– Available in 75 Languages, T9 Predictive Text is Becoming a Popular Way to Spread Holiday Cheer around the World via SMS and Charitable Giving –   

BURLINGTON, Mass., December 16, 2008 – The holidays are finally here and what better way to spread the holiday cheer than with a text message to your friends and family.  People around the world are sending the season’s greetings via email, IM and SMS mobile messaging, and with Nuance Communication Inc.’s (NASDAQ: NUAN) T9 ® Text Input it’s easy, with support for upwards of 75 languages worldwide on a broad range of handsets.  

Nuance’s T9 makes saying “Happy Holidays” easier than ever for a variety of languages, including:

·         Simplified Chinese: “jié rì kuài lè”

·         Hindi: “Chuttiyo Ki Shubh kaamnayein”

·         Arabic: “Kullu Sana wa Antum bi-Khayr”

·         Indonesian: “Selamat Hari Raya”

·         Portuguese: “Festas Felizes”

·         Russian: “S Praznikom”

·         Spanish: “Felices Fiestas”

·         French: “Joyeuses Fetes”

And with word completion and next word prediction, sending your friends and family warm holiday wishes becomes easier each time you hit send.  If your phone doesn’t support the languages above, just add the words to your predictive text dictionary to say “Happy Holidays” in a variety of languages.   

 T9 is the industry-leading predictive text solution enabling text-based mobile communications services, making mobile phone keypads easier to navigate by allowing for one simple key press per letter – placing the power of a full QWERTY keyboard in the standard nine keys on wireless phones.  Text messages are fast becoming the preferred mobile communication application, with a recent study from Nielsen Mobile showing that text messaging is overtaking mobile voice calls.   Charitable Giving Made Easy through Text It’s also possible to give back with text messaging this holiday season.  Organizations are increasingly tapping into SMS text messaging as a means to providing mobile users with an easy way to contribute to their favorite charities.  A few ideas include:

·         Support the American Red Cross Text2Help Initiative, a partnership between the American Red Cross and The Wireless Foundation that allows customers of participating wireless carriers to send a text message to the Red Cross and make a donation to support the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.  Subscribers of participating wireless carriers can donate $5 to American Red Cross disaster relief efforts simply by text messaging the keyword “GIVE” to “2HELP” (24357). 

·         Give to the Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation, dedicated to bringing meaningful opportunities to children in the U.S. and abroad, while also striving to bring light and laughter into their lives through unique entertainment and special events.  By texting “CHILD” to 90999, you’ll donate $5 to the fund.

·         Provide anti-malaria bed nets to those living in Africa through the UN Foundation’s Nothing but Nets campaign.  All you have to do is text “BEDNET” to 90999 to give your donation of $5.

·         Donating is made easy with PayPal’s Text2Give service.  Simply activate your phone to participate in the service and you can start giving on the spot.  Participating charities include UNICEF, Amnesty International and Starlight, Starbright Children’s Foundation.

To see if you have T9, and learn more about how to give back and the many ways you can say “Happy Holidays,” visit www.nuance.com/t9holidays.

About Nuance MobileNuance Mobile builds innovative, intelligent and intuitive touch and speech interfaces to simplify and enhance the way people interact with mobile devices, applications, and services.  Nuance Mobile solutions make mobile devices and in-car systems easier to use, automate customer self-service, and optimize the access and discovery of even the most advanced mobile applications and content – regardless of technical know-how, location, environment, or physical and literacy capabilities. About Nuance Communications, Inc.Nuance is a leading provider of speech and imaging solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with information and how they create, share and use documents. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications and professional services. For more information, please visit: nuance.com.# # # Nuance T9  and the Nuance logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States of America and/or other countries. All other company names or product names may be the trademarks of their respective owners.   The American Red Cross name is used with its permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement,express or implied, of any company, product or service. The statements in this press release, relating to future plans or future events or services, are forward-looking statements which are subject to specific risks and uncertainties. These could involve particular market trends, competition factors and other risks described in the documents submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The actual results, events and services may vary significantly from the forecasts. The reader is warned not to rely on these forward-looking statements without reservation, since these are simply reflections of the current situation.

Ditech helps maximize network capacity and ensure wireless call quality as rapid-growth carriers transition to IP networks  

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., December 15, 2008 – Ditech Networks (Nasdaq: DITC), a leading provider of voice quality solutions to the world’s communications industry, announced today that its industry-leading voice processing platforms are now deployed by four major mobile operators in the Middle East region.  Algerian carrier Djezzy, Pakistan’s Mobilink and Egypt’s Mobinil, some of the chief carriers in the area, are implementing Ditech’s Voice Quality Assurance (VQA) solution to provide their subscribers with superior mobile call quality without purchasing additional spectrum or network infrastructure, a common issue in this region. In developing markets such as the Middle East, new mobile service plans are being sold at an incredibly fast pace. Unfortunately, while promising for local economies, rapid increases in subscribership can have a negative impact on voice quality. In Ditech’s 2008 audit of over 630 million wireless calls worldwide, developing markets including the Middle East were plagued with poor voice quality on 59 percent of all calls.   To quickly and cost-effectively accommodate new users, many carriers implement low bit-rate or half-rate codecs.  In the presence of background noise or during peak calling periods, however, this tactic can seriously impact the call experience. Rapid-growth carriers like Djezzy and Mobinil have adopted Ditech’s VQA to help maximize their network capacity while maintaining voice quality for subscribers. Additionally, Ditech can offer mobile carriers voice quality solutions for 2G/TDM networks and the more advanced 3G, IP, LTE or WiMAX networks. This enables growing mobile carriers to provide superior voice quality over their 2G/TDM networks as well as next-generation networks.  This eases migration for carriers by alleviating the need to deal with several different vendors for each technology. Ditech’s voice quality products allow them to operate hybrid networks, which frequently occurs when deploying new technologies or services throughout a network. “Carriers in the Middle East have numerous challenges to overcome in maintaining a differentiated service for their customers, namely, high subscriber growth, varying customer requirements, and diverse geographies,” said Karl Brown, VP of Marketing for Ditech Networks.  “We are proud to play a key role in balancing the region’s mobile growth with providing superior voice quality to customers.” Ditech’s VQA solution is available on the Ditech’s Broadband Voice Processor (BVP) Flex and Packet Voice Processor (PVP) voice processing platforms, which provide a high-density, high-performance foundation for processing the large number of calls that traverse carrier networks. Both platforms are highly adaptable and easily reconfigured or upgraded while in service to meet operations needs or to accommodate new technologies carriers may want to deploy. 

About Ditech Networks Ditech Networks is shaping the future of voice quality through continuous innovation and leadership for the world’s communications companies. Ditech’s voice quality solutions are deployed in wireless and wireline networks to optimize the call experience. By delivering consistent, dependable voice quality, Ditech’s products help global communications companies meet the multiple challenges of service differentiation, network expansion and call capacity. Ditech’s customers include Verizon, Sprint/Nextel, Orascom Telecom, AT&T, China Unicom, Global Crossing and West Corporation. Ditech Networks is headquartered in Mountain View, California. For more information, visit www.ditechnetworks.com.   

Press Contact:   Rob Adler      415-984-1970                                       

 Investor Contact:       Bill Tamblyn      650-623-1309

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MTS Allstream Delivers New Hosted Voice Services with Acme Packet

Acme Packet Net-Net session border controllers deployed to maximize security and reach of
MTS Allstream’s hosted VoIP services for small and medium businesses throughout Canada

BURLINGTON, MA, DECEMBER 16, 2008 — Acme Packet® (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, today announced that MTS Allstream, one of Canada’s leading national communication solutions providers, has deployed Acme Packet’s Net-Net® session border controllers (SBCs) to support its hosted VoIP services for small-to-medium businesses (SMBs). Acme Packet SBCs were chosen by MTS Allstream because they deliver the high reliability, security and interoperability required to deliver trusted business services to MTS Allstream’s business customers.MTS Allstream offers flexible telecommunications solutions using its pan-Canadian fiber optic network. As part of a multi-vendor solution, Acme Packet SBCs are deployed at the access border, providing security and control for MTS Allstream’s Hosted Phone System. The Hosted Phone System is a feature-rich VoIP-based PBX that is hosted by MTS Allstream. The system uses a business-grade online portal that allows users to personalize their communications with Find Me call routing, remote access to the system and many other advanced business calling features. Acme Packet’s security framework, Net-SAFE®, provides denial of service (DoS) attack prevention, topology hiding and access control to protect MTS Allstream’s VoIP core and ensure network availability. Enabling seamless communications across IP network borders, Net-Net SBCs are used to mediate the protocol differences between the multiple vendors and traverse firewalls and NAT devices at the business customer sites. Acme Packet SBCs support MGCP signaling along with SIP, H.323 and H.248, providing MTS Allstream greater flexibility and migration for its network architecture.“Acme Packet’s session border controllers fulfill our requirements today as part of a multi-vendor solution and will provide flexibility as our network evolves,” said Michael Strople, vice president, technology development, MTS Allstream. “In addition to the high availability and interoperability that we require for our network, Acme Packet also provides knowledgeable, hands-on support to help us deliver trusted business solutions.”“Service providers must create trusted IP network borders not only for themselves, but also their business customers, in the delivery of new IP services and applications requiring end-to-end connectivity,” said Seamus Hourihan, vice president of marketing and product management for Acme Packet.  “Using our Net-Net SBCs, MTS Allstream is addressing the needs of the SMB market with its hosted VoIP service and successfully attracting new customers.”

About Acme Packet

Acme Packet, Inc. (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, enables the delivery of trusted, first-class interactive communications—voice, video and multimedia sessions—and data services across IP network borders. Our Net-Net family of session border controllers, multiservice security gateways and session routing proxies supports multiple applications in service provider, large enterprise and contact center networks—from VoIP trunking to hosted enterprise and residential services to fixed-mobile convergence. They satisfy critical security, service assurance and regulatory requirements in wireline, cable and wireless networks; and support multiple protocols—SIP, H.323, MGCP/NCS and H.248—and multiple border points—interconnect, access and data center. Our products have been selected by more than 580 customers in 85 countries, including 29 of the top 30, and 84 of the top 100 service providers in the world. For more information, contact us at +1 781.328.4400, or visit www.acmepacket.com.

About Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary MTS Allstream Inc., is one of Canada’s leading national communication solutions providers, delivering innovative products and services through its Enterprise Solutions and Consumer Markets divisions. The Enterprise Solutions division, which operates under the Allstream brand nationally and under the MTS Allstream brand in Manitoba, is a leading competitor in the national business and wholesale markets. This division offers customers a portfolio of solutions tailored to the needs of medium and large businesses looking for success in a world of rapidly evolving technology – Internet protocol connectivity, unified communications, IT consulting and security services, and voice and data connectivity services. The Consumer Markets division leads every telecommunications market segment in Manitoba, delivering a full suite of next generation wireless, high-speed Internet and data, digital television and wireline voice services under the MTS brand, as well as small business services in select markets across Canada under the Allstream brand, and security and alarm monitoring services through the company’s subsidiary AAA Alarm Systems Ltd., which also operates in other western provinces. The company’s extensive national broadband fibre optic network spans more than 24,300 kilometres, and provides international connections through strategic alliances and interconnection agreements with other international service providers. Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.’s common shares are listed on The Toronto Stock Exchange (trading symbol: MBT). For more information, please visit: www.mtsallstream.com.  

Acme Packet Safe Harbor Statement

Statements contained herein that are not historical fact may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements may relate, among other things, to our position in the session border control market, our expected financial and operating results, our ability to establish and maintain intellectual property rights, our ability to build and grow Acme Packet, the benefits and advantages of our products, including any enhancements or new features, services and programs, and our ability to achieve our goals, plans and objectives. Such forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These include, but are not limited to: difficulties in growing our customer base, difficulties leveraging market opportunities, difficulties providing solutions that meet the needs of customers, poor product sales, long sales cycles, difficulty developing new products, difficulty in relationships with vendors and partners, higher risk in international operations, difficulty managing rapid growth, and increased competition. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially form those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements are contained in our recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in such filings.

# # # 

Korea Cable Telecom Expands Acme Packet SBC Deployment for VoIP Services

Acme Packet Net-Net session border controllers enable Korea Cable Telecom to reach
 more customers with trusted, first-class IP interactive communications

BURLINGTON, MA, DECEMBER 16, 2008 — Acme Packet® (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, today announced that Korea Cable Telecom (KCT), a consortium of seven cable operators providing VoIP services throughout Korea, has expanded its deployment of Acme Packet Net-Net® session border controllers (SBCs) to satisfy subscriber growth. Acme Packet was initially selected by KCT in 2006 to support its hosted VoIP services launched at that time. KCT is using Acme Packet’s SBCs to deliver secure VoIP services to its base of 12 million cable subscribers in Korea. KCT uses a number of Acme Packet’s critical control functions for security and service reach maximization. Acme Packet’s security framework, Net-SAFE®, provides denial of service (DoS) attack prevention, topology hiding and access control to protect KCT’s VoIP core and ensure network availability. The Net-Net SBCs offer proven signaling interoperability with a broad range of products, using Acme Packet’s SIP header manipulation feature to accelerate deployment and maximize the reach of KCT’s services. The Net-Net SBCs’ hosted NAT traversal capability also allows SIP sessions to traverse existing data firewall/NAT devices at KCT’s subscribers’ homes.“KCT’s goal is to significantly grow our subscriber base in 2008, meeting the burgeoning demand throughout Korea for next-generation IP communications,” said Oh Young-Cheol, CTO from KCT. “We found the Net-Net SBC solution to be the most advanced and capable when we first deployed it, and now Acme Packet is helping enable our expansion endeavor by delivering interoperability and critical control functions instrumental to our success.”“As an aggressive company in a competitive communications market, KCT needs to offer its customers a clearly compelling service offering,” said Seamus Hourihan, vice president of marketing and product management for Acme Packet. “Acme Packet’s SBCs deliver the capabilities and features that enable KCT to blend key features and functions with the security and reliability that KCT’s customers demand.”

About Acme Packet

Acme Packet, Inc. (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, enables the delivery of trusted, first-class interactive communications—voice, video and multimedia sessions—and data services across IP network borders. Our Net-Net family of session border controllers, multiservice security gateways and session routing proxies supports multiple applications in service provider, large enterprise and contact center networks—from VoIP trunking to hosted enterprise and residential services to fixed-mobile convergence. They satisfy critical security, service assurance and regulatory requirements in wireline, cable and wireless networks; and support multiple protocols—SIP, H.323, MGCP/NCS and H.248—and multiple border points—interconnect, access and data center. Our products have been selected by more than 580 customers in 85 countries, including 29 of the top 30, and 84 of the top 100 service providers in the world. For more information, contact us at +1 781.328.4400, or visit www.acmepacket.com.   

Acme Packet Safe Harbor StatementStatements contained herein that are not historical fact may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements may relate, among other things, to our position in the session border control market, our expected financial and operating results, our ability to establish and maintain intellectual property rights, our ability to build and grow Acme Packet, the benefits and advantages of our products, including any enhancements or new features, services and programs, and our ability to achieve our goals, plans and objectives. Such forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These include, but are not limited to: difficulties in growing our customer base, difficulties leveraging market opportunities, difficulties providing solutions that meet the needs of customers, poor product sales, long sales cycles, difficulty developing new products, difficulty in relationships with vendors and partners, higher risk in international operations, difficulty managing rapid growth, and increased competition. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially form those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements are contained in our recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in such filings. 

# # #

Simi Valley, CA Dec. 10, 2008 InterMetro Communications, Inc. (IMTO.OB) announced today that Kenneth Fish has been appointed as its new Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Fish’s most notable recent posts were as V.P. Corporate Finance/Strategic Planning and V.P. Corporate Business Development for Allergan, a publicly traded biotechnology and specialty pharmaceutical company with over $3Billion in annual sales. Between the two positions held at Allergan, Mr. Fish was responsible for quarterly forecasting and annual budgets; managing investor relations; managing in-licensing and out-licensing deals; as well as completing several M & A transactions.

Prior to his tenure at Allergan, Mr. Fish worked for 10 years in telecommunications, holding senior executive posts at Hughes Electronics, Airtouch Communications and MCI, all three large public telecommunications companies. Across these roles he led business planning, accounting and tax structuring; managed company valuations; handled due diligence on mergers & acquisitions; as well as negotiated purchase and sale agreements, joint ventures and partnerships. While with Hughes, a publicly traded $7.5B (annual revenue) telecom and media subsidiary of General Motors, Mr. Fish led three IPOs, including the XM Satellite Radio IPO (prior to its sale to News Corporation). He was also instrumentally involved in the creation of new business units in over twenty countries, which included serving as the launch CFO of Airtouch projects in Argentina, Brazil, Egypt and Turkey. Mr. Fish holds his MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, with dual concentration in finance and strategy, and his BA, cum laude, from Princeton University. more

AT&T Inc. today announced the close of its Wayport, Inc. acquisition. The Wayport resources significantly advance AT&T’s strategy for deploying consumer Wi-Fi services that provide broadband access across devices, personalized for the user and location, and innovative business Wi-Fi applications designed to reduce operating costs and increase productivity. 

The Wayport deal adds local Wi-Fi network management and infrastructure expertise to AT&T’s world-class communications capabilities and brings its number of domestic hotspots to nearly 20,000 – the most of any U.S. provider. Globally, AT&T has nearly 80,000 Wi-Fi hotspots, including roaming locations. 

Further advancing its Wi-Fi strategy, AT&T is nearing completion of the transition of thousands of Starbucks company-owned stores in the United States to AT&T Wi-Fi ^SM service, strengthening AT&T’s ability to personalize broadband access across devices and customer location.   

Specifically, customers at nearly 7,000 company-operated Starbucks locations can now access a tailored, online experience – including local Starbucks content – while logging on to the Internet from their Wi-Fi enabled smartphones, laptop computers and other devices.  

“Looking ahead, we see Wi-Fi as a strategic opportunity for AT&T,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.  “We plan to build on our leadership as the largest Wi-Fi provider – bringing more connectivity to more consumers – and working closely with our enterprise customers to enhance and personalize their customer communications and improve the efficiency of their operations.” 

According to Yankee Group, the number of Wi-Fi enabled wireless handsets will grow by at least 175 percent over the next three years. Other reports have projected that more than 1 billion Wi-Fi enabled devices, including wireless handsets, will be shipped in 2012.  AT&T is the provider of several popular Wi-Fi enabled devices including the iPhone 3G the BlackBerry^® Bold^™.  

AT&T continues to see a dramatic spike in Wi-Fi use. Combining both AT&T and Wayport customer use, Wi-Fi connections in November alone surpassed 2.5 million. AT&T drives Wi-Fi use by enabling free Wi-Fi access to nearly 15 million AT&T wired broadband customers, and millions more wireless customers, and is a leading provider of Wi-Fi enabled mobile phones.  

For businesses, AT&T Wi-Fi service personalizes their interaction with customers, and delivers innovative applications designed to reduce operating costs and increase productivity. Wi-Fi can enable such integral business tools as inventory management to provide real-time data on in-store stock volumes, product sales, forecasts and more.  These applications can be especially useful for the growing number of remote workers wanting access to their company’s enterprises anytime, anywhere. 

“As companies look to more cost-effectively ‘virtualize’ supply chains and conduct business around the globe, a single, managed Wi-Fi network is a critical element,” said Roberta Wiggins, Yankee Group. “A company that can deliver on this growing enterprise demand has a multibillion dollar market opportunity.”  

AT&T also managed the transition of Starbucks back-end store network to an innovative new solution – in addition to its customer facing Wi-Fi connections – giving Starbucks the robust infrastructure it needs to deliver new consumer experiences and business solutions while at the same time reducing their overall costs of the store network.

AT&T is combining the power of its global network platform with a subscription-based PeopleSoft solution from Oracle to provide midsize companies in the U.S. with a better way to handle human resources, payroll and back-office operations.  

AT&T Inc. recently announced an end-to-end, hosted PeopleSoft payroll and payroll tax solution that combines AT&T’s business process outsourcing services with its innovative utility computing platform and application management capabilities. It gives companies the ability to use a PeopleSoft application to add employees quickly, track pay and benefits and connect with financial back-end systems while calculating payroll deductions.

The solution is targeted to midsize companies as a bundled package that includes a monthly, per-employee fee, which helps businesses reduce the upfront costs typically associated with a large, complex software implementation and softens the impact of license fees.  

The solution is delivered over AT&T’s next-generation Synaptic Hosting^SM platform that creates a virtual infrastructure that lets customers add computing capacity, bandwidth and storage space as needed. The platform further allows customers to adjust capacity quickly, while paying only for the amount used. In addition, AT&T is offering a fixed-fee, fast-track program for out-of-the-box PeopleSoft solutions that helps speed the installation time and cut costs when compared with a customized PeopleSoft implementation. 

The announcement builds upon the long, strategic relationship between AT&T and Oracle. AT&T is a PeopleSoft Application Hosting Partner and an Oracle PartnerNetwork Certified Advantage Partner. 

“The relationship between AT&T and Oracle is a testament to the commitment we share to each other’s success,” said Ronald E. Spears, president and chief executive officer, AT&T Business Solutions. “Today’s announcement is further proof of how the intelligence of AT&T’s network and its software service-based delivery model complements Oracle’s application solutions to make it possible for even more businesses to operate successfully at greater scale and velocity.”  

Keith Block, executive vice president, Oracle North America Sales, said: “We are excited to work with AT&T to address the need for a cost-effective, predictably priced human resource service for companies that prefer to focus their efforts on their core differentiators. This is especially true in today’s uncertain economic climate where companies of all sizes are looking for ways to reduce costs, increase flexibility and decrease business risk.”  

AT&T is committed to delivering, managing and supporting sophisticated applications of all types required by companies of all sizes. For example, AT&T today provides solutions for companies that want to extend their business-critical information to mobile employees through hand-held devices. AT&T recently announced new mobility services, AT&T Mobile Enterprise Applications, that are designed to help companies in targeted vertical industries deliver mobile field service automation, sales force automation and information technology support for Oracle applications. 

As a Certified Advantage Partner in the Oracle PartnerNetwork, AT&T has a strong history of implementing and supporting hosted Oracle products including Oracle^® Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) for multinational companies. OBIEE provides interactive dashboards with real-time analytics such as ad-hoc queries, alerts, enterprise and financial reporting in formats that are simple and intuitive to interpret. The dashboards are published and delivered over the AT&T network in familiar formats including mobile handsets.  

More information about AT&T’s hosting and application services can be found at http://www.business.att.com/enterprise/Portfolio/application-hosting-enterprise.

Global Communications and IT Solutions Leader Identifies Top Technology Trends to Help Businesses Reach New Heights in Year Ahead  

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – The global economy is front and center, and enterprises worldwide are looking to get the biggest bang for their buck in 2009.  With that in mind, Verizon Business has identified 10 business technology trends to help corporate and government information technology (IT) leaders do more with less.“These challenging times present IT leaders with an opportunity to make technology work harder and smarter to get the job done,” said Nancy Gofus, senior vice president of global business products for Verizon.  “We’re at a crossroads, where cost-cutting and technological innovation can actually unite to create new business capabilities in spite of the economic climate.  Verizon Business stands ready to help large businesses and government agencies worldwide make the most of communications and IT to propel their enterprises forward.”

Here’s Verizon Business’ list of 10 hot trends for 2009:

Enterprise 2.0 

The workplace is ever-changing and yesterday’s work style is being replaced with a more interactive exchange of ideas inspired by social networking tools such as Facebook, Wikis, Mash-ups, Twitter and Digg-it. Web 2.0 is quickly evolving into Enterprise 2.0 as these rich capabilities are creating new business models for some companies and empowering new strategies for others.  Removing traditional barriers of walls, wires, time and distance — reflective of today’s often globally dispersed enterprises — in favor of new social networking tools will enable workers to connect to their extended network of customers, suppliers, vendors and employees in new and exciting ways. Look for Enterprise 2.0 to help organizations take their game to the next level through enhanced collaboration, communications and sharing ideas.   

Work as Activity Versus Place 

Organizations want their employees to get their jobs done no matter where they are.  For that reason, teleworking is becoming a strategic imperative.   Companies will continue to recognize the productivity-boosting benefits of enabling mobile teleworkers or at-home teleworkers to remain securely connected to corporate resources.  The environment will also benefit as more businesses, government agencies and municipalities recognize the energy savings that can result from teleworking and “hoteling” (using office space on an as- needed basis, like a hotel room). Telework, including new high-definition virtual meetings, will create an increased focus on work as an activity versus a physical location, and companies will be able to hire and retain professional talent regardless of where they are located.  Managed mobility offerings will help businesses track, monitor, secure and manage the plethora of mobile devices accessing corporate networks. 

Doing More with Less

Businesses and governments everywhere are looking for ways to do more with less.  That holds true whether it means using managed services or tuning up existing networks instead of building new ones. IT organizations are also looking for the right technologies, such as sophisticated automated speech systems, to better serve customers.  In 2009, it’s all about productivity. Companies can choose which functions to keep in-house and which to hand off to a third party. Flexibility, the need for specific skill-sets and globalization are making selective out-tasking the preferred model. With managed services, companies can focus on what they do best and leave some of the highly specialized work such as IT, security, networks and call centers, to experts. 

Visual Communications 

Video will continue to play a starring role, as companies make the most of their IP connections to create a culture of collaboration.  From the boardroom to the desktop to the laptop to the mobile phone, more collaboration will take place, as companies increasingly embrace the cost-savings, productivity and environmental benefits of virtual meetings versus business travel.   High-definition video will begin to pay off for extended enterprise communications between employees, customers, suppliers and partners.  In addition to interactive video collaboration, video functions will be incorporated in the enterprise for on-demand content distribution, including on-the-job training.  As high-definition video equipment becomes more affordable and interoperable, the opportunity to video-enable corporate IP network endpoints will allow companies to rev-up their existing networks with minimal investment.

Unified Communications Integrated Into Business Processes 

If voice over IP (VoIP) is thought to be the first return on an IP network investment, unified communications (UC) will be the gift that keeps on giving.  Unified communications uses Internet protocol networks to integrate various systems, media, devices and applications to help streamline business processes, accelerate decision-making, and reduce costs. With UC now at the forefront of business communications strategies, companies are making decisions about voice telephony that will help them achieve greater collaboration and productivity.  Workers leveraging presence capabilities in a UC environment can gain more control over work flow and time management as well as expedited communications.  What’s next: UC integrated into automated business processes, where human and machine intelligence commingle in an IP world to drive even greater business growth.

Ready, Set Go IPv6            

The number of IP-addressable devices and systems is skyrocketing within enterprises and few organizations have current documented data on what those IP assets are, how they are being used and which ones are most critical to their operations.  Knowing which IP addressable elements are linked to which business needs will enable IT leaders to prioritize the data and applications that will need to be future-proofed with IPv6 capabilities while phasing out those that are idle or counter productive to operations.  IPv6 will be a necessity for companies to achieve mobility and scalability with increased efficiency and ultimately move their businesses forward.   

Getting SaaSy

The network becomes king once again in 2009 making it the perfect platform for software-as-a-service (SaaS) delivery. Serving content, applications and security in a centralized online environment will become the rage.  Buying computing resources a la carte will help companies control costs while attaining the security, performance, scalability and reliability required for the enterprise.  Consuming IT resources (connectivity, server and storage) on an as-needed basis will keep IT costs in control and eliminate the need, time and effort to outfit every desktop. Centralization will keep IT departments on top of their game in 2009.    360 Security  

Professionals will need to be security-conscious in and out of the office. Whether at home or on-the-go, security needs to be considered every step of the way.  Three hundred sixty-degree security, mandatory on any IT checklist, requires that the flow of data be protected in and out of the corporate network and through the extended enterprise of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees. Security will touch every endpoint, every device and every situation, both physical and logical. Home and office require equal protection as boundaries continue to blur.

Eco-Responsibility as Sound Business Strategy 

Companies will evaluate eco-responsibility along with their technology investments as part of an overall business strategy.  Corporate social responsibility is becoming increasingly important in how companies are viewed by their employees, customers and investors.  What’s good for the environment also happens to make good business sense.  According to “Smart 2020: Enabling the low carbon economy in the information age” published by The Climate Group, information communication technology (ICT) can reduce total global carbon emissions by 15 percent by the year 2020. If companies can reduce their energy consumption, they can also reduce their energy costs to gain a competitive advantage.  What’s more, savvy companies today are embracing the green initiative to get ahead of government and business mandates that will eventually force the issue.

Cutting Through the Compliance Clutter 

Compliance and regulatory oversight are here to stay. In 2009, expect more, not less, with IT in the hot seat for ensuring IT systems are fully compliant and all the right controls are in place. Enterprises should be prepared to be strategic, think innovatively and act decisively.  Professional services and Web-based dashboards that help track, monitor and enable controls for compliance will provide the foundation for companies looking to get it right.  These “smart” tools also will allow an organization to quickly review whether its partners, customers and suppliers, which form an extended network, are complying with relevant standards and regulations, a critical consideration in today’s increasingly connected world. 

“To these predictions,” concluded Gofus, “we will add one more: Businesses worldwide will need to be quick and nimble in the coming year. Those that leverage the benefits of technology to power their business objectives will weather the storm and become even stronger in the long run. Our expert staff is trained to help companies navigate these turbulent waters and deliver a comprehensive suite of integrated, secure communications and IT solutions, including managed and professional services that enable companies to focus on their core business.”     

About Verizon Business

Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with the world’s most connected IP network to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions. We securely connect today’s extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees — enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment.  Many of the world’s largest businesses and governments — including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions — rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com. 

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DALLAS, Texas, and SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 8, 2008 — AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) announced today the availability of multipoint, intercompany connectivity via the AT&T Telepresence Solution. The solution allows companies to extend Cisco TelePresence multipoint meetings beyond the enterprise boundary to help enable meetings with customers, suppliers and partners using the AT&T Business Exchange.

The AT&T Telepresence Solution creates unique, “in-person” experiences with the simplicity of a phone call as well as provides a “meet me” feature with a secure PIN code that simplifies intercompany calling — a key component and an industry-first feature that distinguishes the AT&T solution from any other telepresence offer available today. Cisco TelePresence Multipoint is the ability to bring many rooms together in a single meeting, so that people can sit face to face in one virtual meeting room, without any performance degradation.

AT&T Telepresence Solution now offers unique multipoint functionality and highly secure intercompany capabilities, which allow multiple locations within and between companies to connect to each other. These new capabilities represent the latest milestone in AT&T’s efforts to provide businesses with powerful and cost-effective collaboration tools while helping decrease costs associated with business travel.
“The availability of the multipoint capability demonstrates the progress AT&T and Cisco are making together in the delivery and continued development of the AT&T Telepresence Solution,” said Ronald E. Spears, president and CEO of AT&T Business Solutions. “The economic benefit to subscribers of the AT&T Telepresence Solution is now stronger than before — more locations in a highly secure, reliable, high-quality meeting environment can further reduce travel costs, shorten cycle time and improve decision making.”

Marthin De Beer, senior vice president for Emerging Technologies at Cisco, said: “We are very pleased to be working closely with AT&T to enable more businesses to receive the financial and productivity-enhancing benefits of Cisco TelePresence solutions. Now more than ever, companies need to make prudent business decisions in a cost-effective manner. Cisco TelePresence enables companies to improve productivity and reduce expenses while at the same time collaborate better and improve business innovation.”

The AT&T Telepresence Solution enables businesses to interact and collaborate with others, using the power of Cisco TelePresence to deliver life-size images via High Definition video (1080p) and spatial audio within a specially designed environment. This creates the experience of being in the same room with remote participants, whether they are down the street or halfway around the world.

The AT&T solution also features concierge service and a scheduling and administration portal, which complements common enterprise calendar applications, making it easy to schedule a multipoint intercompany call with just the push of a button.

The AT&T Telepresence Solution provides AT&T-owned Cisco TelePresence equipment, installation, full monitoring and management of the application, remote help desk service and on-site equipment maintenance and repair and works over AT&T Virtual Private Network transport. Three-screen and one-screen site options are available, based on the Cisco TelePresence System 3200, Cisco TelePresence System 3000, Cisco TelePresence System 1000 and Cisco TelePresence System 500 endpoints.

Cisco TelePresence, introduced in 2006, is Cisco’s fastest-growing new product category, with more than 200 customers and 1,000 systems worldwide. Cisco has also implemented more than 300 Cisco TelePresence rooms on its own internal network for productivity and effective collaboration.

About Cisco

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For more news, visit http://newsroom.cisco.com.

 About AT&TAT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world’s most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation’s leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. In 2008, AT&T again ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine’s World’s Most Admired Telecommunications Company list and No. 1 on America’s Most Admired Telecommunications Company list. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. © 2008 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.Note: This AT&T news release and other announcements are available as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. For more information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.

VICORP Restaurants Relies on Innovative Call Queuing System
To Ensure That Bakers Square and Village Inn Pie Fans Get Their Treats on Time

Virtual PBX®, the inventor and leading supplier of hosted business phone services, and VICORP Restaurants Inc., which operates Village Inn and Bakers Square restaurants, are working together to ensure that orders for award-winning pumpkin, French silk, pecan and apple pies are handled responsively this holiday season.

Village Inn and Bakers Square receive an incredibly high volume of calls to reserve pies during the busiest pie buying season of the year. Virtual PBX’s business phone system helps the restaurants provide top-notch customer service since callers won’t experience the frustrations of getting a busy signal when trying to reach their favorite pie shop. more

MUMBAI, India, and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – December 9, 2008 – Tech Mahindra, a global systems integrator and leading provider of IT solutions to the telecom industry, and Fanfare, the leading innovative testing solutions provider, have announced a global partnership to deliver offerings that are geared to meet the increasing demand of test automation solutions from Telecom Equipment Manufacturers (TEMs), Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), and enterprises.

Tech Mahindra will use iTest®, Fanfare’s flagship test automation product, to expand its test offerings and build a test practice around it. Using iTest, Tech Mahindra will create vertical test assets that target the needs of global TSPs for service delivery and regulatory compliance. This will include compliance testing for next generation technologies like IPv6 and LTE, as well as end-to-end testing on emerging services such as IPTV, data over wireless, and WiMAX. Tech Mahindra will also jointly go to the market along with Fanfare to provide professional services in the form of consultancy, tool migration and test interface development to meet the increasing global demand for test automation solutions.

“This partnership enables Tech Mahindra to strengthen its position as an end-to-end testing services provider both on the TEM and the TSP sides. Through this partnership the two companies will address a wider complement of customers globally to meet their testing needs,” said Atul Kunwar, Chief Business Development Officer, Tech Mahindra. “Using iTest as the cornerstone of our testing practice, we are building vertical packaged offerings, in areas such as IPv6,WiMAX, IPTV etc to help our customers accelerate product and service releases without compromising quality,” added Atul.

iTest is a comprehensive testing solution that accommodates for standardization of device testing of heterogeneous systems. iTest ensures early identification and resolution of bugs for enhanced network quality deployment and maintenance. iTest enables the transferability of test assets and a common platform for communication. Because test assets can be leveraged, collaboration between teams and across companies is simplified and speedier bug verification and resolution is possible.

“Tech Mahindra is widely recognized and respected in the services, testing and outsourcing market, so the decision to standardize their testing practice on Fanfare solutions is significant,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of Fanfare. “Their confidence in Fanfare is a clear signal that the market is ready to embrace standardized, automated testing practices, and we are pleased to be at the forefront of this shifting dynamic,” Ryan continued. “Ultimately this agreement gives our customers additional options for solving their testing needs by either augmenting their in-house teams, or outsourcing a project. This ensures customers will be able to leverage the automated testing assets that are generated to drive costs down and reduce time to market.”

About Fanfare
Fanfare provides software solutions to high-tech equipment manufacturers, service providers and enterprises that simplify and accelerate device and system testing. Developers and testers create and share automated tests that control and analyze results from multiple devices, traffic generators, and applications while automatically documenting each test with pass-fail criteria. With Fanfare solutions, companies can move along the path toward automation while accelerating QA cycles, reducing time to market, and increasing the quality of released products. Industries such as communications, aerospace and defence, consumer electronics, automotive, industrial, and medical devices have benefited from Fanfare products. For more information please visit www.fanfaresoftware.com.

About Tech Mahindra
Tech Mahindra is a leading provider of solutions and services to the telecommunications industry, majority stake owned by Mahindra & Mahindra, in partnership with BT Plc. With total revenues of USD 934.7 million in the year ended March 31, 2008, Tech Mahindra is India’s 6th largest software exporter, and serves telecom service providers, equipment manufacturers, software vendors and systems integrators. Tech Mahindra solutions enable clients to maximize returns on IT investment by achieving fast time to market reduced total cost of ownership and high customer satisfaction. Tech Mahindra achieves this through its domain and process expertise, distinctive IT skills, research and development, proven innovative delivery models and approach to off-shoring.

Assessed at SEI-CMMi Level 5 and PCMM Level 5, Tech Mahindra’s track record for value-delivery is supported by over 23,000 professionals who provide a unique blend of culture, domain expertise and in-depth technology skill-sets. Its development centers are ISO 9001:2000 & BS7799 certified. Tech Mahindra has principal offices in the UK, United States, Germany, UAE, Egypt, Singapore, India, Thailand & Australia.

Media Contact:
Marisa Marzano
Big Sky Communications
(705) 484-5105
marisa@bigskypr.com

For further information on Tech Mahindra:
Inquiries about this news release can also be made to Rupal Sancheti
Email: rupals@techmahindra.com.
All Tech Mahindra news releases can be accessed at our web site: www.techmahindra.com.