SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Occam Networks Inc. (OTCBB: OCCM - News), a supplier of innovative Ethernet- and IP-based loop carrier equipment to telecommunications companies worldwide, today announced that it has expanded its service offerings into Canada. Ontario-based Wightman Telecom Ltd. has selected the Occam BLC 6000 System together with MetaSwitch's VP3510 Class 5 Softswitch to transition from its TDM equipment to IP and Gigabit Ethernet. The joint Occam/MetaSwitch solution will deliver Lifeline POTS as well as broadband DSL data to customers throughout Canada's most populated province.

"Wightman's standardization on the BLC 6000 not only marks the introduction of Occam solutions into Canada but it also signals a new era of choice for customers throughout Ontario," said Russ Sharer, vice president of sales and marketing for Occam. "Just as Occam has brought value to independent telephone operators throughout the United States, it now enables carriers in Canada to leverage our innovative BLC platform to deliver new, revenue-generating broadband services without incurring high capital expenditures or operating expenses."

Wightman Telecom is one of Ontario's leading independent telephone companies. The BLC 6000 enables Wightman to extend the reach of their Telco and CLEC to support new services created on IP-based platforms. The BLC 6000 combines subscriber DSL and Lifeline POTs with Gigabit Ethernet transport capabilities to enable voice, data, and video. The BLC 6000 is based on Occam's Intelligent Blade Interconnect Architecture (IBIA), which allows Wightman to expand its services to more customers quickly and cost-effectively.

"We selected the BLC 6000 based on Occam's depth of experience delivering tomorrow's cutting-edge IP-based services today," said Rick Hill, manager network operations for Wightman. "In addition, the BLC 6000 is widely deployed with MetaSwitch, offering us the reliability and legacy features we need while also providing new services, including IP video, to meet evolving customer demand."

To deliver its new higher speed DSL and IP-based services, Wightman is leveraging the 6252 blade with their installed BLC chassis. The BLC 6252 combines 48 ADSL2Plus and 48 Lifeline POTS ports to deliver voice, data and video services. Up to 12 of the blades can be combined in a single chassis to delivery 576 ports of ADSL2Plus and POTS. The combination of subscriber DSL and POTS ports with protected Gigabit Ethernet transport capabilities positions the 6252 blade as a highly efficient and versatile access solution to work with their MetaSwitch.

For the delivery of a next-generation voice services over the Occam access network, Wightman is deploying a MetaSwitch VP3510 Class 5 Softswitch. The VP3510's combination of enhanced packet voice services and a full range of legacy capabilities has established MetaSwitch as the market-leading softswitch among the Canadian independent telephone community, 15 percent of whom have already adopted the solution. And, with more than a dozen service providers across North America selecting both MetaSwitch and Occam Networks for their network evolution, the vendors' joint solution is well proven in the field.

Occam Networks Inc.

MetaSwitch