( BW)(TX-NEWPORT-NETWORKS)(NNG.L) Newport Networks Enhances Session
Border Control With Industry-First Geographic Resilience and Link
Aggregation; Release 2.0 of Carrier-class Solution

    High-Tech Editors
    SUPERCOMM 2005
    Booth 19042 or SIP Pavilion booth 67088F

    FRISCO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 2005--Newport Networks is
announcing Release 2.0 software for its 1460 Session Border Controller
adding industry-first geographic service resilience, link aggregation
(802.3-2002) capabilities, and a series of enhancements that deliver
carrier-class reliability, bandwidth utilization and profitability.
    "VoIP has reached a critical mass where customers demand both high
quality and savings, and Service Providers are looking for session
border controllers to ensure PSTN-caliber performance," says Newport
Networks' Chairman Terry Matthews. "The 1460 has been architected as a
true carrier-class platform from the start. Newport has timed the
first major enhancement to set higher standards for the US VoIP
Market."

    New in Release 2.0

    First generation session border controllers addressed basic
security issues. They were developed to enable completion of voice and
multimedia calls behind firewalls and Network Address Translation
(NAT) devices but not architected to meet the performance, resilience
and scalability requirements of mature VoIP deployments. The Newport
Networks 1460 delivers the industry's most advanced, high-end solution
offering critical features necessary for a carrier-class platform.
Release 2.0 provides:
    Geographic Service Resilience: With this latest release, the 1460
session border controller becomes the first to deliver true geographic
resilience, safeguarding against both node and network failure.
Two1460s in different locations can automatically assume traffic from
one another in the event of disaster scenarios, router failure or
extended power outages. Automatic switchover of traffic is performed,
avoiding service disruption and providing disaster recovery
capabilities on a par with the PSTN.
    Link Aggregation to Bolster Reliability: The 1460 is the first
session border control architecture to include Link Aggregation
(802.3-2002) functionality, commonly deployed in routers. This
optimizes the flow of traffic across 8 physical links, allowing
traffic to continue to flow even in the event of a link failure,
vastly improving service reliability.
    Regulatory Compliance: The 1460 solution complies with CALEA and
Emergency 911 mandates. In keeping with requirements, Lawful Intercept
is performed `without the end-users' knowledge and monitored details
are delivered in real-time over secure interfaces to the law
enforcement agency. These features are added in such a way that call
processing performance is not impacted.
    VLAN Support for Premium Services: The 1460 architecture allows
service providers to establish SIP-based Virtual LANs (VLANs) between
their network core and customer sites with extensive traffic policing
capabilities, enabling guaranteed performance and optimal bandwidth
utilization. VLAN capabilities can also be applied on the trunking
side to ensure optimum physical interface utilization while policing
at the VLAN level enforces peering agreements
    "Policing" Profitability: The Release 2.0 software includes
expanded traffic policing capabilities for regulating bandwidth across
multiple customer connections. Precise media policing on a per
connection basis gives providers the granular control of bandwidth
utilization needed to accurately design and consistently meet Service
Level Agreements (SLAs). Meanwhile signaling policing limits the
effects of signaling Denial of Service attacks on the core network.
    Session Admission Control (SAC): Allows bandwidth and session type
(e.g. voice, instant messaging, and video) limits to be set for
corporate groups and individual users. Additionally, "Anti-tromboning"
(or Media Release), for use among end-users behind a main corporate IP
address, allows internal VoIP calls to take place within the corporate
network with only the signaling traffic sent to the session border
controller. This minimizes congestion in the public access network.
    Release 2.0 of the Newport Networks 1460 session border controller
will ship in the North American and international markets through
third quarter 2005. Visitors to SuperComm can find out more about
Newport Networks which will be in booth number # 19042 or in the SIP
Pavilion in booth # 67088F

    About Newport Networks Group PLC.

    Newport Networks Group PLC, listed on the Alternative Investment
Market of the London Stock Exchange in May 2004, has designed and
developed the 1460 Session Border Controller to solve existing
commercial and technical problems in the provision of Voice over IP
(VoIP) and Multimedia over IP (MoIP) services. The 1460 Session Border
Controller addresses the key service delivery issues of quality and
security, enabling service providers to create new revenue streams
from VoIP and MoIP while controlling the cost of delivery. Based in
the UK and North America, Newport Networks has an experienced team
headed by Chairman Terry Matthews and CEO John Everard. The team has a
proven track record of identifying new service provider network
technologies, developing products and managing the growth of
international businesses. Further information at
www.newport-networks.com

    --30--NE/uk*

    CONTACT: Newport Networks
             In the US:                         
             Liza Kurtz                         
             Tel: +1 (928) 282 6929             
             liza.kurtz@newport-networks.com    
             or                               
             Kelly Williams                     
             Tel: +1 (805) 370 1076             
             kelly.williams@newport-networks.com
             or
             In Europe and Asia              
             Ian Courtney                    
             TM Communications and Media Ltd 
             +44 (0) 29 2038 4488 (HQ)       
             +44 (0) 77 7426 7058 (Cell)     
             ian@tmcommunications.net        
             or                                
             For the Company:                
             Guy Reiffer                     
             guy.reiffer@newport-networks.com
             +44 (0) 291 635830