ORCHESTREAM: SERVICE ACTIVATOR 3.1 NEW VERSION OF SERVICE ACTIVATOR SUPPORTS METROPOLITAN ETHERNET SERVICES.

Orchestream (NASDAQ: OCHS) (LSE: OCH.), a provider of service activation and performance management software to global telecommunications network operators, has announced a series of significant enhancements to its award winning Service Activator software.

In addition to existing support for Layer 3 VPNs using MPLS, QoS and security management, Service Activator 3.1 adds support for Layer 2 services using MPLS and VLANs, Layer 3 services using IPSec and multi-network VPNs. This gives service providers a single platform to automate the management of a very broad range of network features to deliver real-time, dynamic services.

Service Activator 3.1 features a series of web interfaces and a Java toolkit that network operators can use to create web portals to enable customer self-provisioning. It also includes seamless integration with InfoVista to deliver one-touch activation and assurance of VPNs and other services.

Ashley Ward, Chief Executive of Orchestream, commented, "We are delighted to announce this important new version of Service Activator. It demonstrates our strategic commitment to building an automated, intelligent platform to help network operators address the real challenges of managing large-scale, multi-vendor environments to accelerate the deployment of services."

Many Service Providers are embracing Ethernet as the de facto emerging standard for metro data services. Metro Ethernet is attractive as both the Service Provider and the customer benefit from lower prices than traditional TDM services, and the technology is familiar, proven and robust, and is ideally suited to common applications like Ethernet LAN Interconnect.

The two main network functions that need to be managed or activated to deliver services are VLAN configuration and Layer 2 MPLS VPN management. Service Activator 3.1 supports the ability to configure these features on Cisco CatOS, Juniper and Riverstone equipment, with more vendors to be announced in 2002. The new product supports the L2 MPLS management frameworks in the Martini, Lasserre and Kompella drafts from the IETF.

IP Sec - This addition gives service providers a wider choice of technologies to choose from when providing VPN services: with this release of the product, providers can now offer both provider-provisioned IP Sec and MPLS VPNs from the same console. IPSec VPNs create encrypted and authenticated IP tunnels from site to site across an IP network.

Mike Barth, COLT's Director of Internet Hosting commented, "We are happy to see that with version 3.1 of Service Activator, Orchestream has expanded its support of technologies for delivering IP services to include IPsec. As one of Europe's leading business network solutions providers, COLT is using IPsec to help deliver our InterSecure IP-VPN service to our corporate customers. We are now using Orchestream's technology to help us deliver this service more quickly and reliably than could be achieved with traditional methods of IP service activation."

Multi-network VPN Management - Large service providers often have several geographically disparate networks, each of which normally has their own separate, autonomous routing area. Using the multi-network VPN management capability, all of these autonomous systems can be managed from a single point to deliver end-to-end services. This means that the service provider is able to offer large multinational enterprise customers a cross-border service offering but with a consistent service level, and a single reporting and billing centre.

These features enable service providers to offer their customers self-provisioning web interfaces, to allow their enterprise customers to order, view and amend a range of services sold to them without manual intervention by the provider. The interface can be optimised for web self-management or centralised workflow provisioning, for example, call centre usage.

The interface can be easily re-branded by the service provider for additional marketing impact, to be sold as proprietary tool. The interface works in concert with the operator profile feature, so that the service provider can delimit the service settings that their customer is able to alter, so network and service integrity is assured.

The toolkit also provides the ability to create interfaces that link with other OSS platforms, so that data from billing, fault or performance measurement software can also be shown together.

Service Activator will be available to customers from Q1, 2002. The product is configured in a modular fashion, and pricing of the product is dependent on the modules purchased.