Cinergy Communications Selects Integral Access' PurePacket Solution for Integrated Business Services [April 5, 2004]

CHEMLSFORD, Mass. and EVANSVILLE, Ind., Apr 5, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Integral Access system allows Service Providers to expand their markets, attract and retain customers by enabling service differentiation to small to medium businesses while lowering network and operating cost.

Integral Access, Inc., the leading provider of Packet-based Access Networks today announced that Cinergy Communications, an integrated communications carrier based in Evansville, Indiana will use the PurePacket(TM) system to offer converged local access services including voice, data and Internet services to small and medium businesses throughout Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. Cinergy Communications will use the flexibility and operational efficiencies of the packet-based PurePacket solution to offer a comprehensive set of competitively priced integrated communications services - including local, long distance, hosted PBX, IP Telephony, high speed Internet access and Virtual Private Networks to business customers in its markets.

Cinergy Communications selected the PurePacket system for its strong operational efficiencies and the additional flexibility in offering both traditional and advanced IP services over a common packet based architecture. PurePacket's Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation capabilities also provide Cinergy Communications with service differentiation over traditional TDM based service offerings. "We are eager to begin upgrading our network with PurePacket and offering traditional and enhanced packet based services" said Pat Heck, CTO of Cinergy Communications. "PurePacket supports our vision of a unified voice and data network that will allow us to differentiate ourselves, grow and remain competitive for the foreseeable future".

The PurePacket system is an intelligent IP-based access solution that allows carriers to deliver a comprehensive set of converged services over a single, multi-purpose network regardless of the last mile link available for reaching customers. To maximize the traffic carrying capacity of networks and increase revenue opportunities for carriers, PurePacket uses a label switched architecture to route, transport and switch voice, video, and data transmissions in packet format. PurePacket provides simultaneous support for

-- domestic and international circuit-switch networks,

-- global softswitch architectures as a access gateway, and

-- next generation digital loop carrier - facilitating the migration to an all IP architecture.

"We have worked in partnership with Cinergy Communications over the past several months and are very happy that they have selected us for their network expansion. PurePacket will allow them to deliver new services while lowering their network and operating cost, a combination that is essential in order to remain competitive in today's telecommunications environment. " said Jack Cicon, CEO and President of Integral Access.

PurePacket enables carriers to deliver all services over a single network using virtually any transport media including copper pairs, xDSL, leased lines, and fiber links. It is the only 100 percent packet-based solution that uses a label-switched architecture to place network intelligence at the customer premises, and make connectionless networks behave like their connection-oriented predecessors. PurePacket enables service providers to guarantee QoS for latency sensitive voice calls and video transmissions, dynamically allocate bandwidth between voice, video and data applications, and offer/bill for multiple classes of service. The PurePacket(TM) solution is comprised of a packet-based access aggregation platform (PurePacketNode), Multi-Tenant Unit (MTU) aggregation platform (PurePacketCompact), customer premises integrated access devices (PurePacketOUTburst) and an operations management system (PurePacketOMS). This enables service providers to offer traditional voice and data services to Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SME) and broadband residential services. Service Providers can generate revenues through new services at lower costs than traditional overlay solutions. PurePacket's open architecture supports 3rd party IADs (TDM and IP) and integration with network management systems through standards-based interfaces.

About Cinergy Communications

Cinergy Communications offers local telephone service, long distance calling, Internet access, and web hosting to meet the needs of business and residential customers in Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Cinergy Communications has had a 30-year history of innovation as the first to offer an alternative to AT&T long distance service in Western Kentucky, as the first ISP in Southern Indiana, and as one of the first in its region to market an alternative to Ameritech and BellSouth. Additional information can be found at www.cinergycom.com. Cinergy Communications is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Q-Comm Corporation. Although Cinergy Corp. has licensed the use of its name to Q-Comm, it has no management oversight, control, or responsibility for Cinergy Communications..

About Integral Access

Integral Access, Inc. provides a carrier-class, IP based multi-service access platform for delivery of converged voice and data. It is the only packet-based access platform to utilize an MPLS architecture to enable carriers to offer differentiated services and combine voice/data on next generation IP-based networks, as well as traditional circuit switched and ATM infrastructures. The company offers a complete access platform, which includes central office, campus, and in-building aggregation platforms; line access gateway, customer premises equipment; and an object-oriented operations management system for network control and services management. Integral Access is headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, USA, and is privately held. To contact Integral Access call +1-978-256-8833, visit us on the web at http://www.integralaccess.com.

PurePacket, OUTburst, PurePacketNode, PurePacketCompact, PurePacketOMS, PurePacketPower, Integral Access, and the Integral Access logo are registered trademarks of Integral Access, Inc. All rights reserved. All other names are trademarks of their respective companies.

SOURCE: Integral Access, Inc.

Integral Access, Inc.
Guy Chenard, 978-367-7510
gchenard@integralaccess.com