Vertel-and-HP-Jointly-Developed Telecom Management Product Suite a Market Success; New Releases to be Deployed With Additional Releases Under Development.

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 16, 1998--Vertel Corp. (Nasdaq:VRTL), a leading supplier of telecommunications management network (TMN) platforms and solutions, and Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HWP) (HP) announced the acceptance of their jointly developed TMN-based telecom management product suite by more than 20 customers on five continents.

The product suite, which integrates HP OpenView Telecom DM and Vertel TMN development environments, has been deployed over the past year in key markets such as China, Korea, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil and the United States.

"We believed this product combination would provide the development and deployment environment that customers were demanding. Clearly, our success geographically and across market segments reinforces that position," said Bruce Brown, president and CEO of Vertel.

"Both service providers and telecom equipment manufacturers are adopting our product suite to develop Operations Support Systems addressing the management requirements for access, wireless and backbone networks and services."

TMN Proxy Available

Vertel and HP also announced the availability of TMN Proxy, a mediation development platform for integrating non-TMN network element interfaces -- such as TL-1 -- into applications running on the HP and Vertel Telecom Management Platform.

The Microsoft Windows NT Server version of the telecom management platform will be available in early 1999. Several customers have already shown significant interest for this product. Adoption of Windows NT Server, as a telecom industry development environment, has accelerated in the last year along with an increase in demand for NT-based telecom management solutions.

"HP customers continue to realize increased value due to the partnership we formed with Vertel a year ago to address the telecom management solutions market," stated Bernard Guidon, general manager of HP's Telecom Business Unit. "The combined development skills, domain expertise, account presence and support resources of the two companies have proven complementary, as expected.

"We have achieved the momentum we anticipated to provide an enhanced development environment for customers who are creating solutions and applications for Operations Support Systems."

Global TMN Summit 99 and Vendor Showcase

Vertel and HP are again co-hosting a major industry conference focused on intelligent management of today's telecom networks using TMN, the worldwide standard for telecommunication network management. Sponsors for the event include Microsoft, Architel, Telephony, tele.com and America's Network.

The Summit will feature speakers from the world's leading telecom companies who will discuss the direction intelligent telecom network management is taking in light of all the changes occurring in the industry.

Changes such as ADSL going live, Internet telephony, increased demand for backbone bandwidth, new local exchange competition creating Operational Support Systems (OSS) interconnection challenges, cable companies offering Internet and PSTN services, and Internet companies offering phone service are leaving everyone with a new set of network and management challenges.

The international Global TMN Summit 99 and Vendor Showcase will be held at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, Feb. 24-26.

HP OpenView Telecom

HP OpenView Telecom products enable equipment and service providers to implement, deploy and support integrated customer-focused OSS solutions rapidly. Information about the OpenView Telecom program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com/go/ovtelecom.

In addition to telecom products, HP OpenView provides users with integrated network system, application and database management for multivendor distributed computing environments.

Hewlett-Packard is a leading global provider of computing, Internet and intranet solutions, services, communications products and measurement solutions, all of which are recognized for excellence in quality and support. It is the second-largest computer supplier in the world, with computer-related revenue in excess of $35.4 billion in its 1997 fiscal year.

HP has 123,300 employees and had revenue of $42.9 billion in its 1997 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.

Vertel Corp.

Vertel develops and markets software for the management and operations of telecommunications networks. The company provides advanced telecommunications management network solutions including communications infrastructure products, network management platforms and application software for telecommunication carrier networks worldwide.

In addition, Vertel serves telecommunications equipment manufacturers, computer systems OEMs and Internet access providers. The company is based in Woodland Hills and has sales offices throughout the world. Contact Vertel on the World Wide Web at http://www.vertel.com.

"Safe Harbor" Statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for the historical information presented, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including timely development; introduction and success of new and enhanced products in existing and new markets; the acceptance of new technologies; the impact of competitive products; pricing; currency exchange risks; governmental and regulatory developments including Vertel, Hewlett-Packard and their partners; and other risks detailed from time to time in public disclosure filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by Vertel.

Note to Editors: Vertel is a registered trademark of Vertel. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.