Metaswitch Gives SureWest an Edge in Hosted VoIP

Leading Communications Provider Selects MetaSphere to Deliver Advanced Voice Applications to Business Customers

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - October 21, 2009) - SUPERCOMM 2009 -- Metaswitch Networks, a leading provider of carrier systems and communications software solutions, today announced that SureWest Communications (NASDAQ: SURW [2]) has selected the MetaSphere Application/Feature Server to provide advanced IP telephony services for business customers. Delivered over SureWest's state-of-the-art network, the new MetaSphere-based services are expected to provide SureWest's business customers with increased communications efficiency, productivity and flexibility, and an array of innovative telephony applications.

One of the nation's largest, and most forward-thinking, integrated communications providers, SureWest serves roughly 150,000 residential subscribers and 15,700 business customers in the Kansas City and Sacramento regions. In deploying MetaSphere, SureWest joins the growing number of carriers who have chosen MetaSphere to deliver enhanced services that drive competitive advantage in the hosted business services marketplace.

"We were tasked with coming up with the feature server platform in order to offer hosted IP PBX and advanced business services," said Carl Murray, Strategic Technologies Director for SureWest Communications, in a video interview available at www.metaswitch.com/SureWest [3]. "So we evaluated the price, the features, the functionality and also the fit with SureWest -- how it fit in our long term plans. With that, MetaSphere came out on top."

To serve the critical business segment, which represents about a third of its revenues today, SureWest needed a feature-rich, manageable and scalable platform. MetaSphere delivers a suite of compelling value-added services that includes unified messaging, auto-attendant, incoming call manager, live message screening and intuitive Web-controlled voice conferencing.

"A key part of our expertise lies in delivering applications that can generate real revenue for service providers and real benefits for their customers," said Andrew Randall, senior vice president of marketing and business development for Metaswitch. "SMBs are demanding hosted IP PBX services to reduce their costs while also gaining immediate access to compelling new applications."

Video Interview

Key SureWest decision-makers share more about their partnership with Metaswitch in a video available for viewing at www.metaswitch.com/SureWest [3].

Metaswitch at SUPERCOMM

Metaswitch will be exhibiting at booth #1514 at SUPERCOMM09 in Chicago from October 21st-23rd. John Lazar, CEO for Metaswitch will be speaking on "Business Voice and Beyond," on October 21st at 2:15pm.

About SureWest Communications

SureWest Communications (www.surewest.com [4]) is one of the nation's leading integrated communications providers and is the bandwidth leader in the markets it serves. Headquartered in Northern California for more than 95 years, the company expanded into the Kansas City region in February 2008 with the acquisition of Everest Broadband, Inc. and offers bundled residential and commercial services that include IP-based digital and high-definition television, high-speed Internet, Voice over IP, and local and long distance telephone. SureWest was the nation's first provider to launch residential HDTV over an IP network and offers one of the nation's fastest symmetrical Internet services with speeds of up to 50 Mbps in each direction on its fiber-to-the-home network.

About Metaswitch Networks

Metaswitch Networks is a leading provider of carrier systems and software solutions that are powering the migration of communications networks to open, packet-based architectures. Hundreds of network operators worldwide depend on its Carrier Systems Division for reliable, scalable session control, media gateway and application/feature server solutions to enable compelling revenue-generating services. Its Network Protocols Division develops high performance, portable software components that are integrated into the products of the world's leading communications equipment manufacturers. For more information, please visit www.metaswitch.com [5].

Contact:
Carol Daniels
Metaswitch Networks
+1 (510) 589-5074
chd@metaswitch.com [6]

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