich, cost-effective consolidation of voice and data on one network infrastructure, providing a single point of browser-based administration and management. At no extra cost, the NBX 100 delivers popular features built-in, such as Caller ID, Auto Attendant, Multimedia Messaging, LAN/WAN connectivity, Web-based administration, and Computer Telephony Integration (CTI). NBX markets and distributes the NBX 100 through an authorized reseller channel. To learn more about NBX Corporation and its products, call 888 NBX 0070 or 978 749 0000, send E-mail to [e-mail], or visit http://www.nbxcorp.com.

NBX 100, NBX ConneXtions, and IPServe are trademarks of NBX Corporation. All other products mentioned herein are the property of their respective developers and manufacturers.