CopperCom Gets Customer, Rental Plan

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- CopperCom, the company that is Liberating the Local Exchange, today announced that Norcast Communications has deployed its local exchange next-generation switching system, comprised of the CSX 2100 media gateway and CopperController softswitch, and its Voice over Broadband (VoB) Gateway to offer Class 4 and Class 5 services to business customers throughout the central coast of California.

As a California-based CLEC, Norcast Communications provides business phone systems, high-speed Internet, networking and fiber optics to small business customers in Santa Barbara, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties. Offering a one call, one company, one bill approach, Norcast targets small business customers, which make up 80% of its prospective market. After evaluating four next-generation switches from competing vendors, Norcast selected the CopperCom system because of its extensive Class 5 features, its high density/small footprint, and the overall cost-effectiveness of the system. Also a key deciding factor was CopperCom’s superior voice quality, which is based on Voice over ATM technology.

CopperCom’s Voice over Broadband (VoB) Gateway will give Norcast the ability to offer customers high-speed data transfer and as many as 24 voice lines across a single copper pair, which results in drastically improved margins on the local loop. These savings will enable Norcast to increase revenue while effectively lowering fixed costs.

“When we began researching the next-generation switch market, most vendors were pushing a VoIP offering, which lacked the voice quality and reliability that our customers expect,” said Phil Norton, President, Norcast. “We chose CopperCom because their system is based on VoATM technology, which provides the carrier class voice quality and reliability that VoIP cannot. Also, it brought us greater performance at a more cost-effective price. Unlike some other vendors, we know that with CopperCom our voice is heard, respected and understood, and we appreciate that.”

“Customers today demand that service providers meet stringent standards for voice quality service,” said Mel Ethem, Vice President of Sales, CopperCom. “Norcast recognized that, and by partnering with CopperCom, they have not only ensured that their customers have the highest-quality voice service, but that they can reap the benefits of value-added CLASS features.”

In a separate release:

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- CopperCom, the company that is Liberating the Local Exchange announced today the offering of a rental program for its next-generation switching system, the CSX. Customers can now Rent, Purchase or Lease CopperCom's switching solution. CopperCom announced last week the completion of its acquisition by The Heico Companies.

The rental program, called "CopperCom Test Drive" offers customers several benefits: it eliminates service provider risk, provides easy access to next generation switching solutions and grants customers financial flexibility. Totally unique within the industry, CopperCom’s rental program is the direct result of the financial stability and new focus that clearly defines CopperCom today. CopperCom is offering this program in conjunction with its parent, The Heico Companies, which is providing the required capital.

"We are thrilled to be able to offer this program to our customers. It provides an alternative to existing methods of financing Central Office equipment. Companies will have the option to convert the rental to a purchase or a lease as their business and tax plans dictate, or to continue to rent for the technological life of the product," said Mike Myers, president and chief executive officer of CopperCom.

The Rental program, as well as CopperCom's next-gen switch will be showcased at CopperCom's booth, # 520, during USTA’s Telecom'03 Annual Conference and Exhibition at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada from October 12 – October 14, 2003.

CopperCom Inc.