HOLMDEL, N.J. -- VPIsystems today announced that Siemens Information and Communication Networks (ICN) appointed VPI as its exclusive global supplier of installation planning software. The landmark, multi-million dollar agreement is the first enterprise-wide sale of VPIdeploymentMaster(TM), a new software tool that automates after-sales engineering tasks to eliminate costly errors and speed up the deployment of telecom networking equipment.

Siemens ICN Senior Vice President (Business Administration and Controlling), Carrier Networks Juan Carlos Stotz said the announcement follows an extensive evaluation and trial of VPIdeploymentMaster at Siemens headquarters in Munich along with conducting a business case study, which revealed cost savings of at least 30% through process automation and the potential to achieve these savings globally. "The extended evaluation and field trial in Munich achieved a significant reduction in costs compared with conventional planning processes. Siemens ICN expects millions of dollars in cost savings once the tool is deployed worldwide. On the basis of these exciting results, we decided to invest in an enterprise license for the VPI solution," Stotz explained.

The exclusive enterprise license incorporates VPIdeploymentMaster software licenses at local Siemens companies worldwide where planning tasks are performed, as well as a library of software models that capture the features, capabilities and status of the entire product range. The software captures the network design and List of Materials (LOM) to generate all the plans required to install the equipment in the field: network plans; station plans; floor layout; engineering instructions; and NMS parameters.

VPIsystems CEO Kay Iversen says the agreement with Siemens also delivers important benefits for service providers. "We're very pleased to serve Siemens and their carrier customers through this worldwide agreement. The VPIdeploymentMaster solution helps service providers to quickly design cost- effective upgrades that build on the substantial assets of the embedded network. By using VPI software to document this equipment infrastructure, Siemens can now more effectively support their customers throughout this process."

VPIsystems Inc.

Siemens Information and Communications Networks Inc.