[April 13, 1999]

NetSpeak's New Solutions Suite Increases Revenue Potential For Internet Telephony Service Providers

NetSpeak Corporation unveiled a comprehensive new solutions suite which makes it easier for service providers to produce revenue-generating voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solutions. The NetSpeak solutions suite is based on the company's intelligent Call Management and scripting technologies and H.323v2-compatibility.

At the heart of this new solutions suite is the NetSpeak Gatekeeper, an H.323v2-compatible technology which locates and controls any of NetSpeak's other Call Management products -- Route Server, Media Server, Event Management Server, WebPhone, Mini WebPhone, Gateway Exchange -- and any H.323v2 interoperable edge device. In addition, it provides access to key back-end services such as billing and call detail recording. Core to this Gatekeeper technology is its flexible scripting capabilities, which dictate the call flow behavior across the multiple gateway and IP telephony devices deployed in the network. The solutions scripts are easily extensible so that new solutions and services can be introduced quickly to support evolving customer communication needs.

"Over the years, NetSpeak has built a name for itself in the IP telephony marketplace with its WebPhone products. Now, we're leveraging this expertise into the service provider marketplace by introducing a new line of Call Management products that enable our customers to launch several new revenue-generating services," said Jim Kwock, NetSpeak Vice President of Marketing. "We can help service providers speed time-to-market, since our scripting capabilities allow our VoIP products to be quickly integrated with any interoperable H.323v2 devices."

NetSpeak's Classic Phone-to-Phone
NetSpeak now offers service providers two distinct phone-to-phone options to further enhance their product offerings. Similar to traditional telecommunications, Prepaid Calling and Postpaid calling are options that allow providers to offer customized announcements to users - including billing updates and account verification - making the transition from traditional telecommunications to IP services an easy choice.

WebPhone 2nd Line
NetSpeak is also leveraging its award-winning WebPhone products into the application space. With the introduction of WebPhone 2nd Line, an Internet telephony solution that allows users to receive calls and stay online at the same time, and over a single phone line. A simple and cost-effective solution, WebPhone 2nd Line eliminates the need for installing a second phone line or an expensive ISDN line.

WebPhone-to-Phone
WebPhone-to-Phone is a unique service that permits communications between a traditional telephone and a personal computer. The solution immediately enables an end-user to become a direct customer by registering with the provider offering the WebPhone, and then downloading the software directly to their computer.

WebPhone eCommerce
WebPhone eCommerce is a voice-enabled e-commerce solution that allows users to talk over the Internet with a call center agent, a help desk, their broker, their travel agent - or anyone who has implemented voice technology on the Web. Using WebPhone eCommerce, businesses can communicate directly with their customers at the moment of peak interest, providing customer service with a human touch. WebPhone eCommerce can immediately increase e-commerce success by creating add-on sales opportunities and increasing customer satisfaction, while also offering the potential of reduced toll charges.

"With the launch of our new solutions suite, NetSpeak is building upon our intelligent Call Management technology and WebPhone product line to better meet the needs of customers," said Michael R. Rich, NetSpeak President and Chief Operating Officer. "Building modular, standards-based solutions for customers is the next step in building out what we call the new 'Advanced Intelligent Network.'"

NetSpeak solutions are powered by the company's state-of-the-art Call Management products:

NetSpeak's Gatekeeper is the heart of all NetSpeak solutions. The Gatekeeper communicates with H.323v2-compatible gateways and edge devices to manage voice connections and pass commands between all elements in a VoIP network, ensuring a cohesive solution. The Call Management technology that the Gatekeeper is built on features flexible scripting capabilities that enable NetSpeak's other Call Management products to be easily configured into complete solutions for customers.

NetSpeak's Route Server is the coordinating element that in a network of Gatekeepers provides centralized zone administration and intelligent call routing services. The intelligence lies in its awareness of gateway characteristics in the network, ensuring the highest priority, lowest cost route for all calls. With real-time IP address resolution and inter-domain connectivity, NetSpeak's Route Server is essential to providing seamless communication between customers and businesses worldwide.

NetSpeak's Media Server plays real-time audio messages to support informative call control handling within NetSpeak solutions such as account and PIN number request prompts. The Media Server is based on Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), allowing it to provide an extensible framework for controlled, on-demand delivery of real-time audio. Under Gatekeeper control, real-time streaming audio can be provided to H.323v2-compatible gateways and IP telephony clients within the Voice over IP network.

NetSpeak's Event Management Server provides centralized storage of network data on individual customer usage including call detail recordings and alarms. The Event Management Server is compatible with third-party report generation tools, allowing for the analysis of valuable customer data such as peak calling times, call duration and call destination.

NetSpeak's WebPhone is the award-winning IP telephony application that harnesses the power of the Internet and other TCP/IP-based networks (such as Local Area Networks and Wide Area Networks) to send and receive calls from PC-to-PC or PC-to-telephone at a fraction of the cost of traditional long distance.

NetSpeak's Mini WebPhone is the thin IP telephony software client that can be used to place calls to a predefined phone number on a voice-enabled Web site. The Mini WebPhone brings the human touch to e-commerce in the NetSpeak WebPhone eCommerce solution through its VoIP capabilities and its ability to receive URL push to the browser.

NetSpeak's Gateway Exchange translates calls made from one traditional telephone to another, while carrying the call over an IP-based data network that bypasses traditional telephone network charges. The Gateway Exchange can also connect PC-to-telephone calls over any TCP/IP packet-switched network - such as the Internet, enterprise LANs or WANS.

Pricing and Availability
The NetSpeak solutions suite is priced based on network application and size of network and will be available in May.

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