Nortel Wins Wireless VOIP Contract

SAO PAULO -- VIVO, the largest wireless operator in the Southern Hemisphere, has deployed a next generation network solution from Nortel (NYSE:NT)(TSX:NT) to enhance the efficiency of its call centers, improve customer service and reduce operational costs.

VIVO is believed to be the first wireless operator in Brazil to implement Voice over IP (VoIP) technology in its network, a move which also helps to prepare for the launch of future mobile data and multimedia services to its customers.

"VIVO is committed to providing more flexible and accessible customer service to all of its subscribers," said Javier Rodrigues, vice president, technology, VIVO. "We selected Nortel based on its proven solutions and expertise in deploying VoIP networks. For VIVO, it was essential to choose a supplier that could deliver a next generation network with the reliability of a traditional voice infrastructure, the flexibility of an IP platform, and security as a priority."

Nortel has integrated VIVO's five major call centers serving customers throughout Brazil with the operator's CDMA2000 1X wireless network using a robust VoIP solution that includes Nortel's Communication Server (CS) 2000 and Media Gateway (MG) 15000. This new platform is designed to allow VIVO to handle customer service requests more efficiently through increased capacity and flexible routing, significantly reducing wait-time and virtually eliminating lost calls. Call center integration has simplified network management, and is expected to help VIVO drive reduced operating costs.

"Once again, VIVO takes the lead in offering superior services to its subscribers," said Rodrigo Abreu, president, Nortel Brazil. "Nortel's leading VoIP solutions are designed to help innovative operators like VIVO to easily upgrade their infrastructure and deliver an enhanced communication experience to their customers by driving efficiency and reliability and providing a platform that will assist them in staying ahead of customer demand and rolling out sophisticated, wireless multimedia services."

Nortel's CS 2000 Superclass softswitch enables service providers to deliver the full suite of traditional voice services to business and residential customers on a packetized network, with voice and data sharing the same communications lines to provide more efficient and cost-effective use of existing transmission capacity.

The MG 15000, built on Nortel's Multiservice Switch platform, is an integral part of Nortel's carrier VoIP solution. It serves as a high density IP trunk gateway for global VoIP applications and can optionally provide multiservice data networking. The MG 15000 offers complete carrier-grade options for long distance, local exchange, wireless and cable operators.

Nortel ranked number one in the global markets for service provider softswitches and gateways for the entire year of 2004 and for the first quarter of 2005, according to Synergy Research Group. Nortel is providing VoIP and multimedia solutions to many of the world's leading service providers, including Bell Canada, Charter Communications, Cox Communications, OneConnect, Rogers Communications, SaskTel, Verizon, and VTR in Chile.

Vivo

Nortel Networks Ltd.