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Telica Expands Plexus 9000 to Include Suite of Wireless Applications Adds



MARLBORO, Mass., Mar 12, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Telica(TM), Inc., a leading provider of softswitch-based voice and data infrastructure products for today's evolving telecommunications network, announced that it has expanded the Plexus(TM) 9000 to include a suite of packet-based wireless solutions that include Gateway Mobile Switching Center (GMSC), Soft MSC Media Gateway and an All-IP Wireless Solution, while leveraging its existing TDM and packet-based Class 4 and Class 5 applications for use in wireless networks.

Traditionally, wireless networks have been rolled out in a flat topology with highly meshed connectivity between Mobile Switching Centers (MSCs). While this facilitated early growth, today's mobile usage is straining wireless networks. Increased subscriber minutes of use and roaming has led to exponential growth of inter-MSC trunks, requiring increased capital and operations expenditures. As this trend continues, adding radio coverage becomes increasingly complex as does migrating to new technologies such as 3G. Wireless carriers realize this existing mode of operation is unsustainable and need a practical solution that allows them to operate efficiently today while evolving to 3G networks.

Telica's Plexus 9000, a carrier-grade voice packet switch, has been deployed in over 35 carrier networks and carries over 4 billion minutes of use per month. Building on this foundation, the Plexus 9000 adds support for wireless applications that can be applied in wireless network architectures; 2G, 2.5G or 3G, including GSM, GPRS, EDGE, CDMA, TDMA, CDMA2000, and UMTS.

As a Gateway MSC, Telica's Plexus 9000 can be deployed to offer a new class of wireless network switching, operating in a similar fashion to a Class 4 switch in a wireline network. Supporting TDM, IP, or ATM-based trunking, the Plexus 9000 can support Tandem switching and long distance services, while offering a wireless carrier complete flexibility in networking technology deployment. Specific to wireless networks, the Plexus 9000 Gateway MSC, which supports IS-41 and GSM MAP services, accepts calls from the PSTN and routes directly to the intended mobile subscriber's Serving MSC, bypassing the Home MSC entirely. In a typical market area, this routing efficiency frees up tens of thousands of legacy MSC ports and reduces PSTN interconnect facilities and associated leased line costs through consolidation while significantly lowering operational costs. For carriers with a combined TDMA and GSM network, the Plexus 9000 Gateway MSC supports concurrent IS-41 and GSM operation, providing a smooth TDMA to GSM migration path.

For carriers looking to replace their legacy MSCs, the Plexus 9000 also operates as a wireless media gateway. By working in concert with third party Soft MSCs via industry-standard protocols, the Plexus 9000 can communicate directly to the Radio Access Network, supporting 2G, 2.5G and 3G services. Unique to the Plexus 9000, the ability to support TDM, Voice over ATM AAL2 and Voice over IP on the same platform makes it ideal for interfacing to the TDM-based A-interface of 2G and 2.5G, and the ATM-based UTRAN of 3G technologies, while supporting IP or ATM-based core network trunks for interworking with other elements of the packet-based Next Generation Network.

Today, the Plexus 9000 is currently supporting revenue traffic for SIP signaled IP access networks. SIP forms the basis of the 3rd Generation Partners' Project's (3GPP) "Release 5" architecture, where voice calls are converted to IP streams directly from the mobile terminal, transforming the wireless network to an "All-IP" network. The Plexus 9000's SIP capabilities and its advanced Class 5 features are ideally suited for this architecture.

"Adding wireless capabilities significantly broadens Telica's market opportunity. The company has done well capturing a wide range of service providers, including incumbent operators," said Kevin Mitchell, Directing Analyst, Service Provider Networks and Next Gen Voice of Infonetics Research. "Wireline carriers are not unique in their desire for cost savings and new service capabilities and Telica can help wireless providers achieve those goals."

For management, Telica offers PlexView(R), Telica's complete suite of management solutions, providing exceptional intelligent fault and performance monitoring, report generation, billing and flow-through provisioning solutions.

"In working closely with wireless carriers, we've executed on a wireless strategy that addresses their immediate and future business and technology needs", said John St. Amand, president and CEO of Telica. "The Plexus 9000 enables these carriers to realize substantial operational savings today while paving the way for tomorrow's 3G wireless networks."

About Telica, Inc.

Telica provides softswitch-based voice and data switching products for today's evolving telecommunications networks. The company's Plexus(TM) 9000 is a carrier-grade system that includes a media gateway, media gateway controller and signaling gateway to provide Class 4/5 switching for the PSTN as well as ATM and IP networks -- all in a distributed softswitch model or an integrated open solution. Breakthrough levels of performance, reliability and scalability assure the highest quality of service while easily accommodating subscriber growth. Telica, founded in 1998 and currently deployed with 35 customers, is headquartered in Marlboro, MA, with offices throughout the United States and Canada. For more information on Telica, visit www.telica.com.

Note: Telica and Plexus are trademarks and PlexView is a registered trademark of Telica, Inc.
CONTACT: Telica, Inc.
Sarah Phillips, 508/804-8135
[e-mail]

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KEYWORD: MASSACHUSETTS
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TELECOMMUNICATIONS
NETWORKING
SOURCE:
Telica,
Inc