PARIS and SAN JOSE, California, April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan, an industry research firm, has recognized NetCentrex as the worldwide leader in the Class 5 Application Server market. NetCentrex represented 41 percent of all lines deployed in 2004, more than twice that of any other supplier, according to Frost & Sullivan's 2004 World VoIP Equipment Update published in March 2005.

The Application Server category includes softswitch-based platforms for IP Centrex and/or residential VoIP services. The market share analysis was based on aggregate reporting from vendors over six quarters until the end of 2004. The primary metric used to measure market share was "commercial lines in service", referring to subscriber licenses that have been sold and deployed. This metric is more accurate and conservative than "system capacity" or "licenses sold" which often include large blocks of lines that are not in service.

"The Application Server market has matured in 2004, with key vendors reaching critical mass and securing wins with larger carriers", said Jon Arnold, VoIP Program Leader at Frost & Sullivan. "NetCentrex remains dominant in terms of number of subscriber lines deployed."

"We are delighted by this confirmation of our market success in residential VoIP and IP Centrex", said Olivier Hersent, Chairman of NetCentrex. "VoIP and bundled IP services are quickly emerging as key competitive tools for service providers in Europe, Asia and North America, and our customers are currently installing more than 4,000 new end-users every day."

Market Size and Forecasts

According to Frost & Sullivan, the market for Application Servers grew by 100% during 2004 with total revenues of $120 Million. The worldwide market is forecasted to represent $205 Million in 2005 and reach $ 620 Million by 2008. During 2004, the applications were split between 51% for residential VoIP and 49% for IP Centrex. EMEA (Europe, Middle-East and Africa) was the dominant region in 2004 with 50% of all shipments, followed by Asia Pacific with 28% and North America with 20%.

The 2004 VoIP Equipment Market Update provides a comprehensive analysis of the following market segments: Media Gateways, Softwitches, Application Servers, Media Servers and Session Border Controllers. For more information, please visit: www.frost.com.

About NetCentrex(TM) (www.netcentrex.net)

NetCentrex develops unique next generation network (NGN) voice and video solutions that optimize network infrastructure and enable telecom operators and service providers to deliver voice-video-data and fixed-mobile converged services for both the consumer and enterprise markets. Solutions include IP telephony, video telephony, Triple Play, IP Centrex, voice/video VPN, contact center and IVR services. All solutions are built on the same IMS compliant infrastructure that include softswitching, media services and management that provide user services, network connectivity and single point of provisioning.

Founded in 1998, NetCentrex has sales and partner representatives in over 25 countries and over 40 operator and service provider customers. Leading European and US venture capital firms back the privately held company.

Web site: www.netcentrex.net

For more information, please contact: NetCentrex EMEA: Madeleine Jeavons, Tel: +33-1-58-71-33-28, madeleine.jeavons@netcentrex.net, Email: pr@netcentrex.net . NetCentrex Americas: Brian Mahony, Tel: +1-508-479-7254, brian.mahony@netcentrex.net, Email: pr@netcentrex.net, Web site: www.netcentrex.net