U S WEST Grants Multimillion Dollar Contract to Tekelec - Company Business and Marketing

Cambridge Telcom Report, Oct 18, 1999

U S WEST Communications Thursday announced a multi-year contract valued at over $20 million with Tekelec (NASDAQ: TKLC). An initial signal transfer point (STP) order was placed in the third fiscal quarter. U S WEST is purchasing the TEKELEC EAGLE STP product, which is the world's first fully distributed STP. U S WEST provides customers with exceptional performance, capacity, and throughput at an excellent value with one of the highest levels of reliability and network security in the industry. The addition of the EAGLE STPs to the U S WEST network enables delivery of state-of-the-art signaling and unmatched processing power. Combining the high-speed and SS7 over IP connectivity of Tekelec's STP allows U S WEST to migrate more seamlessly to a next-generation network.

Tekelec released the announcement at Telecom '99, the worlds largest telecommunications trade show, in Geneva, Switzerland.

An STP sets up the signaling used to establish a calling path between customers. Tekelec's EAGLE STP is a high capacity, fully fault tolerant packet switch. U S WEST employs the power and performance of the EAGLE STP to: 1) deploy new advanced communications services to its customers; 2) grow its signaling network as it adds new customers; 3) offer its customers a wider range of voice and data services; 4) meet the growing demand for next generation internet, voice, and data services; and 5) enhance the reliability of the signaling network.

"We are extremely pleased that U S WEST has chosen the EAGLE STP to enable the consolidation of its SS7 network," said Michael L. Margolis, president and CEO, Tekelec. "This decision by U S WEST is a testament to the track record of our product. It gives U S WEST the ability to immediately deploy high-speed and IP connectivity."

Tekelec, a leading supplier of signaling and control systems, develops innovative network switching and diagnostic solutions that enable the convergence of traditional and converged wireline, wireless, and IP voice and data communications networks. The company also provides products and solutions for call centers and other telecommunications markets. Tekelec has its headquarters in Calabasas, California, and divisions in Morrisville, North Carolina, and Richardson, Texas. FMI: http://www.tekelec.com.