Polycom Video Conferencing Supports First Open Global Forum and Debate on Africa's Most Critical Health Issues.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers/High-Tech Writers

PLEASANTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 9, 2003

Summit unites world leaders using Polycom video conferencing to

discuss HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis at African Union Summit

Polycom, Inc.(Nasdaq:PLCM), the world's leader in video and voice conferencing, conference bridges and integrated web collaboration solutions, today announced that its industry-leading video conferencing systems and conference bridges will join together world leaders in the upcoming African Union Summit's Special Session on Africa's biggest health problems. The summit, taking place in July 10, 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique, will bring together heads of state and global partners to seal a joint commitment on increasing action against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis (TB). This is the first time that a meeting of the African Union has been held in open session, organized by the UK-based Interactive Health Network (IHN) using the latest video conferencing, Internet and satellite technologies.

The special session is a groundbreaking event for African leaders and their international partners as the use of the latest communications technology will enable worldwide debate from sites in Africa, Europe and the U.S. Key personalities in the global discussion will include: President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, the incoming president of the African Union; the wife of Nelson Mandela, Ms. Grace Machel, who is Chair of the Forum; and Kofi Annan, the United Nations Secretary General.

Polycom's ViewStation(R) video conferencing systems together with its MGC-100(TM) multipoint control units will be used to enable a live video conference between the forum sites in Maputo, Durban, Nairobi, Geneva, Washington DC and the Department for International Development in London. Dimension Data, Polycom's channel partner in South Africa is also providing technical support in Maputo. Additional sites joining via audio conference are located in New York and Dublin. The meeting will also be broadcast live on radio and television and will be webcast on the Internet

"Polycom and Dimension Data are pleased to support this extremely important session within the African Union Summit by providing the video conference systems that will enable heads of state and global partners to meet and address these critical health issues head on," said Ed Ellett, senior vice president and general manager of video communications for Polycom. "Organizers of the event recognized that the collaborative video and voice communication is the most effective way of getting all the participants together in a truly collaborative environment where issues can be discussed and decisions can be made."

The event will be webcast at www.ihn.info on July 10 at 7:30 a.m. EST. The IHN was commissioned by the government of Mozambique to organize this international video conference as part of the African Union Summit. The two-hour discussion will be streamed on the web and rebroadcast on radio and television stations in Africa.

For further information or to attend one of the video conference link sites in Maputo, London, Geneva, Durban, Nairobi, and Washington DC on July 10, please contact: Linda Berkowitz or Fiona Cowan, Interactive Health Network; Tel: [phone] ; email: [e-mail].

About The Interactive Health Network

The Interactive Health Network is a non-profit organisation located in London, which employs information and communications technology (ICTs) for health and development. It organises regular international videoconferences, one of its major foci being on health information and education in Africa. It is partnering for this event with the World Bank Institute's Global Development Learning Network, The Nelson Mandela School of Medicine, The South African Medical Research Council, and the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) on this international conference series. The Interactive Health Network also works with the IBE, UNESCO, WHO, UNAIDS, and DFID, amongst other international agencies.

About Polycom

Polycom, Inc. is the world's technology leader of high-quality, easy-to-use video, voice, data and web conferencing and collaboration solutions. The Polycom Office(TM) is our continued commitment to make distance communications as natural and interactive as being there by providing best-in-class conferencing solutions that are interoperable, integrated and intuitive to the user. The Polycom Office is based on industry standards and supported by an open architecture that promotes interoperability in multi-vendor environments and complements leading network infrastructure platforms. For additional information, call 1-800-POLYCOM (765-9266) or [phone], or visit the Polycom web site at www.polycom.com.

Polycom, the Polycom logo and ViewStation are registered trademarks and the Polycom Office and MGC-100 are trademarks of Polycom in the U.S. and various countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.