APEX Voice Communications Announces Service-Ready
Internet Call Waiting Application.

Application Raises Average Revenue per User and Call Completion
Rate, while Increasing Subscriber Satisfaction

SHERMAN OAKS, CA, July 10, 2002 – APEX Voice Communications, a leading supplier of circuit (TDM/PSTN)- and packet (IP)-based enhanced services and billing solutions to telecommunications carriers, service providers and enterprises worldwide, today announced the availability of its service-ready APEX Internet Call Waiting (AICW) application. Based on APEX’s OmniVox^® Intelligent Call/Media Processor, AICW is a personal call management system that provides subscribers the ability to receive phone calls while dialed-up to the Internet. Call delivery options include accept, disconnect and accept, forward, forward to voice mail, and reject.

Traditionally, single-line households (subscribers) had to choose between being online and being able to receive and make phone calls, with the alternative being getting a second phone line. Unfortunately, in most places getting a second phone line was either too expensive or, in some areas, not even possible. APEX Internet Call Waiting (AICW) eliminates this inconvenience for subscribers and their contacts while at the same time providing the carrier/service provider with an additional service to increase call completion rates and average revenue per user (ARPU).

“It is rare that a single application so nicely matches the needs of the provider and the subscriber,” said Elhum vahdat, Executive Vice President of APEX Voice Communications. “However, with our Internet Call Waiting application, subscribers enjoy all the benefits of a second line without the additional costs, while providers increase their revenue by raising call completion rates, which in turn leads to more satisfied customers."

Most PC users already have everything they need to receive incoming Internet calls while online: a multimedia computer with speakers and a microphone and a connection to the Internet. A lightweight client program can be downloaded from the carrier/service provider’s World Wide Web site or delivered on other media. Once installed, outgoing phone calls can be made on the PC, and when an incoming call is received a pop-up window is displayed on the PC informing the user of the name and telephone number of the caller and presenting five options:

Accept: the call is delivered via Internet Voice over IP (VoIP). This option launches an embedded PC telephone application that connects the subscriber to the caller using the PC. The subscriber speaks into the PC microphone and listens via the PC speakers while connected to the Internet, without disturbing their session.

Disconnect and Accept: instructs the PC to disconnect from the Internet by hanging up the modem and taking the call on their normal telephone.

Forward: forwards the call to an alternative telephone number (i.e. cellular/mobile). The subscriber stays connected to the Internet and the caller does not know that the call is being answered at another telephone number.

Forward to Voice Mail: instructs the system to record a message (like voice mail) and deliver the message via e-mail. The subscriber stays connected to the Internet and will receive an e-mail with an audio file attachment that they can listen to via their PC speakers.

Reject: rejects the call and takes no further action. The Internet session is not disturbed.

The APEX Internet Call Waiting application is an ideal tool for Carriers/Service Providers to increase efficiencies, revenues and customer satisfaction. AICW can be easily integrated into an existing network and supports multiple protocols including T1, E1, ISDN, SS7, as well as H.323 and SIP. Additionally, AICW can be seamlessly integrated with and add value to the APEX Messaging System – APEX’s unified messaging solution – and the APEX Billing System – APEX’s prepaid and postpaid call billing and rating solution.

OmniVox carries the telephone conversation and is the connection between the caller and the subscriber. It contains hardware to connect to the telephone and IP network and can place and receive calls on both networks. OmniVox also has an integrated Service Creation Environment (OmniView^®) that allows the carrier/service provider to create, modify and manage additional voice processing applications. An OmniVox application implements a call flow that determines the behavior of the call and is in charge of receiving a call, placing it on hold while the subscriber is contacted, and then handles the call according to the subscriber’s choice. It contains functionality to connect to a subscriber database (such as Radius, Tacacs) and to send e-mail messages to MAPI compliant messaging servers.