PLANO, Texas -- Santera Systems Inc., a leading provider of now and next-generation switching solutions, today announced that SanteraOne is being used in a Rural Utilities Service (RUS) field trial with Kerman Telephone Co., an Independent Operating Company (IOC) based in Kerman, Calif. Upon successful completion of the trial, Santera will be placed on the RUS approved vendor list as early as fourth quarter of this year. This will allow IOCs to purchase and deploy SanteraOne with government funding assistance, and place SanteraOne as the platform of choice for Independent Operators. "We agreed to host a RUS field trial using SanteraOne because of the switch's ability to cost-effectively offer Class 5 services and handle both circuit and packet voice or data traffic on one platform," said Bill Barcus, Vice President of Operations at Kerman Telephone Co. "SanteraOne gives us smooth integration with our existing network and the flexibility to support both ATM and IP network infrastructures in the future." RUS, a service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), provides rural utility companies with low-interest financing for the purchase of approved, tested and certified telecommunications equipment. RUS telecommunications lending creates public-private partnerships to finance the construction of the telecommunications infrastructure in rural America, and is a vital source of financing and technical assistance for rural telecommunications systems. Santera Systems Inc.