MetaSwitch CTO to Headline Prestigious Lecture Series, Share Firsthand Experience on Technology Access for the Disabled

Alameda, CA, and London, UK: January 23, 2006. In our current "technology heavy" society, with its iPods and hand-held devices, does technology help or hinder the disabled? Starting this evening, Chris Mairs, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of MetaSwitch, a leading vendor of next generation carrier switching solutions, tackles the paradoxical relationship between technology improvements and accessibility in the 2006 Turing Lecture Series, "Lifestyle Access for the Disabled - Adding Positive Drift to the Random Walk with Technology."

British scientist Alan Turing is widely acknowledged as a central figure in the computer revolution, and related fields of mathematics and philosophy, inventing the analog computer that cracked the infamous German Enigma code in World War II. In honor of Turing's contributions to computing, IEE (Institution of Electrical Engineers) and BCS (British Computer Society) established the Turing Lecture in 1998. Each year, a distinguished visionary is invited to address a topic, often cutting across technological and social boundaries. Recent speakers, for example, include Professor Fred Piper, who spoke in 2004 on cyberworld security; and Dr. Carol Kovac, General Manager of IBM Life Sciences, who in 2003 addressed the topic of "computing in the age of the genome".

"It's a great honor to be selected to address disability issues in the Turing Lecture Series. This is an opportunity to convey my experiences, as both a disabled user of technology and 'industry insider', to help raise awareness of some issues that affect a significant portion of the population," said Chris Mairs. "For example, while synthesized access to talking newspapers and email reading/writing with speech technology can aid the vision impaired, other devices, such as microwave cookers and hard-to-use mobile phones often disenfranchise these very same people. It's vital that we recognize this dichotomy and work to close the usability gap."

Mairs, who is blind, has a keen personal and professional interest in making technology accessible to the disabled, as well as simpler to use for the technically averse. Outside work, he runs a charity, a-technic, to develop assistive technology for the disabled. He also water-skis for the British disabled team, which he has captained to win several world championships.

As this year's speaker, Mairs is recognized for his significant contributions to technology. In the early years at MetaSwitch's parent company Data Connection, which he co-founded in 1981, Mairs was lead architect for the company's highly successful communications products, which have been adopted by leading technology companies worldwide such as Cisco, IBM, Lucent, Microsoft, and Nortel. Currently, he is responsible for product management and business development in Data Connection's MetaSwitch division. A recognized thought leader in the world of telecommunications, Mairs is often invited to lend his perspective at industry events and discussions. Recently, for example, he participated in the CTO Technology Forum at CompTel's Fall 2005 Convention and Expo in Orlando, Florida, leading a talk on "VoIP/IMS Interconnects and the New Business Models They Enable."

Mairs is scheduled for the following "Lifestyle Access for the Disabled - Adding Positive Drift to the Random Walk with Technology" Turing Lecture UK dates:

• Monday, January 23 - Western Infirmary Lecture Theatre, University of Glasgow
• Tuesday, January 24 - Playfair Library, University of Edinburgh
• Wednesday, January 25 - Roscoe Building, University of Manchester
• Thursday, January 26 - The IEE, Savoy Place, London

For Chris Mairs' biography, please visit: http://www.metaswitch.com/company/executives.htm

About MetaSwitch

MetaSwitch (www.metaswitch.com) is an industry-leading vendor of IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) switching and applications solutions for both packet and circuit-switched networks. Its widely deployed call agent, media/signaling gateway and application server platform supports a full range of legacy Class 4/5 capabilities and hosted unified communications services, and scales from a few hundred to millions of subscribers in both integrated and distributed configurations. 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 main US offices in California and Virginia, and European headquarters in London, UK.

Data Connection and MetaSwitch are trademarks of Data Connection Limited and Data Connection Corporation. Brands and products referenced herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.