FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

46 Vendors Representing 12 Nations Test Interactive Communications Products over Diverse Networks in Largest IMTC Interoperability Testing Event to Date.

SAN RAMON, Calif., July 21, 1998 - The International Multimedia Telecommunications Consortium (IMTC) today announced the completion of the teleconferencing industry's most comprehensive interoperability testing event to date for providers of multimedia conferencing products and services.

More than 225 engineers representing 46 companies from around the globe met in Honolulu, Hawaii last week to test diverse multimedia products for compatibility and interoperability at the IMTC's annual SuperOp! event. During five days of rigorous, scheduled testing, IMTC members comprising more than 65 working teams tested the compatibility and interconnectivity of standards-based products and services for data conferencing (T.120) and videoconferencing via ISDN (H.320), Internet, LAN (H.323) and POTS (H.324).

"SuperOp! is truly unique in that the event facilitates the face to face meeting of multimedia conferencing engineers from around the globe -- often competitors - enabling them to work together to identify, define and solve interoperability issues for the benefit of the marketplace," said Matt Collier, president of the IMTC and vice president of global business development of Polycom, Inc. "We are extremely pleased with this year's record attendance, and feel it demonstrates the critical role the IMTC plays in the multimedia communications industry."


Organized by the International Multimedia Teleconferencing Consortium (IMTC), SuperOp! is designed to enable users of conferencing technology to hold a single videoconferencing session over a mixture of Internet, LAN/WAN and ordinary (POTS) and digital (ISDN) telephone lines. This year, the SuperOp! event was co-located with the Microsoft TAPI Bakeoff interoperability event. Telecommunications facilities provided by GTE, LAN infrastructure provided by 3Com Corporation, and network servers provided by Microsoft were shared between the two events.

Interoperability is particularly important in typical multimedia communication, which involves multiple sites, multiple networks and multiple users with communications equipment from multiple manufacturers. For example, a conference call today might include two parties with fully functional audio, H.320 video and T.120 data and application sharing, two parties with only audio and H.324 video, and two parties on the Internet with audio and H.323 video. This scenario requires interoperability to ensure a basic level of connectivity across equipment from all participating manufacturers -- so participants in the session are able to communicate with each other. In order to facilitate this interoperability, just some of the SuperOp! testing scenarios included:

· A point to point H.323 video conference within and across multiple gatekeeper zones
· An H.323 multimedia conference via an H.323 gatekeeper and an H.320 gateway
· An H.323 multimedia conference with T.120 (data conferencing) via a Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) across multiple gatekeeper zones.
· An H.323 multimedia conference with T.120 (data conferencing) via an MCU, H.323 gatekeeper and H.320 gateway.
· An H.320 multimedia conference with T.120 (data conferencing) via an MCU.
· An H.320 multimedia conference with H.243 Chair Control
· A multipoint T.120 data conference
· A T.120 data conference within a videoconference
· A point to point H.324 multimedia conference
· A point to point H.324 multimedia conference with T.120 (data conferencing)

In order to maintain an open forum for evaluation, discussion and resolution, individual test results are not disclosed. This enables competing companies to share important information and data that would normally be proprietary and confidential, for the benefit of the entire conferencing industry.

Conducting testing under the auspices of the IMTC provides this vendor neutral environment for companies to pinpoint areas where differing interpretations of any ambiguities in the international communications standards may exist. Since 1996, the IMTC has hosted more than 30 interoperability events around the globe to test T.120, H.320, H.323 and H.324 products and services for compatibility with each other.About the IMTC

The IMTC is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, encouraging and facilitating the development and implementation of interoperable multimedia teleconferencing solutions based on open, international standards - particularly the multimedia teleconferencing standards adopted by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The San Ramon, Calif.-based consortium includes more than 150 member organizations from around the globe. Membership is open to any interested party, including vendors of audio, document, and video teleconferencing hardware and software; communications companies; teleconferencing service providers; end users; academic institutions; government agencies; and non-profit organizations. The consortium's Web site address is http://www.imtc.org.

1998 SuperOp! Participants
3Com Corporation	OutReach Technologies
8x8, Inc.	PictureTel Corporation
Accord	Polycom, Inc
Acer Advanced Labs	RADVISION, Inc.
Aethra S.r.l.	Selsius Systems, Inc.
British Telecom	Sharp Corporation
Data Connection, Ltd.	Siemens AG
DataBeam Corporation	Siemens Telecom Networks
Dialogic Corporation	Smith Micro Software, Inc.
Ericsson	Sony Corporation
France Telecom	Sorenson Vision
Genesys Telecommunications Labs	Symbol Technologies
IBM Corporation	TANDBERG
Institute for Information Industry	Teles AG
Intel Corporation	VCON Telecommunications
InVade Virtual PBX Limited	VideoServer
Lucent Technologies, Inc.	Vienna Systems Corporation
Microsoft Corporation	VistaCom, Inc.
Motorola	VocalTec Communications, Ltd.
Motorola India Electronic, Ltd.	VTEL Corporation
Natural MicroSystems	White Pine Software
Neoparadigm Labs, Inc.	Zydacron
Nuera Communication
OnLive! Inc.