Mpower Communications Forms Strategic Alliance with SpeechPhone to Offer Award-Winning Voice Recognition Unified Communication Services
LOS ANGELES and RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA—September 8, 2003—Mpower Communications Corp. (AMEX:MPE), a leading provider of broadband Internet access and local and long distance voice services, today announced a strategic alliance with SpeechPhone to provide unified communication services that will complement Mpower's existing robust integrated communications solutions.
SpeechPhone provides innovative speech recognition-based virtual receptionists and assistants. Through its award winning "Mandi" service, SpeechPhone unifies voice, email and messaging services through a single phone number, integrating existing phone numbers, email services and messaging solutions into one simple to use interface, driven by the user's voice.
"Voice and data communications are Mpower's core business. Through this alliance with SpeechPhone we are able to leverage the power of advanced speech recognition technology to enhance the functionality of phone lines for our customers and drive additional traffic over our network," said Mpower Communications Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rolla P. Huff. "The intuitiveness and precision of SpeechPhone's voice recognition technology stand out in the field of unified communication providers."
"Mpower has distinguished itself as a successful regional CLEC. We are pleased to work with Mpower to bring unique advantages to the marketplace," said Michael D. Metcalf, Chairman & CEO of SpeechPhone LLC. "Mpower's focus on business communication service is a great fit for both companies."
"There is a major paradigm shift for end users that is taking place in the convergence of call and messaging technologies for person-to-person business contacts," commented Art Rosenberg, of the Unified-View, an industry analyst and columnist specializing in converged, unified communications. "SpeechPhone is a pioneer in unified communications for the small and medium size business market and will be able to offer Mpower customers a new way to think about communication services."
Mpower will introduce SpeechPhone services to both new and existing customers with applications for multi-line businesses as well as individual subscribers.
- Virtual Receptionist: Mandi answers calls to a main business number with a customized greeting. Callers just say the name of the person or the department they want to reach and Mandi connects them. Employees can be virtually present anywhere—whether they are working off site, at home or on the road, Mandi makes sure that the important calls get through.
- Virtual Assistant: In addition to routing calls, Mandi is a personal communications assistant to everyone in the company. Mandi offers one call productivity with features like voice dialing, e-mail by phone, unified messaging, automatic call return from voice mail, and broadcast messaging. Integration with Outlook and other contact management programs makes set-up easy and provides instant access to your contacts from any phone.
About SpeechPhone
SpeechPhone LLC is a leading provider of hosted unified communication services. Through their award winning virtual assistant and receptionist, Mandi, the company offers service providers, enterprises and individuals a cost-effective way to simplify their communications. By integrating the various communication mediums—real time calls, voice mail and e-mail—through one phone number and a simple speech recognition based user interface, SpeechPhone provides the enhanced communication tools that people are demanding today. For more information on SpeechPhone visit the company's web site at www.speechphone.net. SpeechPhone and Mandi are registered trademarks of SpeechPhone LLC.
About Mpower Holding Corporation
Mpower Holding Corporation (AMEX:MPE) is the parent company of Mpower Communications, a leading facilities-based broadband communications provider offering a full range of data, Internet access and Web hosting services as well as local, domestic and international calling plans for business customers. Further information about the company can be found at www.mpowercom.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Mpower Holding Corporation cautions investors that certain statements contained in this press release that state management's intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions of the future are forward-looking statements. Management wishes to caution the reader these forward-looking statements are not historical facts and are only estimates or predictions. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, receipt of all remaining payments from the previously announced asset sales, future sales growth, market acceptance of our product offerings, our ability to secure adequate financing or equity capital to fund our operations, network expansion, our ability to manage growth and maintain a high level of customer service, the performance of our network and equipment, our ability to enter into strategic alliances or transactions, the cooperation of incumbent local exchange carriers in provisioning lines and interconnecting our equipment, regulatory approval processes, changes in technology, price competition and other market conditions and risks detailed from time to time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of future events, new information, or otherwise.
