Bangkok--Jul 15--124 Communications
New BCM 50 Can Lower Costs, Improve Customer Service
Nortel* [NYSE/TSX: NT
] has launched an affordable converged communications solution for small-to-medium companies in Bangkok. The new Business Communications Manager (BCM) 50 is designed to give smaller businesses — with as few as three staff members — low cost, secure, advanced communication services such as Internet telephony and online multimedia applications that allow employees to collaborate regardless of location.
“The introduction of BCM 50 gives small enterprise customers a powerful networking and communications solution with features and security unlike anything we had previously available at this price point,” said Rick Seeto, president, Enterprise Solutions, Asia Pacific, Nortel.
Nortel’s BCM 50 uses Internet Protocol (IP) technology to substantially reduce communication costs by converging separate voice and data services onto one secure, reliable network, providing ‘anywhere, anytime’ access. IP-based communications can assist smaller businesses with boosting their bottom lines through faster, more efficient customer call center service and increased productivity for employees with online collaboration both in and outside the office. BCM 50 also offers simplified network management and administration.
“With the addition of the BCM 50 to our award-winning BCM portfolio, Nortel now offers a comprehensive range of IP telephony products for companies of all sizes,” Seeto said. “Our experience working with small businesses throughout Asia Pacific has been a driving factor in the development of BCM 50, and we will continue to offer more innovative solutions like this to help the small business sector ignite global commerce and enhance the business experience through communications."
BCM 50 is designed to provide a seamless migration path for customers wanting to upgrade their systems without necessarily replacing existing handsets. Metropolitan Ambulance Service, a Commander Australia customer, is already evaluating the product. Loxley in Thailand and 3D Networks in Singapore are two resellers who have BCM 50 in their customer labs for customer demonstrations.
Global pizza company Domino’s Pizza is a well-established user of Nortel’s BCM portfolio, which allows its stores worldwide to communicate more effectively as part of the larger Domino’s network. Individual stores use the new communication services to improve daily service to customers by providing customised answering, call waiting and advanced call routing services, among others. Domino’s is currently evaluating BCM 50 in beta trials.
"We have hundreds of corporate stores that operate as their own small businesses but need to communicate as part of the larger organisation,” said Bill Kidder, director, Network Services, Domino’s Pizza. “Using Nortel’s BCM, our stores are equipped with a fully-featured, converged communications solution that is tailor-made for our business.”
“When we began assessing how new communication services could benefit our business, we didn’t think it would be economically feasible to provide the wide range of features to our stores that we have since implemented thanks to Nortel,” Kidder said. “We have the benefit of using advanced applications without being distracted from our main business focus, which is being the number one pizza delivery company in the world.”
The BCM 50’s features are also well suited to businesses that rely on mobile or home-based employees. The new Digital Mobility Solution, delivered with software code releases BCM 3.7 and Norstar* 7.0, provides mobile access to time-saving and convenient features such as call forward, call transfer, conferencing, and voice mail from Nortel Mobility Handsets. The Digital Mobility Solution is a fully integrated application available on the Norstar and BCM platforms, providing coverage for up to 1.4 million square feet.
As examples of Nortel’s proven expertise in providing voice and networking solutions to enterprises and service providers worldwide, the BCM 50 and Digital Mobility Solutions incorporate the latest converged communications technology to deliver greater reliability and performance. Nortel is the only company to have deployed more than 50 million enterprise telephony lines in addition to 50 million Ethernet ports. Nortel’s IP multimedia solutions serve customers of all sizes in all industries.
About Nortel
Nortel is a recognized leader in delivering communications capabilities that enhance the human experience, ignite and power global commerce, and secure and protect the world’s most critical information. Serving both service provider and enterprise customers, Nortel delivers innovative technology solutions encompassing end-to-end broadband, Voice over IP, multimedia services and applications, and wireless broadband designed to help people solve the world’s greatest challenges. Nortel does business in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit Nortel on the Web at www.nortel.com. For the latest Nortel news, visit www.nortel.com/news.
Certain information included in this press release is forward-looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: the outcome of regulatory and criminal investigations and civil litigation actions related to Nortel’s restatements and the impact any resulting legal judgments, settlements, penalties and expenses could have on Nortel’s results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and any related potential dilution of Nortel’s common shares; the findings of Nortel’s independent review and implementation of recommended remedial measures; the outcome of the independent review with respect to revenues for specific identified transactions, which review will have a particular emphasis on the underlying conduct that led to the initial recognition of these revenues; the restatement or revisions of Nortel’s previously announced or filed financial results and resulting negative publicity; the existence of material weaknesses in Nortel’s internal control over financial reporting and the conclusion of Nortel’s management and independent auditor that Nortel’s internal control over financial reporting is ineffective, which could continue to impact Nortel’s ability to report its results of operations and financial condition accurately and in a timely manner; the impact of Nortel’s and NNL’s failure to timely file their financial statements and related periodic reports, including Nortel’s inability to access its shelf registration statement filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); ongoing SEC reviews, which may result in changes to Nortel’s and NNL’s public filings; the impact of management changes, including the termination for cause of Nortel’s former CEO, CFO and Controller in April 2004; the sufficiency of Nortel’s restructuring activities, including the work plan announced on August 19, 2004 as updated on September 30, 2004 and December 14, 2004, including the potential for higher actual costs to be incurred in connection with restructuring actions compared to the estimated costs of such actions; cautious or reduced spending by Nortel’s customers; increased consolidation among Nortel’s customers and the loss of customers in certain markets; fluctuations in Nortel’s operating results and general industry, economic and market conditions and growth rates; fluctuations in Nortel’s cash flow, level of outstanding debt and current debt ratings; Nortel’s monitoring of the capital markets for opportunities to improve its capital structure and financial flexibility; Nortel’s ability to recruit and retain qualified employees; the use of cash collateral to support Nortel’s normal course business activities; the dependence on Nortel’s subsidiaries for funding; the impact of Nortel’s defined benefit plans and deferred tax assets on results of operations and Nortel’s cash flow; the adverse resolution of class actions, litigation in the ordinary course of business, intellectual property disputes and similar matters; Nortel’s dependence on new product development and its ability to predict market demand for particular products; Nortel’s ability to integrate the operations and technologies of acquired businesses in an effective manner; the impact of rapid technological and market change; the impact of price and product competition; barriers to international growth and global economic conditions, particularly in emerging markets and including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of rationalization and consolidation in the telecommunications industry; changes in regulation of the Internet; the impact of the credit risks of Nortel’s customers and the impact of customer financing and commitments; stock market volatility generally and as a result of acceleration of the settlement date of Nortel’s forward purchase contracts; negative developments associated with Nortel’s supply contracts and contract manufacturing agreements, including as a result of using a sole supplier for a key component of certain optical networks solutions; the impact of Nortel’s supply and outsourcing contracts that contain delivery and installation provisions, which, if not met, could result in the payment of substantial penalties or liquidated damages; and the future success of Nortel’s strategic alliances. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, see the most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed by Nortel with the SEC. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, Nortel disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Nortel, the Nortel logo, the Globemark and Norstar are trademarks of Nortel Networks.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information:
Isabel Lee Chaiwat Simawattana/ Patcharavadee Julotai
Corporate Mktg & Comms, 124 Communications PLC
ASEAN/PAK Nortel Tel: 66-2 662 2266
Tel: 65-6380 8828 (ESN 623) Fax: 66-2 204-2662
Fax: 65-6380 8668 End.