Yuma Educational Technology Consortium selects Altura to provide Converged VoIP Communication

Anaheim, CA - Oct 26, 2005 - The Yuma Educational Technology Consortium, responsible for providing learning and communication technology to both Yuma Union High School District #70 and Yuma Elementary School District #1, has selected Altura Communication Solutions to provide and implement a converged communication network with Avaya's Internet Protocol (IP) telephony and software applications bringing IP telephony to every classroom.

The Avaya Voice over IP (VoIP) systems at the district offices and school campuses consist of Avaya Communication Manager S8710 and S8700 redundant media servers, multiple S8300 survivable servers, G650 media gateways, and IP phones, as well as modular messaging and audio/web conferencing. The two districts' converged deployment of voice and data on a single network meets the objective of reducing service costs and improving administration and management efficiency, while delivering a centralized system to connect the districts' high schools and elementary schools.

"Having a network connecting over 8000 devices, we were looking for a partner with an education focused background, implementer of large converged deployments, and the technology to handle today's, as well as, our future needs," said Dave Bradley, Director of Technology for the Yuma Educational Technology Consortium. "Altura offered the best convergence solution with the best record of successful implementations. Our decision to select Altura proved to be 100% right on the money and we are looking forward to partnering with them applying solutions targeted at providing better education."

Yuma's new high-performance converged network delivers voice and data applications on a single network. The solution replaces a mix of different phone systems that were not networked, as well as providing the Health and Safety function of E911 to the classroom. The Avaya centralized network provides a comprehensive set of administration and system management solutions that simplify the service operation and increase productivity. "We no longer have to roll a truck to move a phone. We can do this from a centralized location," said Kassandra Hall, Manager of Network and Library Services. "We also have 4 digit dialing across the districts. Before, we had to make an outside call to talk to a different school."

"Yuma's 100% IP solution provides cost savings to the school district today," said Bob Blazek, CEO and President of Altura Communication Solutions. "The successful Yuma implementations demonstrate Altura's understanding and dedication to the education market, as well as expertise in large multi-platform networks. Through our consultation, design services and network assessment, we assure peace of mind to customers implementing complex converged solutions."

Altura is an Avaya Platinum Certified Business Partner. The combination of Avaya's market leading IP solutions and Altura's market leading service creates a partnership of strength that is unmatched in the telecommunications industry.

About Altura Communication Solutions
Headquartered in Anaheim, California, Altura Communication Solutions sells and services a variety of products, including voice switching systems, voice messaging systems, contact centers, voice conferencing systems, network and system management tools and broadband data communications products. The company has nationwide service capabilities and an enterprise customer base of more than 2,000 companies in the financial, education, healthcare and government markets. Altura is owned by Platinum Equity.

For more information contact:
Mark Izumi
Altura Communication Solutions
714-948-8501
alturasales@alturacs.com