EXHIBIT 99.1
SONUS NETWORKS ANNOUNCES KEY APPOINTMENT TO EXECUTIVE TEAM
INDUSTRY VETERAN JOINS SONUS AS VICE PRESIDENT OF WORLDWIDE SALES
CHELMSFORD, Mass., April 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sonus Networks, Inc.
(Nasdaq: SONS), a leading supplier of service provider Voice over IP (VoIP)
infrastructure solutions, announced today that James Collier has joined the
company as its vice president of worldwide sales. In this role, Collier will be
responsible for Sonus' global sales and network services organizations. A
respected industry executive with more than 25 years of experience in the
telecommunications market, Collier joins Sonus from Ciena Corporation where he
most recently led the Company's worldwide sales organization. Collier will fill
the role previously held by Gary Rogers who will leave the company to pursue
personal interests.
"I am extremely pleased to welcome Jim to the Sonus team. Jim brings to
Sonus a deep knowledge of our industry and an exceptional record of
accomplishment within major wireline and wireless operators globally. I am
confident that he will play a critical role in enabling Sonus to capitalize on
the growing global market for IP-based voice networks," said Hassan Ahmed,
chairman and CEO. "I'd also like to personally thank Gary for his numerous
contributions, his leadership and his friendship which have been vital to
building Sonus into a predominant supplier in next-generation
telecommunications."
Before joining Sonus, Collier was the senior vice president of worldwide
sales at Ciena Corporation and was responsible for nearly doubling Ciena's
revenue during his tenure. He also significantly expanded Ciena's presence
within Postal Telegraph and Telephone (PTT) operators. Prior to assuming this
role at Ciena, Collier was responsible for corporate development at Ciena
leading the development and management of corporate alliances, partnerships and
M&A activities within the Company after having lead Ciena's North American sales
organization.
As an accomplished industry executive, Collier had a distinguished 20-year
career at Northern Telecom Inc. (Nortel), where he was responsible for sales of
the company's wireless and optical solutions. He also held various engineering,
business development and product marketing positions at Nortel.
"As Sonus continues its expansion into the wireless and global markets,
Jim's leadership in providing innovative solutions that meet network operators'
needs adds strength and breadth to our execution," said Bert Notini, president
and COO. "Further, by combining worldwide sales and network services together in
one organization, we will accelerate our ability to deliver superior
professional and deployment services in support of our customers' networks."
"Sonus is the recognized leader in the next-generation communications market
with some of the most dynamic network operators in the world as customers," said
James Collier. "This success is the result of Sonus' long- standing commitment
to putting its customers first and its relentless mission of delivering the
industry's most innovation and reliable IP-based voice solutions. I am excited
to join the market leader and look forward to deepening Sonus' relationship with
network operators globally."
Collier holds a bachelors of science in electrical engineering from North
Carolina State University and a masters of business administration from Duke
University.
About Sonus Networks
Sonus Networks, Inc. is a leading provider of Voice over IP (VoIP)
infrastructure solutions for wireline and wireless service providers. With its
comprehensive IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solution, Sonus addresses the full
range of carrier applications, including residential and business voice
services, wireless voice and multimedia, trunking and tandem switching, carrier
interconnection and enhanced services. Sonus' voice infrastructure solutions are
deployed in service provider networks worldwide. Founded in 1997, Sonus is
headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Additional information on Sonus is
available at http://www.sonusnet.com.
This release may contain forward-looking statements regarding future events
that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that these
forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from
actual future events or results. Readers are referred to the "Risk Factors"
section of Sonus' Annual Report on Form 10-K, dated March 15, 2005, and the
"Cautionary Statements" section of Sonus' Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, dated
November 8, 2005, both filed with the SEC, which identify important risk factors
that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the
forward-looking statements. Risk factors include among others: the impact of
material weaknesses in our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal
control over financial reporting on our ability to report our financial results
timely and accurately; the unpredictability of our quarterly financial results;
risks associated with our international expansion and growth; consolidation in
the telecommunications industry; and potential costs resulting from pending
securities litigation against the company. Any forward- looking statements
represent Sonus' views only as of today and should not be relied upon as
representing Sonus' views as of any subsequent date. While Sonus may elect to
update forward-looking statements at some point, Sonus specifically disclaims
any obligation to do so.
Sonus is a registered trademark of Sonus Networks, Inc. Sonus GSX9000 Open
Services Switch, PSX Call Routing Server, SGX Signaling Gateway, and the Sonus
Insight Management System are trademarks of Sonus Networks, Inc. All other
company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with
which they are associated.
For more information, please contact:
Investor Relations: Media Relations:
Jocelyn Philbrook Sarah McAuley
978-614-8672 212-699-1836
jphilbrook@sonusnet.com smcauley@sonusnet.com
SOURCE Sonus Networks, Inc.
-0- 04/24/2006
/CONTACT: Investor Relations, Jocelyn Philbrook, +1-978-614-8672,
jphilbrook@sonusnet.com, Media Relations, Sarah McAuley, +1-212-699-1836,
smcauley@sonusnet.com /
/Web site: http://www.sonusnet.com /
(SONS)