New CrossKeys Product Controls Bandwidth and Boosts Profits of High Speed Internet Access Service - Product Announcement

Cambridge Telcom Report, May 8, 2000

CrossKeys Systems Corporation (Nasdaq:CKEY) (TSE:CKY.) Monday announced the availability of its newest product for the rapidly growing multi-access Internet Service Provider (ISP) market. CrossKeys Dyband software, a unique broadband services management solution, addresses the key "last mile" issue facing wireless, cable and DSL service providers--how to deliver consistent, reliable, high-speed service to home users, home offices and businesses and maintain service profitability.

With CrossKeys Dyband software, ISPs can dynamically manage bandwidth, support more subscribers on existing broadband connections, offer unlimited tiers of service, and gain real-time and historical visibility into service performance. These capabilities allow Internet service providers to improve the profit potential of their core business by increasing service revenues, reducing operational costs and delivering consistent high-speed service that meets customer expectations.

ClipperNet Corporation, a fast-growing ISP serving the US Pacific Northwest, was one of the first ISPs to test CrossKeys Dyband software live with customers. "This product will occupy an important place in our network topology--probably second only to the core router," said Ransom Southerland, President of ClipperNet Corporation in Eugene, Oregon. "It allows us to manage customer expectation levels as well as control the amount of bandwidth we need to purchase for our disparate networks."

CrossKeys broadband services management improves ISP profits and services by:

* dynamically managing bandwidth, increasing the number of subscribers that can be supported on the current Internet connection(s) by 40%;

* enabling the creation and management of unlimited service tiers at distinct price points to meet the budgets and interests of customers, increasing revenue by up to 30%;

* delivering real-time and historical insight into service performance to support capacity analysis and planning, billing, and customer and technical services; and

* providing a single management interface across all transport mediums (DSL, wireless, cable, leased-line, Ethernet, etc.)

Michael Howard, principal analyst with the industry analyst firm Infonetics Research, singles out the product's multi-technology management capability among competitors. "A single interface solution for broadband services management across all access mediums is unique in the industry," he said. "No one else is doing this -- there is a large demand in the service provider marketplace for this type of product."

"The key to CrossKeys Dyband software is its dynamic bandwidth management, which automatically evaluates the state of the network 100 times a second to shape traffic based on usage patterns, pre-determined service levels, and dynamic priorities. It controls network congestion, limits packet loss and eliminates congestion-related outages. Traditional bandwidth management solutions based on static rate limits, simple priorities, or type of traffic, are ineffective for broadband access services," said Steve Getz, Vice President of Broadband Access Products for CrossKeys.

"CrossKeys Dyband software leverages our existing expertise into a whole new market of service provider," says Ian McLaren, President and CEO, CrossKeys. "We have the leading engineering solutions for service assurance and are taking this advantage into new, dynamic markets quickly through our product innovations, partnerships and channels."

CrossKeys Systems Corporation (www.crosskeys.com) develops software that makes the Internet work for business. The world's largest and fastest growing service providers manage the equipment, traffic and service on their telecom networks with CrossKeys.

CrossKeys Systems Corporation is a public company whose common shares are listed for trading on NASDAQ (CKEY) in the United States and on The Toronto Stock Exchange (CKY) in Canada.