Ericsson to provide global VoIP solution for CESCOM

Ericsson to provide global VoIP solution for CESCOM Ericsson has signed a contract for delivery of an international, carrier-class Voice over IP telephony solution with Canadian-based IP network operator, CESCOM. The five-year frame agreement makes Ericsson the sole supplier to CESCOM and is initially valued at USD 15 million (SEK 118 million) Ericsson will deliver a complete turnkey solution, including hardware, software and professional services. The first commercial phase will be in service by the end of July, with more than 25 countries connected for service by the end of 1999. "We selected Ericsson because of their leading world wide position as a provider of VoIP products and service," said Samir Talhami, President & Chief Executive Officer of CESCOM Inc. "By partnering with Ericsson, we will enter the market faster - and as a full-service supplier of IP telephony solutions with state-of-the-art products, services and solutions." CESCOM is building an advanced IP network and positioning itself as a Tier-1 Next-Generation Service Provider, with an international network footprint covering more than 50 countries. The CESCOM network will use Ericsson's robust carrier class IPT (Internet Protocol Telephony) system to offer toll-quality low-cost voice and fax services. Further, they will provide value-added services and VoIP telephony solutions to enterprise customers. "This order is further confirmation of Ericsson's leading position as a supplier of Voice over IP solutions," said Ericsson's Chief Executive Officer, Sven-Christer Nilsson. "We are very pleased that CESCOM has chosen us and our state-of-the art VoIP solution to help achieve their strategic objectives." With Ericsson's leading carrier-class infrastructure solutions, operators can guarantee toll-quality voice across a service network. Ericsson's IPT platform is deployed in more than 40 countries and has one of the largest installed bases of any IP telephony solution. Ericsson is the leading provider in the new telecoms world, with communications solutions that combine telecom and datacom technologies with freedom of mobility for the user. With more than 100,000 employees in 140 countries, Ericsson simplifies communications for its customers - network operators, service providers, enterprises and consumers - the world over. Please visit Ericsson's Press Room at: http://www.ericsson.se/pressroom FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Antoinette Torell, Ericsson Corporate Communications Phone: +46 70 519 3699; E-mail: antoinette.torell@lme.ericsson.se Bill Gajda, Director, Corporate Communications Ericsson Canada Inc. Phone: (905) 629-6838; E-mail: bill.gajda@ericsson.ca ABOUT CESCOM Founded in 1998, CESCOM is an international telecommunications company whose prime mission is to develop and market integrated communications services based on a unified IP technology platform. CESCOM also conducts R&D activities aimed at supporting the integration of new technologies and the development of value-added advanced telephony services as well as multimedia applications (videoconferencing, messaging and electronic commerce) that can be routed on a single network. Among CESCOM's shareholders are T2C2 of Montreal, Innovatech Grand Montréal and Innovatech Québec. For more information about CESCOM, visit http://www.cescom.ca