Acme Packet and BroadSoft’s SIP Trunking Enables Service Providers to Deliver Advanced IP-based Enterprise Services

Acme Packet® (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, and BroadSoft, Inc., the leading worldwide provider of VoIP applications, today announced new enhancements to their joint SIP trunking solution that enables service providers to ensure business continuity for large enterprise customers. The solution, which integrates BroadSoft's BroadWorks® VoIP application platform with Acme Packet’s Net-Net® session border controller (SBC), delivers advanced IP-based communications services that were previously not available with premise-based PBX solutions. These services include Microsoft’s Hosted Messaging and Collaboration version 4.5, video-enabled SIP trunking and fixed-mobile convergence (FMC).

IP-based Services Increase Collaboration and Productivity for PBX/IP-PBX Customers

While cost savings continue to be a major driver, the demand for unified communications (UC) and other value-added services is perpetuating the rise in SIP trunking. The BroadSoft®/Acme Packet solution enables service providers to increase average revenue per user and reduce churn by bundling applications with their connectivity offers. The solution allows an enterprise with an on-premise PBX or IP PBX to take advantage of innovative IP-enabled communications tools from the service provider “cloud” including:

• Microsoft’s Hosted Messaging and Collaboration version 4.5 — integrates premise-based PBX phones with IT tools such as e-mail, presence and instant messaging;
• Video-enabled SIP Trunking — delivers “personal telepresence” to PBX customers by adding video stations to selected employees and meeting rooms; and
• Fixed Mobile Convergence — extends PBX features to mobile devices independent of the network.

“SIP trunking represents a tremendous opportunity for service providers; however, these services are commoditized if they offer nothing beyond basic PSTN connectivity. Furthermore, the lack of SIP trunking solutions specifically designed for large enterprises has been a limiting factor in adoption and market growth,” said Michael Tessler, co-founder and CEO of BroadSoft. “With the BroadSoft/Acme Packet solution, service providers can ensure business continuity for their customers, as well as provide a host of revenue-generating services as an ‘overlay’ to their connectivity offering.”

New Enhancements Increase Security and Resiliency of SIP Trunking Connection

New features and functionality in BroadSoft’s latest release of BroadWorks, 14.sp9, further strengthen the BroadSoft/Acme Packet SIP trunking solution, enabling service providers to meet the stringent business continuity requirements of global enterprises with large IP PBX deployments. New trunking features support:

• Fully Redundant IP Networks — eliminates any single point of failure for an enterprise;
• Multiple Trunk Groups per IP PBX — enables an enterprise to apply sophisticated routing policies for delivery of calls across the trunk groups; and
• Dynamic Multi-site Enterprise Support — allows an enterprise to purchase a fixed amount of call capacity and apply that across any number of locations. This is particularly useful for multi-site call center deployments where capacity moves between sites based on the time of day.

In this solution with BroadSoft, Acme Packet’s Net-Net family of session border controllers enhances both the service providers’ and enterprises’ SIP trunking functionality. For service providers, it provides controls for session admission and overload controls for the IP network transport to assure SLAs, maximize revenues and minimize costs. For enterprises, Acme Packet Net-Net SBCs provide similar control functions relative to its IP PBX, Unified Communications platform and network.

End-to-End Interoperability Testing Improves SIP Trunking Go-to-Market

SIP trunking presents a new set of go-to-market challenges relating to IP PBX interoperability for service providers. IP PBX vendors have different degrees of maturity in their SIP trunking implementations and may not be SIPconnect compliant. Unlike competitive offerings, Acme Packet and BroadSoft have addressed these challenges by ensuring end-to-end interoperability testing with over 40 different IP PBX vendors and variants, including Avaya, Cisco, Siemens and Microsoft’s Office Communications Server 2007 R2. In addition, the BroadSoft/Acme Packet solution has attained SIPconnect compliance and supports current 3GPPP specification for deployment of SIP trunking in IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networks.

“Service providers have begun aggressively promoting SIP trunks both to protect their existing customers and to acquire new ones,” said Seamus Hourihan, vice president of marketing and product management for Acme Packet. “SIP trunks carry risks that must be managed, including concerns about security, service quality and compliance. This joint solution from BroadSoft and Acme Packet meets the stringent requirements for those enterprises.”

About BroadSoft

BroadSoft® provides VoIP application software that enables the delivery of hosted telephony and multimedia services. After the 2008 acquisitions of Sylantro and the GENBAND M6 product line, BroadSoft has emerged as the undisputed market leader of VoIP application servers. BroadSoft's family of carrier-class products, including its award-winning flagship BroadWorks® technology, empowers wireless, wireline and cable carriers to deliver next-generation voice and multimedia applications and advanced features that enable them to increase revenue, enhance competitive differentiation and elevate customer satisfaction. BroadSoft products deliver the scale, open architecture and reliability that the world's leading telecommunications companies demand to serve mission-critical enterprise and residential broadband customers. BroadSoft provides VoIP applications to nine of the top 10 and 14 of the top 25 largest carriers worldwide, as measured by recent annual revenue, including KPN, Korea Telecom, Qwest, SingTel, Sprint, Swisscom, Telefónica de España, Telstra, T-Systems, and Verizon. For additional information, go to www.BroadSoft.com.

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, H.248 and RTSP—and multiple border points—service provider access and interconnect, and enterprise access and trunking. Our products have been selected by more than 675 customers in 95 countries. They include 29 of the top 30, and 89 of the top 100 service providers in the world; and 6 of the Fortune 25. For more information, contact us at +1 781.328.4400, or visit www.acmepacket.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.

Acme Packet is a trademark or registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries. BroadSoft and BroadWorks are registered trademarks of BroadSoft, Inc. All other names are trademarks of their respective owners.