Custer Telephone Chooses CopperCom to Provide Next-Gen and Legacy Services to Large, Rural Service Area in Central Idaho

Business Wire, Nov 16, 2006

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- CopperCom today announced that Custer Telephone Co-operative, Inc., an independent operating company (IOC) in central Idaho, will be deploying five CopperCom next-generation softswitches as part of a multi-year and multi-million dollar network upgrade. The CopperCom Converged Switching eXchange (CSX) switches will initially be used to support services over Custer Telephones's new fiber optic network, which is being rolled out across portions of the telco's approximately 3,600-square-mile service area.

Custer Telephone Co-operative is based in Challis, Idaho. They provide a full range of communications services to business and residential customers including voice, data, cellular, DSL, cable and Web design.

Custer Telephone will first install four CopperCom CSX switches in a host-remote configuration (one host softswitch, three remote units). It is capping-and-replacing legacy switches that have been in service since 1993 and do not support the interfaces necessary to provide services over the new transport network. The service provider chose CopperCom after a lengthy evaluation of next-generation softswitches, citing CopperCom's service and support, as well as the CSX's ability to provide both legacy and next-generation IP services, as being key to its decision.

"We really did our homework, and felt that CopperCom provided the most detailed answers to our questions. We weren't just looking to provide VoIP. We wanted a company and switch that had the capabilities and expertise to straddle both traditional and IP services. CopperCom best met all of our needs," said Dennis Thornock, general manager, Custer Telephone.

Thornock added that CopperCom came recommended by National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC), which provides Custer with its billing software. "NISC told us that CopperCom was the best in terms of incorporating support for the various types of calls that would be running through our system. With long-distance calls being a significant portion of revenue for us, this type of validation was critical," he said.

Custer Telephone plans to deploy the fifth CopperCom CSX switch to bring voice, data and video over IP services to an exchange area in 2007.

"Custer Telephone is anticipating continued demand for broadband services, and we are proud to be part of its rollout of one of the area's most advanced, independent communications networks," said Mel Ethem, vice president, sales, CopperCom. "Their confidence in CopperCom, in our service organization and in our product family is based on field proven performance. We look forward to a long relationship."

About Coppercom

CopperCom provides innovative, next-generation switching, portal and application solutions for communications carriers. The company develops and delivers comprehensive solutions for carriers making the challenging transition to next-generation services or deploying leading-edge IP networks, from the ground up. The combination of CopperCom's technology and experienced management team make it the ideal partner for service providers seeking to flourish and expand in a competitive environment.

CopperCom's CSX Softswitch System is field-proven and capable of delivering applications ranging from greenfield deployments and cap-and-replace of legacy systems to advanced service delivery over packet networks. The CSX offers advanced VoIP services, legacy voice services, and personalized control of features via Switchmaxx Unified Self-Care[TM] Web portal and applications. The CSX's flexibility, architectural scalability and robust feature set make it the softswitch solution of choice for IOCs and CLECs alike.

Headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., CopperCom has been in the communications business for more than two decades. It is a subsidiary of The Heico Companies, an approximately $2.5 billion dollar diversified organization specializing in the management of sector-leading companies. Heico offers the corporate strength, resources and leadership necessary to support CopperCom's growth. Additional information can be found at www.coppercom.com.

CopperCom is a trademark, and CSX a registered trademark of CopperCom Acquisition Corp.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risks and uncertainties.