ENMR Plateau Deploys MetaSwitch for Fiber-to-the-Home and Fixed Wireless Expansion

Alameda, California and Clovis, New Mexico: September 8, 2004. MetaSwitch, the market leader in Class 5 packet switch solutions, today announced that ENMR Plateau, the largest rural telephone cooperative in New Mexico, has deployed its VP3500 Series Class 5 Softswitch for new applications including Fiber to the Home (FTTH) and Voice over IP (VoIP) over a fixed wireless network.

A member-owned co-operative serving 24 counties in New Mexico and western Texas, ENMR Plateau has a track record of deploying leading-edge technology, being the first to deploy FTTH in New Mexico and now also the first with fixed wireless VoIP services. The company selected MetaSwitch for its ability to deliver traditional circuit-based service and VoIP out of the same system - at a significantly lower cost than upgrading its existing switch.

"The economics, together with MetaSwitch's clear technical leadership, made the decision straightforward," said Jeff Moore, Chief Operating Officer for ENMR Plateau. "Based on our experience with the switch, which has been operational for several months, and MetaSwitch's recent strong success, we feel comfortable that we picked the right vendor. This deployment is central to our ability to flexibly respond to current and future changes in both regulation and technology."

"Many independent telephone companies like ENMR Plateau are looking to understand how best to serve their existing subscriber base, while introducing new services to compete in the emerging world of VoIP," said Andy Randall, MetaSwitch Vice President of Marketing. "MetaSwitch offers an ideal solution for these companies, providing all the 'old world' services necessary to ensure smooth migration alongside the industry's only Class 5 VoIP implementation that has received approval under the federal government Rural Utilities Service program."

Within the ENMR Plateau network, the MetaSwitch VP3500 Series Class 5 Softswitch provides more than 100 residential and small business services over FTTH and Fixed Wireless access networks. Support for traditional TDM protocols including GR-303 and SS7 enables a seamless integration with ENMR's existing switching and access equipment including Optical Solutions' FiberDrive Optical Line Terminal. With Gigabit Ethernet interfaces and softswitch intelligence on board, the same compact MetaSwitch chassis is also delivering native VoIP services over an IP access network.

Further details of ENMR Plateau's deployment, including a network diagram, are available at www.metaswitch.com/rescenter/enmr.htm.

About ENMR Plateau

Founded in 1949, ENMR Plateau has over 11,000 Cooperative members serving 13,000 wireline accounts. Plateau, the wholly owned subsidiary of ENMR provides long distance, Internet, operator services, wireless mobile communications, and business services in 14 New Mexico counties and 10 counties in western Texas.

About MetaSwitch

MetaSwitch is the industry's leading independent broadband Class 5 softswitch vendor. Its widely deployed VP3500 Series Class 5 Softswitch supports over 100 Class 5 features including CLASS services, IP Centrex, E911, LNP, 1-800 and CALEA, and scales from a few hundred to half a million subscribers. Customers include incumbent and competitive local exchange carriers, as well as operators of broadband wireless, cable and fiber networks.

MetaSwitch is a division of established telecom technology provider Data Connection. The company is consistently profitable and privately held, with US locations in California, Virginia, Texas and Florida, and European headquarters in London, UK.