CommX Picks IBM BladeCenter Servers, Linux to Increase Speed, Support National Growth

Linux World Conference and Expo -- Leading broadband voice communications provider CommX has selected IBM BladeCenter (NYSE: IBM) server technology running Linux to increase network capacity by 10 times while reducing costs by 25 percent.

"Due to our rapid growth nationwide, CommX was beginning to reach network call capacity, which meant that our clients' phone service could be disrupted -- not an option," said CommX president Oscar Williams. "Customers rely on our service to complete their own critical daily business transactions, and they take notice very quickly if access to telephone features takes longer than one second."

To ensure that they would continue to provide stable, reliable phone service, CommX migrated their BroadSoft VoIP application software from a Sun Sparc platform running Solaris to an IBM BladeCenter platform running Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Server 3.

The new IBM BladeCenter systems are so fast that VoIP gateway service carriers to the public switched telephone network had to make changes to accommodate the increased speed coming from CommX.

"In addition to the increased speed of our new technology platform, we now have the ability to roll out new conferencing services to our clients by the end of 2006. The new service will allow customers to enjoy real time multimedia interaction," said Paul Kratz, CommX chief technology officer. "Our previous platform could not have supported this new service."

About CommX

CommX is the Tampa Bay, Florida region's first integrated voice and data provider utilizing "softswitch" and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Now distributed throughout the U.S. by means of business partner relationships, CommX voice services are engineered on the industry-leading BroadSoft network communications platform, BroadWorks, that delivers business class voice quality and capabilities that exceed traditional circuit-switched technology. CommX voice services are marketed directly under the CommX brand and private-labeled through communication centric organizations in the Telecom and IT markets. CommX is a certified competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) for local telephone service and an inter-exchange carrier (IXC) for long distance telephone service. www.commx.net

About BroadSoft

BroadSoft's VoIP application software is revolutionizing the delivery of hosted telephony and multimedia services. Its flagship BroadWorks® technology empowers wireless and wireline carriers to deliver next-generation voice and multimedia applications and advanced features that increase revenue, enhance competitive differentiation and elevate customer satisfaction. For more information, please visit: www.broadsoft.com

About IBM

For more information about IBM, please visit www.ibm.com