Vertical Releases Feature-Rich Software Update for Wave

Scalable from 10 to 350 users on one system, Wave provides customers with the flexibility to support all users whether they're working aEUR- at headquarters, in a branch office, at home, or on the road and regardless of what devices they're using aEUR- IP, Digital or analog phones and devices as well as soft phones and more.

"This is a major release for Vertical and our Wave IP customers, including significant enhancements in terms of new system features, application features, endpoint support and the introduction of Wave IP into international markets," said Peter Bailey, Senior Vice President Product Management and Business Development for Vertical Communications. "Now more than ever, our customers are leveraging Wave to meet the needs of their diverse and dynamic businesses while also saving operational costs and enabling their workforce to become more productive.In particular, our customers are taking advantage of Wave's SIP trunking capabilities (VoIP calls) to achieve significant reductions in their overall communications expenses.They are also leveraging Wave IP's application capabilities like the award-winning ViewPoint desktop application aEUR- which is a standard feature on Wave IPaEUR- to drive productivity gains within the workforce, while also introducing custom voice applications like our integrated Voice XML IVR platform to automate customer service and drive new revenue opportunities. Wave IP is a total package of IP telephony and business communications applications that is simple to deploy and manage, while being priced for the small and medium business customer."

"We deployed the very first (alpha) Wave IP 2500 system in the country and we have seen this system grow in its functionality and capability since its infancy," said Frank Milinazzo, Vice President, BT Communications, Inc. He added, "Wave 1.5 represents another significant milestone from Vertical. We currently have many Wave systems deployed, and we look to the 1.5 release to further strengthen our relationships and commitment to service with our customers."

"We are excited about the release of Wave 1.5 and the opportunity this represents to the telephony market. With its application framework and highly supportable platform we are now positioning Wave as our lead product, whenever possible, to fit our client's needs," said Richard Alexander, President, The Alexander Group.

"We have enjoyed success with the Wave IP 2500 system from Vertical and believe the 1.5 release represents even greater opportunity for us to expand our business with the powerful new features, such as, coach, monitor, and join," said Richard Medeiros, President, Voice Systems, Inc. "We have a large number of systems installed with networking, digital and IP end points, configurations with T-1, analog trunks and SIP and they all work well. We look forward to growing our business with Vertical."

The feature-rich Wave 1.5 software update delivers a dramatically superior user experience with new features and functions including:

New PBX Features

-- Coach, Monitor, Join. Configurable on a user-by-user basis, Wave users can now coach a call (coaching an agent on an active call, such that, other participants cannot hear the coach), monitor a call (passively listen-in) or join any active call on the system as a full participant.

-- System Call Recording. In addition to user-based (personal) call recording, Wave now supports system-wide call recording of up to 27 active calls.

-- Fax Redirect. Wave Auto Attendants and Voice Mail automatically detect fax calls and send them to fax machine extensions.

-- Multiple Call Appearances on Vertical SIP phones. Allows configuration of any available "Line" button on a Vertical SIP phone as a call appearance of the user's primary extension.

New ViewPoint Features

-- Call Rules. A personal configuration setting in ViewPoint that enables users to customize the call handling of each incoming call based on who is calling (e.g., Contacts, Caller ID) or when they call (e.g., time of day, day of week).

-- Routing Lists. A configuration setting whereby custom routing lists can be invoked for individual callers to route calls to a series of numbers, groups, or voicemail in a sequence. Through a rules-based interface similar to Microsoft(R) Exchange "Email Rules", when combined with Call Rules, this setting enables the user to provide a customized call experience for any caller.

-- Call Twining. Through Call Rules and Routing Lists users can configure their personal settings such that multiple internal and external endpoints will ring simultaneously for incoming calls. Calls taken through external endpoints (e.g., mobile phone) remain visible in ViewPoint tied to a user's internal extension and can be seamlessly "pulled back" to the internal office phone.

International Support

With version 1.5, Vertical is releasing Wave into several international markets with support for different languages in terms of GUI, and prompts, as well as country-specific tones and settings. Wave is now certified to be deployed in markets throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas.

-- ViewPoint Languages and Voicemail prompts. Support for French, German and Spanish.

-- E1 Trunk module w/DNI. For E1 trunking requirements. Includes drop-and-insert (DNI) functionality for integrated voice/data circuits.

-- 220 volt power supply

New Endpoint Support

-- Support for Aastra 5 Series phones, Comdial Impact digital phones, and Spectralink digital cordless phones.

The release and associated documentation is available on V-Connect (http://vconnect.vertical.com). V-Connect allows dealers to directly connect to critical information and people related to Vertical products and business activities through an easy-to-use and highly interactive Web-based system.

About Vertical Communications

Vertical Communications is one of the largest telephony vendors in North America and a global leader in next-generation IP-based voice and data and digital communications systems for business, with a current installed base of over 200,000 customers. Vertical combines voice and data technologies with business process understanding to deliver integrated IP-PBX and application solutions that enhance customer service and business productivity. Vertical's customers are leading companies of all sizes, from small to large and distributed, and include CVS/pharmacy, Staples and Apria Healthcare. Vertical delivers its solutions through a worldwide network of over 2,000 business partners. With headquarters in Cambridge MA, Vertical has sales, engineering and operations facilities in Charlottesville VA, Phoenix AZ, Santa Clara CA, Sarasota FL, Munich Germany and Hyderabad India. For more information about Vertical, please call 877-VERTICAL or visit our Website at www.vertical.com.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

This document contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events, and these statements are subject to important facts and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this document address a variety of subjects, including, without limitation, statements about the benefits of certain of the Company's products, including, without limitation, the improved cost and customer service benefits for the Company's business partners and customers; the Company's assumptions about the future performance of V-Connect; the Company's ability to enhance its revenue opportunities in the IP-PBX marketplace; the Company's ability to continue providing products to the IP-PBX marketplace, the Company's ability to continue to certify additional Internet Telephony Service Providers in the IP-PBX marketplace and others. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: the risk that the Company may fail to achieve the anticipated benefits from V-Connect, including, without limitation, failing to obtain the desired benefits for the Company's dealers and customers; the risk that the Company's assumptions about the future performance of V-Connect may prove to be incorrect; the risk that the Company may be unable to become a significant player within the IP-PBX telephony market; the risk that the Company will not be able to certify its products with additional Internet Telephony Service Providers and other risks and assumptions detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recent filing of the Company's Form 10Q.

Trademark Information

Vertical Communications and the Vertical Communications logo and combinations thereof, are trademarks and Vertical Networks and Vodavi are registered trademarks of Vertical Communications, Inc. All other brand and product names are used for identification only and are the property of their respective holders.

SOURCE: Vertical Communications

Vertical Communications, Inc., Cambridge Craig Morgan, 408-330-5460 cmorgan@vertical.com