MetaSwitch and Pannaway Announce Primary Line VoIP Interoperability Partnership for SIP and MGCP

Industry-leading switching and access vendors drive RUS-listed multi-protocol VoIP interoperability at Telecom '05 for maximum network flexibility

Las Vegas, NV - October 26, 2005 - MetaSwitch, a leading vendor of next generation carrier switching solutions, and Pannaway Technologies, Inc., designers and developers of RUS listed, converged broadband voice, video and data platforms, today announced a partnership designed to accelerate adoption of telco-grade VoIP networks. The combination of Pannaway's Primary Line VoIP™ products and MetaSwitch's award-winning Class 4/5 Softswitch solution delivers the only Primary Line VoIP solution where all the network elements have passed Rural Utilities Service (RUS) trials delivering IP-based voice service. In addition, both vendors' support for the established broadband loop control protocol, MGCP, enables service providers to select the most appropriate architecture for their network migration.

In the joint MetaSwitch-Pannaway solution, MetaSwitch delivers call control and more than 100 Class 4 and Class 5 services from its CA9020 distributed call agent or VP3510 integrated softswitch (or the smaller VP2510 platform, announced earlier this week). In addition, the MetaSwitch UC9000 unified communications system delivers enhanced applications including unified messaging, auto attendant and a powerful desktop assistant, in an IMS-compliant application server. Pannaway's access technologies enable both traditional POTS and voice over broadband (VoBB) services, with lifeline fallback enabling E911 calling even in the event of power failure at the customer premises. Proven interoperability between all parts of the solution enables incumbent and competitive telephone providers to smoothly migrate from a TDM network to an all-IP network.

"With more than 150 deployments delivering Class 5 Voice over IP today, independent industry analysts acknowledge MetaSwitch as the leading Class 5 packet switch on the market today," said Chris Mairs, MetaSwitch Senior Vice President for Business Development. "As a result, we have a clear understanding of both the market requirements and long-term technical direction for packet-based networks, and believe that Pannaway's Primary Line VoIP initiative is an important step in accelerating acceptance and deployment of telco-grade VoIP networks."

"We are pleased to have completed our first phase of accreditation testing with MetaSwitch, and to join the MetaSwitch Partner Program, as well as welcoming them to our Primary Line Partner Program^SM" said Mark Carpenter, Pannaway Vice President of Business Development. "One of the promises of open standards is multi-vendor interoperability - and MetaSwitch and Pannaway are today delivering on their commitments to that philosophy."

About MetaSwitch
MetaSwitch 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.

About Pannaway's Primary Line VoIP Partner Program
Pannaway's Primary Line Partner Program is designed to help rural independent operating carriers (IOCs), competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) and municipality broadband providers establish a competitive advantage over local cable, wireless and satellite providers through the availability of the industry's most innovative and reliable next-generation VoIP solution. Along with technology collaboration, Pannaway will work with its new Primary Line Partners on joint sales, training and marketing initiatives.

About Pannaway Technologies
Pannaway provides telco-grade, converged voice, video and data solutions to telecom service providers and emerging Triple Play services companies. Pannaway's multiaward winning, RUS listed and patent-pending IP technologies enable telecom providers worldwide to deliver profitable broadband services to homes and businesses at a fraction of their historical costs. Pannaway also delivers the industry's first end-to-end telco-grade VoIP solution with integrated Primary Line service for lifeline POTS support. The privately held company is headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and has been building solutions and service/support programs to fit the specific needs of rural telcos since 2002.

For more information, please visit www.pannaway.com.