RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- Nortel Networks (NYSE:NT - News; TSX:NT - News) has announced a new self-service platform -- Media Processing Server (MPS) 500 -- that is designed to give medium-sized contact centers and small service providers a cost-effective, carrier-class solution for Integrated Voice Response (IVR) applications. Part of Nortel Networks 'One network. A world of choice.' global enterprise vision, MPS 500 will offer a full suite of advanced self-service capabilities, delivered on field-proven hardware and software for world-class performance and reliability. While MPS 500 is a new platform, it will use the same software and key hardware components currently deployed by major enterprises and service providers using Nortel Networks carrier-grade MPS 1000 platform.

Through speech-enabled, self-service solutions, MPS 500 will position businesses to engage their customers by providing personalized services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It will provide contact centers with the ability to decrease operating costs by reducing call completion time, limiting the number of calls customer representatives handle, and increasing overall system operating efficiency.

"Nortel Networks MPS 500 will provide a forward-looking upgrade path to advanced speech technologies and voice over IP (Internet Protocol), while acknowledging enterprise and service provider needs for investment protection," said Benjamin Farmer, managing analyst, Datamonitor. "For medium-sized contact centers and small service providers, MPS 500 will offer a complete platform for self-service requirements."

MPS 500 will give customers a simple migration path to more advanced capabilities like Advanced Speech Technology and voice over IP, providing a scalable and flexible solution to growing businesses. Nortel Networks plans to offer a broad range of service creation capabilities with MPS 500 that will provide a dual application development environment supporting the intuitive, graphical development environment of PeriProducer and the text-based markup language of Voice XML (VXML).

"MPS 500 will round out Nortel Networks Media Processing Server portfolio of next generation self-service IVR solutions, offering unprecedented flexibility and scalability," said Roxann Swanson, general manager and vice president, contact center and self-service solutions, Nortel Networks. "Our self-service products are designed to reduce equipment and operational costs; simplify operations; enable new, business-building applications; and interface with our IP Telephony products for enterprises and service providers."

Nortel Networks MPS 500 is scheduled for general availability in September 2003.

Nortel Networks Corp.