VPISYSTEMS SIMPLIFIES CARRIER ETHERNET DEPLOYMENTS.

Ethernet, the dominant networking technology of the enterprise market, has made significant progress into the carrier market. Initially viewed as a less expensive alternative for LAN interconnects for customers, Carrier Ethernet has quickly emerged as the leading technology for next-generation networks and the services that ride on them. Carriers are rolling out Ethernet networks to deliver high-bandwidth services, from VoIP and VPNs to video and gaming, at a fraction of the cost of traditional technologies. Analysts estimate that carriers' metro Ethernet networks have grown at a 30 percent CAGR for the past five years.

Though planning networks is not new for carriers, planning Ethernet networks is. Carriers now have help, however. VPIsystems has launched a new Ethernet planning module for its OnePlan(TM) network planning OSS that enables carriers to successfully roll out Ethernet networks without requiring specific Ethernet expertise. With OnePlan Ethernet, network planners without Ethernet experience can roll out optimized Ethernet networks that deliver high quality services. From a network augmentation to a completely new Ethernet network, OnePlan Ethernet makes the planning process faster and simpler while ensuring customers are happy with the ultimate service delivery.

"For carriers looking to capitalize on the revenue potential of next-generation services, Ethernet is the most cost-effective entry," stated Hank Firey, CEO, VPIsystems. "That cost advantage is diluted, however, when networks are rolled out inefficiently or worse, divorced from market demand. As part of the OnePlan system, our Ethernet module is the industry's leading planning application to ensure Ethernet networks are optimized for superior service delivery, aligned to demand and mapped to other network layers for resiliency."

As part of OnePlan, OnePlan Ethernet offers a comprehensive range of design models, functions and features that enable rapid and effective planning and design of Ethernet networks. Key new features:

-- Support Ethernet on SDH and SONET - The new module enables carriers to roll out native Ethernet networks using Spanning Tree (e.g., Ethernet over SDH/SONET) without Ethernet experience. Support for Ethernet on MPLS and PBB/PBB-TE is planned for later 2008.

-- Facilitate network augmentation for brown-field and green-field deployments - Regardless of an Ethernet project's complexity, OnePlan Ethernet provides the tools and features carriers need.

-- Support leading Ethernet equipment vendors - Though major Ethernet vendor equipment models are pre-integrated, OnePlan Ethernet is technology-neutral, giving carriers the freedom to extend to other equipment types as well.

-- Enable "what-if" scenario analysis - Users are able to view and analyze various failure scenarios prior to deployment of the actual production network.

-- Support Ethernet protocols - The module supports standard protocols for design and analysis of Ethernet networks.

-- Support Ethernet wireless backhaul - In addition to wireline carrier networks, the OnePlan Ethernet module can facilitate wireless carriers' migration from TDM-based to Ethernet-based backhaul.

VPIsystems also announced that a tier-one carrier has taken delivery of the new Ethernet module and will be using it to plan and design an Ethernet aggregation network. In addition, the carrier will be working with VPIsystems to plan its next generation Ethernet over MPLS network.

OnePlan offers communications service providers a single, cross-domain (geography, technology, discipline and network domain) integrated capacity and network planning capability, OnePlan has become the system of choice for any carrier planning transition to a next-generation, IP-enabled network. Through its modular design, OnePlan provides a scalable solution that can start as a single technology module, and grow to a high-availability system spanning multiple network layers where OnePlan automates all network planning, engineering and decommissioning activities.

About VPIsystems, Inc.

VPIsystems is the only provider of integrated capacity and network planning software and services for the global telecommunications industry. The company's OnePlan(TM) software system gives telecommunications and multi- service providers the ability to cohesively plan the financial, technical and marketing aspects of their network evolution, for all current and future network types. Headquartered in Holmdel, NJ, and with offices in Europe, Asia, and Australia, VPIsystems' software is used by over 150 communications service providers and network equipment manufacturers to assess current and future capacity needs, and optimally plan their QoS-constrained service networks and underlying transport infrastructure.

For more information, visit http://www.vpisystems.com or call 732/332-0233, ext. 120.