BOSTON -- NetCracker, the leading global solution provider enabling service providers to deliver and manage converged services, today announced that Covad Communications Group (AMEX: DVW - News), a leading national provider of integrated voice and data communications, is using the NetCracker Solution to manage all network inventory and services, replacing four internal systems. The implementation, which includes the integration of 66 applications, is providing Covad with the end-to-end visibility of every aspect of its network from ports on a DSLAM to telephone numbers for voice customers. The successfully completed project enables the company to manage resources more effectively and bring new products to market in a rapid fashion.

"Before using NetCracker, we did not have a single source of network information and the information that we did have was not consistent," said Paul Grantham, vice president of software and information systems at Covad. "NetCracker has given us a centralized system that will benefit virtually every business group in the company. It is critical to our high-value products, and it will help Covad in reaching its overall business goals."

NetCracker provides a more accurate view of network inventory, preventing "stranded capacity" and overbuilding. With this system, Covad has shortened its equipment definition cycle from an average of four to six months to approximately four weeks, resulting in faster new product introduction. The NetCracker solution will also decrease unnecessary dispatches and the need for manual work, resulting in lower operating expenses.

"A service provider's business is only as strong as its ability to manage its network and services delivery," said Andrew Feinberg, president and CEO of NetCracker. "In today's competitive environment, proper resource and service management is an absolute must. By partnering with NetCracker, Covad has taken an innovative and essential approach that allows it to realize the true value of its network, prevent revenue leakage, and increase customer satisfaction and retention rates. We are thrilled to be a part of Covad's market-leading strategy."

Covad Communications Inc.