Verso and Navini Form Strategic Alliance to Bring Voice to WiMAX

March 22, 2007

Verso Technologies, a global provider of next generation network solutions, and Navini Networks, a leader in providing portable, plug-n-play broadband wireless access solutions, announce today that a reciprocal partnership has been secured to globally market Voice over IP (VoIP) solutions to the Mobile WiMAX sector by introducing Class 5 telephony features to WiMAX networks. The alliance will provide both companies with mutual visibility and access to emerging VoIP over WiMAX opportunities in their respective niches.

WiMAX is a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL. WiMAX is defined as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access by the WiMAX Forum, which was formed in 2001 to promote conformance and interoperability of the IEEE 802.16 standard, officially known as WirelessMAN. In areas without pre-existing physical cable or telephone networks, WiMAX is a viable alternative for broadband access. Prior to WiMAX, many operators had to rely on proprietary fixed wireless technologies for broadband services.

The Navini and Verso alliance will bring the Verso MetroNet VoIP Overlay solution (an open standards, cost-effective next generation softswitch platform) to WiMAX access infrastructure enabled by Navini.

The VoIP solution integrates and packages a standard set of features and capabilities which includes the Verso Clarent® endpoint (Class 5) and tandem (Class 4) switching technologies as well as other core switching capabilities and voice services. The vertically integrated softswitch offering is designed to enable an end user’s access to Voice over Broadband (VoBB) applications such as prepaid, voicemail and hosted PBX.

The combined solution was recently rolled out by joint customer, Direct on PC Ltd (DOPC), the leading ISP in West Africa, on their pre-mobile WiMAX network. DOPC is deploying in the 2.3 GHz band in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. The services will include customized Internet and intranet access for Banking, Corporate, Oil and Gas, Educational and Government sectors throughout the region. In addition, DOPC plans to offer Internet solutions for the Home and Small Medium Enterprise (SME) segments. DOPC expects to have over 15,000 users in 2007 and as they migrate to 802.16e Mobile WiMAX, they expect to radically change the broadband services and mobile telephony environment. The DOPC network and the VoIP offering will seamlessly migrate to standards compliant Mobile WiMAX via software upgrades to the Navini RipwaveMX platform.

"The Verso-Navini VoIP relationship is ideally suited for the emerging West African market, and we believe it has the potential to change the broadband and mobile landscape in the region. We expect to have the ability to substantially increase our subscriber base and to bring an unprecedented variety of services to the region using Verso and Navini next generation technologies," said Munish Sharma, managing director, DOPC.