Orchestream to Acquire CrossKeys

LONDON and OTTAWA -- Orchestream (LSE: OCH)and CrossKeys (TSE/NASDAQ: CKY/CKEY) today announce that they have enteredinto a Merger Agreement, under which Orchestream, the leader in IP serviceactivation software, will acquire CrossKeys, a leader in software forperformance management and reporting. The consideration for the purchase ofCrossKeys Common Shares and interests in Common Shares is to be satisfied bythe issue of Orchestream Ordinary Shares and a cash payment for options asdescribed under Principle Terms of the Merger Agreement, below and valuesCrossKeys at approximately Can$54.1 million (£24.7 million) on a fullydiluted basis.

"After a period of major infrastructure investment, service providers arelooking to generate revenue from their networks," said Ashley Ward, CEO ofOrchestream. "To do this, they need software that harnesses the capabilityof their network to meet the demands of their customers. The proposedacquisition provides Orchestream with carrier class technology that willenable us to be first to bring to market a software platform that definesand activates services on IP networks and monitors their performance,enabling sophisticated Service Level Agreements ("SLAs") to be implemented.This gives the service provider two means of achieving customersatisfaction: a way of activating services and a means of proving that theseservices have been delivered."

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