Launches All-in-one IP Telephony Solution for Egypt's Small and Mid-Size Businesses

Wednesday, March 21, 2007: Cairo, Egypt - Avaya Inc. (NYSE: AV), a global leader in business communications systems, today announced the appointment of Mideast Communication Systems (MCS) as a distributor for Egypt for its IP telephony platform for small and medium businesses (SMBs) - IP Office. In addition to providing Egypt-based resellers with Avaya IP Office solutions, MCS will also provide value-add services including pre- and post-sales support, back-up support, marketing,  and partner and customer education and guidance.

Avaya also announced the launch of a new all-in-one IP telephony platform - IP Office 500 - a solution specially designed for small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) that will change the way most SMBs in Egypt think of telephony systems.  It will give even the smallest firm an easy, affordable way to take advantage of advanced, IP-based communications to enhance productivity, mobility, customer service, and virtually any business process. 

"Egypt is one of the world's most vibrant emerging markets, and the country has long been poised to become an information technology hub in the MENA region," said Sherif Khairallah, sales manager - Egypt, Avaya. "As businesses look toward making IP telephony an integral tool to enable development and expansion, we believe partnering with MCS will help Avaya leverage its IP telephony solutions to Egyptian SMBs and help them in increase their business opportunities.  With their extensive reach and excellent services, we are certain that MCS will boost the growth of Avaya in the country as well."

"The SMB sector is of considerable importance to growing Avaya's regional business. The region's rapidly-rising SMB sector has a strong influence on IT spending and accounts for approximately 90 per cent of the companies in the region," added Khairallah.

"It is essential that when an Egyptian customer is deploying an Avaya solution, they can either talk to our channel partners, or to Avaya directly, knowing they will get the same well-informed expert perspective on how to get a return on investment through an intelligent communications network. We choose our business partners carefully to ensure this level of consistency."

"Avaya is committed to ongoing training to develop our partners' knowledge of new products and services -- channel partners can be assured of receiving local support, and can benefit by obtaining local credit, stocks, and services," Khairallah continued.

The launch of Avaya IP Office 500 and appointment of MCS highlights the growing trend toward IP telephony adoption in Egypt and other MENA markets.  In 2006, an Avaya survey of 1,400 decision-makers in the Middle East revealed that 71 percent are ready to deploy Internet protocol (IP) telephony solutions, including 55 percent who already have converged voice and data networks in place.  Of those without a converged network, more than half plan to implement IP telephony within the next six to 12 months.

Amr Farouk, Director of operations, MCS, said: "Our appointment as Avaya's distributor for Egypt will help establish a 'one-stop shop' for all of Avaya's IP telephony solutions. Our strategy is to provide high quality end-to-end solutions and offer organisations of all sizes a trusted source for all their current and future communication requirements. Avaya supports the increase in technology adoption by Egyptian SMBs through enhancing its market coverage and intensively training channel partners from Egypt and other key markets. We aim to be part of Avaya's regional expansion success and address the market through specialized market verticals."

Avaya's ability to support all types of trunk lines (analog, digital and SIP) and all manner of phones (analog, digital and IP) provides companies in the Middle East with the flexibility of migrating from traditional systems to advanced IP systems at their own pace and without the need for significant investment. 

Avaya's Khairallah added: "We created Avaya IP Office specifically for small businesses. It has the right entry-level price, is affordable, has 'big business' communications capabilities, and options for companies to add more capabilities, capacities or locations as their business grows.

It enables SMBs to buy only what they need today, while easily adding users or functionality via software licenses that are also compatible with existing IP Office solutions.  We believe Avaya certified resellers will now be able to pursue a broader market, as well as better serve their existing customer."

"By launching the new Avaya IP Office 500 server and IP Office 4.0 software, we have set a new competitive benchmark and demonstrated our commitment to continuing and solidifying our leadership in the Middle East's SMB market; by providing solutions that are designed to specifically address these needs in the small and medium market segment," he concluded.

The IP Office 500 Series is powered by Standard and Professional editions of new IP Office Release 4.0 software - an application that offers a number of benefits to SMBs:

  • It acts as a SIP gateway, whether the SMB has digital, analog or IP phones.  Businesses can subscribe to new SIP trunking services and significantly reduce calling costs.

  • It introduces new remote diagnostic tools.   Resellers can improve customer satisfaction by quickly and proactively identifying and resolving problems remotely. 

  • It adds new multi-site hot-desking capabilities so employees can log into any digital, analog or IP phone at any of their company's networked locations and have their calls and voice messages follow them.

  • It offers 64 party conferencing suite including web-cast functionality for companies having customers, suppliers or employees in distant locations. 

  • It can also integrate with back-end databases to allow interactive voice responses and text-to-speech and can provide full fledged call center applications.

  • And it offers many other functionalities that enhance productivity, mobility and customer service and thereby improve company image.

The new IP Office 500 Series builds on the success of Avaya's previous IP Office outreach.  Over the last two years, Avaya and its worldwide network of certified resellers have nearly tripled IP Office sales to companies of all sizes in nearly 70 countries.

-Ends-

About Avaya
Avaya Inc. designs, builds and manages communications networks for more than one million businesses worldwide, including over 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500. Focused on businesses large to small, Avaya is a world leader in secure and reliable Internet protocol telephony systems and communications software applications and services.

Driving the convergence of voice and data communications with business applications - and distinguished by comprehensive worldwide services - Avaya helps customers leverage existing and new networks to achieve superior business results. For more information visit the Avaya Web site: http://www.avaya.co.uk.

Press contacts:
Avaya
Katie Zimmermann
Telephone +971-4-4048125 
Email kzimmermann@avaya.com

The Portsmouth Group
Amber Dale
Telephone +971-4-3693575
Email amber.dale@theportsmouthgroup.com

© Press Release 2007