BT Featurenet extends portfolio of advanced telephony solutions with BT SmartNumbers

London, England. November 2004

BT FeatureNet and SmartNumbers today announced a partnership to deliver the complete suite BT SmartNumbers solutions on the FeatureNet network. Under this agreement, SmartNumbers will extend its platform support to FeatureNet by deploying BT SmartNumbers servers within the FeatureNet estate. In so doing, the entire platform of SmartNumbers solutions and services are made available to the FeatureNet installed-base for deployment on-demand.

BT SmartNumbers works today across standard PSTN networks and the advanced VoIP networks. By embracing FeatureNet, BT SmartNumbers can now be deployed by some of BT's largest corporate customers who have been using FeatureNet for many years as a key component of their corporate telephony infrastructure. This deployment opens up a whole new class of mission-critical business applications, including;

• Hot-desking and flexible working
• Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
• Enterprise-Class Voicemail and Faxmail
• Virtual Contact Centre

In addition to the new class of applications that are now available to Featurenet customers, BT SmartNumbers also offers offers several important advantages including;

Convergence

Since BT SmartNumbers works both on FeatureNet and Converged VoIP networks, customers can now have the best of both worlds.

Eases Migration to VoIP

Corporate customers can move to VoIP when their cost and quality concerns have been met, without having to re-train users on the new class of applications.

Ideal for Flexible Working

Enables hot-desking not only across the FeatureNet estate, but also embraces home-working and employees working at remote sites.

Provides free call-transfer across the UK

FeatureNet customers already benefit from free call-transfer across the FeatureNet estate. With BT Smartnumbers, these cost advantages are extended to provide free call-transfer across the UK, Europe and the US.

"There has been considerable demand to extend BT SmartNumber solutions onto BT FeatureNet", said Laurie Chisnell, BT Product Manager for BT SmartNumbers. "Many customers invested in the BT FeatureNet platform as the foundation of their strategic telephony infrastructure.  We are therefore pleased that we are now able to provide this enhanced suite of applications to these important customers, and in so doing to assist in their eventual migration to MM-VoIP."

"Many customers have been using FeatureNet as an important part of their core telephony infrastructure, and it was an obvious and easy decision to extend our support for this platform", said Geoffrey Paterson, CEO of Teamphone. 'By making BT SmartNumbers available to customer of the BT FeatureNet platform, we are not only adding a rich suite of advanced telephony solutions such as the Virtual Contact Centre and Flexible Working, but we're also proving value in a number of other important ways.  By extending free call-transfer right across the UK, we are driving down corporate telephony costs, whilst at the same time easing the path to convergence. Since BT SmartNumbers provide an identical class of applications for both PSTN and VoIP worlds, companies can deliver high-value applications today - and work on the migration between these two platforms without compromising cost or quality."

About BT FeatureNet

FeatureNet is a family of Virtual Private Network (VPN) services that runs on BT UK public digital networks, delivering a powerful dedicated business communications system. FeatureNet 1000 allows existing PBXs to continue to handle on-site calls, while traffic between sites is routed through the BT managed network via digital or analogue access channels. Inbound direct dialling in (DDI) calls and outbound calls can, if required, be routed via the FeatureNet 1000 access channels. This service has the potential to provide considerable capital expenditure savings and allow much closer tailoring of line capacity to actual business needs. The FeatureNet 5000 service provides access to a host of advanced PBX style features from a desktop instrument without the need for the provision of a PBX. The access lines are rented on a per line basis with minimal capital expenditure and can be enhanced by a range of network and line features. Traffic between sites is routed via the BT managed network.