Momentum to Next-Generation Networks Accelerates, Driving Adoption of IBM Blades and BroadSoft Technology

Over 100 Clients Have Chosen IBM and BroadSoft Solution, Including NextWave, DGC and Stage 2 Networks



ARMONK, NY and PHOENIX, AZ .- BROADSOFT CONNECTIONS 2007 -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) and BroadSoft Inc., a leading provider of VoIP application software, today announced that over 100 telecom service providers are now using IBM BladeCenter with the BroadWorks® Voice over IP (VoIP) platform. The companies began offering the BroadWorks and BladeCenter solution just 18 months ago and attribute this rapid adoption by both large and small telecommunications service providers to their need to quickly deploy and scale new IP-based, converged voice services.

“Telecom service providers are seeking to offer new next-generation network services that leverage the best from the worlds of IT and telecom,” said Jim Pertzborn, vice president of telecommunications for IBM Systems Group. “The IBM BladeCenter family with the BroadWorks VoIP platform allows telecommunications companies to quickly deliver new revenue-generating, carrier-grade services at consistently lower costs.”

The IBM BladeCenter HT, introduced earlier this year, extends the BladeCenter family to meet stringent NEBS3/ETSI requirements for telecommunications carrier-grade deployments. The IBM BladeCenter HT delivers superior performance and high-speed connectivity for network bandwidth up to 10 times greater than previously possible, helping telecommunications service providers unleash new, next-generation network services.

BroadSoft’s customer community includes global wireline, wireless, and cable operators, as well as regional competitive carriers, wholesalers and ISPs around the world. Many innovative companies use IBM BladeCenter with BroadWorks to solve end-users’ most pressing communications problems, including Cable&Wireless Jamaica, Centennial, Cox Communications, Sprint, TerreStar and v2tel.

Some of the customers recently adopting this industry leading platform include the following:

* The Network Services Group (NSG) of NextWave Broadband Inc., a subsidiary of NextWave Wireless, selected the IBM BladeCenter and BroadWorks VoIP solution to include in its broad range of wireless network design and implementation offerings for emerging markets and service providers. “As a global provider of mobile broadband products and technologies to enable Wireless 2.0™, the next generation of mobile communications, we are always looking for new applications to help our customers take a next step toward implementing advanced wireless technologies,” said Alan Cameron, senior vice president - engineering and operations, Network Services Group, NextWave Broadband. “We believe the IBM BladeCenter and BroadWorks solution will provide an IT and telecommunications foundation that will help our customers accelerate deployment of their multimedia offerings.”
* DGC is a competitive Internet Telephony Service Provider in Sweden that has been servicing corporations for two decades. DGC delivers VoIP and mobile integration to enterprises through standalone and integrated access solutions. “The combination of IBM BladeCenter with the BroadWorks platform delivers the best support for our mission critical applications and minimizes upfront expense, while allowing us to scale capacity to keep up with the anticipated growth of our corporate customers,” said Gerry Askefalk, CTO for DGC AB.
* Stage 2 Networks is a New York-based VoIP services company that provides Hosted PBX services to small and medium businesses in the Northeastern region of the U.S. “Our customers expect reliability and scalability, and the IBM BladeCenter with the BroadWorks platform allows us to meet those expectations,” said Joe P. Gillette, CEO of Stage 2 Networks. “BroadSoft and IBM are partners whose solutions help us reduce total cost of ownership and give us the flexibility to add additional services without sacrificing performance.”

BroadSoft counts among its customers 7 of the top 10 carriers worldwide and 5 of the top 10 carriers in Europe, as measured by recent annual revenue, and 14 incumbent carriers in the United States. These carriers have selected the BroadWorks application platform to provide VoIP services to business and residential end users.

“The architecture of the BroadWorks platform enables our customers to minimize their upfront expenses and create new service offerings, including voice with video and fixed-mobile convergence solutions,” said Robert Weidenfeller, vice president of Engineering for BroadSoft. “Running our award-winning platform on the IBM BladeCenter family ensures our customers have the performance, redundancy and scalability required for carrier-class service delivery.”