MetaSwitch eNews - July 2007

MetaSwitch has been buzzing with activity since our last eNews publication! The annual Forum in Orlando, Florida was a huge success with record attendance, our new marketing program for service providers has been launched, and we've had several new product releases. I hope you will read on to learn more!

CEO Report

By John Lazar
CEO, MetaSwitch

Another year, another MetaSwitch Forum - but this year was truly something special. I am confident that in the future, as we look back, MetaSwitch Forum 2007 will stand out as a truly significant milestone in MetaSwitch's history.

With 37 sessions covering everything from alternative access technologies to marketing workshops to thought-provoking keynotes and a lively discussion panel on the future of telecom, there was plenty to keep the 450 attendees stimulated.

A particularly exciting innovation this year was the Expo, a different kind of trade show, where only certified MetaSwitch partners could exhibit. More than 30 companies participated, and I know many of our customers found this to be one of the most valuable parts of the whole Forum.

As always, however, the most valuable aspect for me was in spending three days renewing existing friendships and getting to meet the nearly one hundred new MetaSwitch customers since the previous event. I am always incredibly energized by the entrepreneurship, talent and enthusiasm of our varied customer base. I am already looking forward to seeing friends old and new again at MetaSwitch Forum 2008 in New Orleans!

New Program Supplies Marketing Roadmap for Providers Rolling out New Advanced Services

By Richard M. Williams
President, Connect2 Communications

A new program offered by MetaSwitch in conjunction with Connect2 Communications offers a cost-effective way to communicate the key values service providers and their products bring to market.

Called the M³ program - for Message, Media and Method - it is designed for companies looking to expand, and well-established market leaders alike, to develop the consistent, crisp messaging necessary to successfully launch new services, such as video delivery, wireless networking, or voice over IP.

MetaSwitch turns up the applications heat with powerful new conference server

By Daniel Marcus
Marketing Director

At the recent CompTel show, we were excited to announce the latest addition to our growing suite of enhanced IP-based applications. Having proven ourselves to be the platform of choice for Class 4 and 5 softswitching, we've looked carefully into what else our customers need in order to continue to grow their own businesses.

As our customers recognize that broad service offerings and differentiation are their only buffers against encroaching competition, MetaSwitch is enabling them to drive revenues by tapping into the $2.6 billion audio conferencing services market with a feature-rich, scalable IP-based server solution.

Our new Conference Server combines standards-based SIP conferencing control with a reservation-less "meet-me" conference application and an easy-to-use web-based management interface. Capable of supporting conference calls of up to 500 participants, MetaSwitch's Conference Server offers the industry's most flexible, real-time conference capabilities for service providers and their enterprise customers.

For users, the robust web control and recording features - and the fact they don't need to schedule conferences in advance - make the experience of setting up, attending and moderating multi-party calls as easy as placing a regular phone call. In addition, the recording capabilities will be valued by users in just about any line of business - from archiving key decisions made in project meetings to recording commitments made to customers.

Customer Profile - Mescalero Apache Telecom, Inc.

By Chris Carabello
Marketing Director, MetaSwitch

Introduction

In 2001, residents of New Mexico's Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation decided to take control of their telecommunications services. The result was Mescalero Apache Telecom, Inc. (MATI), one of the country's leading tribal-owned local exchange carriers.

After deploying high-speed Internet services within the Reservation, MATI planned to expand throughout the Southwest. The company also faced the requirement to implement LNP and CALEA - a costly upgrade to its three year old legacy switch.

MATI believed that a next generation switch might meet both sets of requirements. However, any solution would have to be eligible for Rural Utilities Service (RUS) funding.

Enter MetaSwitch. After evaluating many options, MATI successfully deployed MetaSwitch's class 5 Softswitch, avoiding costly upgrades and enabling VoIP services to new subscribers over a fixed broadband wireless network.

Introducing CommPortal

MetaSwitch leverages Web 2.0 to deliver highly customizable user interface for next generation service delivery

At Spring VON, MetaSwitch announced a unique Web portal, enabling service providers to deliver a streamlined, dynamic Web experience that offers outstanding usability for subscribers to purchase and use next generation voice communications services. The new CommPortal leverages Web 2.0 standards and best design practices to deliver an exceptionally intuitive and tightly integrated user interface to the wide range of services delivered by the MetaSwitch call agent and application server platforms, including Visual Voicemail, Recent Calls List, Contact Management, Find Me Follow Me, Call Forwarding and Selective Call Screening. CommPortal's advanced architecture provides outstanding customizability, offering service providers exceptional scope to style CommPortal Web pages to match their corporate look and feel, and to embed materials such as banner ads and promotional offers that are frequently updated.

With CommPortal installed, both residential and business end users can self-subscribe to various managed services offered by their provider, eliminating the need for time consuming and costly site visits for new service activation. A dynamic, streamlined user-centric interface presents all the users' communications settings just a click or two from the main 'dashboard' screen. As a result, customers can also now more easily manage and expand existing services to better meet their changing needs via a single log-in for all applications.

And Finally...

Data Connection, MetaSwitch's parent company, recently received recognition in two workplace satisfaction surveys acknowledging its dedication to employees.

The Sunday Times, a highly respected British newspaper, ranked the company in the top ten companies to work for in the UK, while Computer Weekly recognized the company for its structured program of personal development, flexible working patterns, community involvement and career development opportunities.

It is well known that employee satisfaction is closely correlated with customer satisfaction, and Data Connection's commitment to the industry's best working environment translates directly into the industry's best customer support. But then our customers already knew that!