MCK COMMUNICATIONS AND TOLLBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES PARTNER FOR BUSINESS-QUALITY NEXT-GENERATION VOICE SERVICES OVER DSL AND CABLE NETWORKS
Interoperability and Co-marketing Agreement Marks Milestone for MCK as it Emerges as "Bridge" Between Legacy Voice Applications and Networks and Next-Generation ServicesNEEDHAM, Mass., and SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 14, 2000 - MCK Communications (NASDAQ: MCKC), a leading provider of solutions to enable the delivery of business-quality voice over existing and next-generation networks, and TollBridge Technologies, today announced the signing of a co-marketing and interoperability agreement. Under terms of the agreement, MCK and TollBridge will participate in joint marketing and sales activities, and will work closely together to enhance TollBridge's market-leading broadband-to-PSTN media gateway with MCK's EXTender suite of products for next-generation service providers. TollBridge and MCK intend to combine efforts to improve interoperability of business quality remote voice over broadband services. MCK's corporate voice solution will leverage DSL and cable deployments that allow derived voice capabilities using TollBridge's solution to enable local dialing capabilities, combined with traditional PBX extension. This combination of technologies will provide next-generation service providers, Application Service Providers (ASPs) and Integrated Communication Providers (ICPs) the flexibility to determine, on a per-subscriber basis, to utilize their existing Class switch infrastructure or a next-generation network to extend business-quality remote voice as a value-added application. This flexibility will enable these service providers to maximize existing investments in Class switches to deliver traditional voice services while providing a platform for value-added services over DSL, cable, wireless and IP-based networks. "The existing class 5 circuit switches and next-generation based services and applications will continue to co-exist in the network for some time to come," said Kevin Conklin, director of business development at TollBridge Technologies. "TollBridge's broadband services platform, deployed with MCK's remote voice solutions provide the platform for companies to continue to deploy familiar PSTN-based applications and solutions with next-generation networks and next-generation telephony services." "This relationship addresses the blurring line between voice and data over converged networks, said Al Brisard, vice president of marketing for MCK. "Working with TollBridge marks yet another milestone in MCK's quest to partner with leading next-generation equipment and service providers, leveraging the network to deliver business quality voice to more branch offices, remote workers and telecommuters - inexpensively and faster." MCK's remote voice solutions are designed for off-premises employees such as branch offices, small and regional offices, call centers and telecommuters who need full connectivity to the corporate PBX via LAN or WAN. MCK's EXTender products allow a corporation to leverage its investment in the PBX by extending lines to remote users at a fraction of the cost of traditional stand-alone PBX systems, key systems or Centrex. The major applications for MCK's remote voice technology are through branch offices with 24 or fewer employees (with cost savings and seamless connectivity over data networks); call center agents (enhancing employee retention, staffing flexibility, and reduced real estate costs); road warrior telecommuters (improved control and accessibility); and the ability to create virtual offices for telecommuters. MCK has seen a surge in its voice products for remote workers as well as an increase in applications dependent on MCK's provisioning of corporate voice on IP and other next-generation networks. MCK delivers corporate quality voice products that enhance the corporation's investment in voice applications and the PBX. MCK allows corporations to extend the feature-rich PBX to any type of remote user-- branch office, road warrior or full-time teleworker -- over any network, circuit or packet, from POTS to broadband. About MCK Communications MCK Communications, Inc. develops and markets a comprehensive portfolio of business voice applications and solutions for branch offices, call centers and telecommuters over traditional voice, data or next-generation networks. The company, which is ISO 9001-certified, has earned a reputation for excellence and innovation by building leading-edge communications products that enhance customers' networked voice systems. Headquartered in Needham, Mass., the Company has an R&D facility in Calgary, Alberta and an Applications Business Unit in Allen, Texas. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.mck.com. For Investor Relations information, call our toll free number at 888-454-7979 or contact us via e-mail at IR@mck.com. About TollBridge Technologies Founded in March 1998 and located in Santa Clara, TollBridge Technologies -- selected as one of UPSIDE's Top 100 Private Companies (May 2000) -- is the leading provider of high-quality voice-over-broadband solutions to the new generation of carriers. TollBridge's solutions change the economics of delivering voice services to small-business customers by allowing carriers that own Class 5 switches to use broadband access technologies, such as DSL, cable, and wireless, to bypass the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) and deliver toll-quality voice and integrated data services. Portions of this release contain forward-looking statements regarding future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. We wish to caution you that there are some factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results indicated by such statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: the ability to integrate DTI and its products with MCK and its products, the timing and replacement of legacy PBX systems with network-hosted PBX systems, the adoption of IP networks as a medium to transport voice, market acceptance of our products including the MCK Branch product and our new IP products, our ability to keep pace with rapidly changing product requirements and factors affecting the demand for remote voice technologies, our reliance on a small number of customers for a significant portion of our revenues, and other risks detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which may be accessed through the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. TollBridge and TollVoiceTM are trademarks of TollBridge Technologies, Inc. All other service marks and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
