PhoNet Communications Introduces First Comprehensive Intranet/Internet Voice Over IP Solution.

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 3, 1997--PhoNet Communications will announce at Networld+Interop the first comprehensive, integrated solution to provide toll-quality voice communications over IP networks, regardless of network topology.

PhoNet's introduction of the EtherPhone, EtherGate, PacketPhone and PhoNetWork gives users the first fault-tolerant and scalable solution to meet all of their Intranet and Extranet needs.

PhoNet's solution consists of three products and a radically new service.

-- EtherPhone is a feature-rich Intranet data PBX solution that seamlessly integrates telephony with the data and service infrastructure of an organization's Ethernet, Token Ring or ATM network. EtherPhone is a distributed system that is infinitely scalable. Additional PSTN lines and desktop users can be added by simply adding a server or client cards. And because it does not rely on the network file server, EtherPhone will continue to work even if the file server crashes. In addition, EtherPhone is the first voice over IP telephony solution that can provide toll quality voice over any type of LAN, while seamlessly integrating with a user's applications -- such as Personal Information Managers -- to enhance productivity.

-- EtherGate, a WAN Gateway that provides telephone service over Intranet or Internet data networks, links public switched telephone networks and packet-switched networks across any type of data network. EtherGate supports telephone to telephone, telephone to PC, PC to PC communications. In addition to reducing costs, it simplifies an organization's infrastructure by making one large system out of any number of geographically separate sites such as branch offices.

-- PacketPhone, an interface card and software, gives telecommuters and home users advanced functionality as well as full-duplex computer telephony. By letting users talk and listen at the same time with fewer delays or echoes, the PacketPhone can dramatically improve the quality of calls made over the Internet (which normally suffers from latency and poor quality).

-- PhoNetWork is the first full-featured Internet switching system. PhoNetWork, which emulates all of the functions and services of a central office PBX, provides users with services and features such as telephone dialing, transfer, hold, speed dial, etc. while making Internet calls. Unlike other solutions, PhoNetWork uses software switching to in effect turn the Internet into a Public Switch Telephone Network.

PhoNetWork is an Internet implementation of the PhoNet's EtherPhone. Unlike peer-to-peer Internet connections, PhoNetWork creates a seamless Internet voice-link between any sites with a PacketPhone or an EtherPhone server. An EtherPhone, which is a Data PBX server, acts as a call process engine for calls made through the Internet. Instead of having to hassle with an IP address, anyone with a PacketPhone (or at an EtherPhone site) can simply dial "8" followed by another user's telephone number to make a voice call over the Internet. -0-

Founded in 1995, PhoNet Communication Ltd. is a privately held company that develops, manufactures and markets the world's first distributed Intranet PBX solution to provide true integration of voice, data and video across IP LANs and WANs. A complete hardware and software solution, PhoNet's products can be either used in place of a PBX or to augment an existing PBX infrastructure.

CONTACT: PhoNet Communications

Frank Quinn, 408/453-6000

[e-mail]

or

Grear Group

Paul Gross, 415/323-8368

[e-mail]