Polycom Joins Pingtel's Ecosystem Partner Program as Preferred Provid

Polycom Joins Pingtel's Ecosystem Partner Program as Preferred Provider of SIP Phones

    Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

    PLEASANTON, Calif. & MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2005--

Pingtel Completes Certification of Polycom SoundPoint SIP Phones with SIPxchange to Offer Open-Source Solution and Standards-Based IP Handsets with Industry Leading VoIP Quality
    Polycom(R), Inc. (Nasdaq:PLCM), the world's leading provider of unified collaborative communications solutions, and Pingtel Corp., the leading provider of open source, commercial-grade enterprise communications solutions, today announced that Pingtel has completed certification of Polycom's SIP desktop phones and that Polycom has joined the Pingtel Ecosystem Partner Program as a preferred provider of standards-based SIP phones. Polycom's award-winning line of SoundPoint(R) SIP desktop phones are now fully certified to work with Pingtel's award-winning SIPxchange(TM), the enterprise SIP PBX for Linux. SIPxchange is the industry's only 100 percent SIP, 100 percent open source enterprise communications platform. By certifying with Pingtel's SIPxchange, Pingtel customers and channel partners can now enjoy all the benefits and capabilities of the standards-based Polycom SoundPoint desktop phones, as well as the ability to configure and manage these certified SIP phones directly from SIPxchange.
    "The certification of Polycom's SoundPoint IP phones with Pingtel's SIPxchange product complements our standards-based approach and creates exciting opportunities for customers and our certified VoIP channels," said Sunil Bhalla, senior vice president and general manager of voice communications at Polycom. "We recognize the power of SIP networking and the market requirement for the ability of customers to choose hardware components from a variety of vendors such as our standards-based phones. Pingtel's Ecosystem Program ensures the availability and interoperability of choice components. Through Pingtel's integrated provisioning system, Polycom's SoundPoint phones are easy to use, deploy and manage for the customer."
    "Utilizing Pingtel's VoIP technology helps us to level the playing field in the competitive New York City banking marketplace," said Eliot Robinson, executive vice president of Sterling National Bank, a Pingtel client. "They always go the extra mile by certifying third party components such as the Polycom line of SoundPoint SIP phones, enabling them to consistently ensure that their clients are getting cutting-edge technology and top-notch customer service."
    Pingtel's ecosystem of partner's hardware includes analog telephone adapters, gateways and other SIP-based enterprise communications products from innovative equipment vendors such as Polycom. Pingtel adds provisioning support via its browser oriented management console to further simplify the provisioning process. Solution providers and end customers around the world can freely combine ecosystem partner components with SIPxchange to create the ultimate enterprise communications system based on price and performance.
    Polycom's line of SoundPoint SIP phones offers standards-based flexibility with renowned Polycom voice quality and clarity. The phones are upgradeable via the network and offer rich feature support through a combination of intuitive hard and soft keys with a large graphical display, making it easy for users to transition to a VoIP environment. Polycom offers three models of SIP desktop phones, including the SoundPoint IP 300, SoundPoint IP 500 and the SoundPoint IP 600, which recently received a coveted Editor's Choice Award from Network Computing Magazine in a head-to-head test against other SIP desktop phones.
    "Polycom has long been known for the quality of their products and this quality is clearly evident in their SoundPoint line of SIP phones," said Bill Rich, CEO of Pingtel. "With thousands of these units already in the field, we at Pingtel are excited to introduce our channels and customers to Polycom's fully certified and supported line of SoundPoint SIP phones and we recommend them as a preferred phone for use with SIPxchange."
    Products certified as part of Pingtel's Ecosystem Partner Program undergo a rigorous testing and documentation program in Pingtel's test lab to ensure interoperability between the product and SIPxchange. For each product, Pingtel's certification engineers create and execute a specific test plan that covers three areas of interoperability -- SIP compliance, usability and feature compatibility. The SIPxchange documentation details all the steps required for a successful installation of Pingtel certified Ecosystem components. This ensures that end users can quickly configure Ecosystem products with SIPxchange in the field. Pingtel regularly retests vendor products to ensure interoperability is being maintained. Finally, Pingtel supports certified components when used in conjunction with SIPxchange.

    About Pingtel Corporation

    Pingtel is reshaping the communications market by delivering the first enterprise class SIP PBXs, SIP call managers/routers and SIP softphones based on 100% SIP, 100% open source software. Offering enterprise-class communications applications under Linux-style subscription licenses, Pingtel combines the best attributes of open source development -- low cost, adaptability and flexibility -- with the reliable solutions and support enterprises required for voice applications. Pingtel's open source SIP PBX is the linchpin technology that will catalyze the movement of enterprise communications into the data center and away from purpose-built hardware. Like enterprise-grade Linux, this approach will drive commoditization of traditional telephony hardware and software and eliminate vendor lock-ins that keep prices high and limit innovation. For more information, visit www.pingtel.com.

    About Polycom

    Polycom, Inc. is the worldwide leader in unified collaborative communications (UCC) that maximize the efficiency and productivity of people and organizations by integrating the broadest array of video, voice, data and Web solutions to deliver the ultimate communications experience. Polycom's high quality, standards-based conferencing and collaboration solutions are easy to deploy and manage, as well as intuitive to use. Supported by an open architecture, they integrate seamlessly with leading telephony and presence-based networks. With its market driving technologies, best-in-class products, alliance partnerships, and world-class service, Polycom is the smart choice for organizations seeking proven solutions and a competitive advantage in real-time communications and collaboration. For additional information call 1-800-POLYCOM (765-9266) or 408-526-9000, or visit the Polycom website at www.polycom.com.

    Note to Editors: Pingtel, SIPxchange, etc. are trademarks of Pingtel Corp. Polycom, the Polycom logo and SoundPoint are registered trademarks of Polycom in the U.S. and various countries. All other products or trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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CONTACT: Polycom, Inc. Kevin Young, 925-924-5706 kyoung@polycom.com or Connect2 Communications (for Pingtel) Richard M. Williams, 919-554-3532 rmwilliams@connect2comm.com

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA MASSACHUSETTS FLORIDA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HARDWARE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE NETWORKING PRODUCT MARKETING AGREEMENTS SOURCE: Polycom, Inc.

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