Birch Expands IP Network to Miami, FL

Birch, recognized as a top growth company by Inc. magazine in 2009, moves aggressively to bring the advantages of its IP network to businesses in South Florida.

Miami, FL – December 30, 2009 - Birch Communications, a leading IP-based telecom and managed services provider for small and medium businesses, announced today that it has started the initial build-out of its IP network in the Miami, Florida metro area. Soon this new IP (Internet Protocol) network will replace and improve upon the current digital network Birch purchased from Cleartel Communications in 2009.

“This expansion of the Birch IP Network will provide businesses in the Miami area fast, affordable broadband Internet, T1, PRI and integrated voice and data services,’ said Allan Samson, chief marketing and sales officer for Birch. “There will never be a better value for businesses in Miami. They will now save even more money with our extensive array of value packages that combine voice and internet. Birch is simply the best value in business communications services.”

According to Inc. magazine in its 2009 ranking, Birch was one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States. "Birch has been in business since 1996, and I think that our consistently high growth is fueled by our dedication to our customers,” said Vincent Oddo, Birch CEO. “We’re focused on delivering value to our customers. We earn their business every day by providing affordable service with excellent customer care. This results in extremely high customer satisfaction levels.”

The Birch IP Network is built with IP technology partners MetaSwitch and Zhone Technologies, recognized as premier, best-in-class IP equipment providers worldwide. “Businesses need every possible edge, and the Birch IP Network provides a comprehensive IP-based solution that seamlessly integrates the operation of telephone and data networks,” noted Chris Aversano, Birch chief operating officer. “By tapping into the Birch IP Network, businesses will get the high-speed connections and bottom-line savings they need for a competitive edge.”

This expansion into the Miami area is a part of Birch’s strategy to convert all of its network to the Birch IP Network. Birch has already completed the deployment of its IP-based network in other major markets in Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas.

About Birch Communications
Headquartered in Atlanta GA, Birch Communications is one of the largest competitive telecommunications carriers covering 32-states across the nation. Birch is the first in its class to deploy a private IP-Network utilizing soft switch technology to deliver innovative, high quality, affordable voice and broadband communications services to small and medium business customers. Please visit www.birch.com for more information.

Contact:
Greg Corwin, Marketing Director
greg.corwin@birch.com
816.300.1686

About Metaswitch
MetaSwitch is an industry-leading vendor of switching and applications solutions for both packet and circuit-switched networks. Its MetaSphere applications suite enables a broad set of hosted IP communications services, while its core session control and media/signaling gateway products support a full range of Class 4/5 softswitch capabilities. Customers include many of the world’s leading operators of wireline, wireless and cable networks, with deployments that scale to millions of subscribers. For more information, please visit www.metaswitch.com.

About Zhone Technologies — Access for a Converging World
Zhone Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZHNE) is a global leader in multi-service access network (MSAN) solutions, serving more than 700 of the world's most innovative network operators. The company offers the industry's only fully-integrated portfolio of MSAP, FTTx, EFM and Wi-Fi access technologies, enabling a full suite of services, including residential and business broadband, VoIP, and High-Definition IPTV. Zhone's converged multi-service access platform helps operators rapidly deploy premium services using copper, fiber, and wireless while improving network agility and reducing costs. www.zhone.com.