Cisco Systems and iBasis Join Forces To Deliver IP-Based, Unified Communications Solution

Business Wire, Feb 3, 2000

Business and Technology Editors

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 3, 2000

iBasis to Host Cisco uOne Application for Service Providers EffectNet to Service Initial Customer Deployments Beginning Q2 2000

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) and iBasis (NASDAQ: IBAS) today announced that they are joining forces to deliver carrier-class, IP-based, Unified Communications services. The Cisco Unified Communications (UC) solution uses the open Internet Protocol (IP) standard to unify communications methods that were previously disjointed -- e-mail, fax machines, voice mail systems, cellular phones, and the Web. The Cisco Open Network Exchange (uOne) application, a pivotal component of Cisco's overall UC solution, enables users to initiate and return voice calls and send and receive faxes, e-mail, and voice messages -- independent of location, time or device. iBasis, the leader in advanced Internet-based communications, will deploy the uOne application on its global IP network and make UC services available to service providers worldwide. EffectNet, a rapidly growing application service provider and Cisco Powered Network partner will be the first iBasis partner to provide the Cisco uOne solution to its customers. With customer orders for 50,000 uOne mailboxes, initial deployments are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2000.

Cisco Systems: Expanding the Power of Communications

&uot;As the Internet reshapes the global telecommunications industry, iBasis and EffectNet understand that unified communications will be a key factor in building the New World of communications,&uot; said Don Listwin, executive vice president, Cisco Systems. &uot;Today's announcement brings iBasis and EffectNet together with an ecosystem of partners to expand and simplify Internet communications using the Cisco uOne application.&uot;

Offering all the benefits of a truly converged solution, uOne provides voice mail over IP, fax mail over IP, and e-mail. Other features include:

-- Voice Messaging: Call answer on busy/no answer, full-featured voice messaging, PC and telephone access, Web-based system administration

-- Total Messaging: User administration via Web, inbound fax, fax redirect/outbound fax, text-to-speech (fax headers, e-mail)

-- Notification Services: Subscriber notification indicates new incoming messages

-- Call Services: Outbound call management features for calling services, personal access reach, and outbound dialing from voice messaging platform or from within a voice message

Unlike unified messaging solutions built on a voice messaging industry heritage, the Cisco UC solution is built on Internet standards and platforms. Cisco integrates the best features of the voice network (through Cisco gateways to time-division multiplexing) with the flexibility and reliability of the most established data application in the Internet -- e-mail. These voice mail and email benefits are combined using the fundamental open protocols of the Internet -- IP, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME), Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), and Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP).

The uOne platform is further enhanced by the Cisco ecosystem, which includes best-of-breed technology and service providers that extend and customize Cisco solutions. Current ecosystem providers deliver message store, directory, and text-to-speech capabilities that complement uOne.

iBasis: Hosting Global Internet-Based Communication Solutions

iBasis has built the world's first global IP network that guarantees toll quality voice and fax service. Toll quality is the telecommunications industry term for the highest level of service quality. iBasis is also the only Internet-based communications provider to guarantee service quality with the industry's first service level agreement for Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP).

In December 1999 iBasis announced Internet Telephony Hosting(TM) to enable other service providers to quickly offer VoIP services. With today's announcement, iBasis is broadening Internet Telephony Hosting to include UC solutions. With iBasis Internet Telephony Hosting, service providers have access to comprehensive, customizable communications solutions that enable them to quickly begin offering voice, fax, prepaid calling, and other value-added VoIP services, including UC. Internet Telephony Hosting offers service providers access to the powerful iBasis global telephony infrastructure, including the use of iBasis' VoIP equipment located in the company's Internet central offices, high-quality Internet backbone, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) termination, and the Operational Support Systems (OSS) necessary for traffic management, reporting, and customer billing.

&uot;We realized from the start that Internet telephony's greatest potential was its ability to deliver advanced communications services to a variety of devices, with one global network,&uot; said Ofer Gneezy, president and CEO of iBasis. &uot;Our strategic relationship with Cisco has enabled us to dramatically accelerate the delivery of advanced, Internet-based communications services.&uot;