Metaswitch Networks Names Kevin DeNuccio as CEO to Drive Next Phase of Growth

ALAMEDA, CA and LONDON--(Marketwire - February 4, 2010) - Metaswitch Networks today signaled its ambition to become a major telecommunications vendor, with the appointment of successful industry executive Kevin DeNuccio as chief executive officer. At the same time, John Lazar has been promoted to chairman.

"As the economy eases out of recession, Metaswitch is poised to emerge as a significant player with global scope. This is a tremendously exciting prospect -- but also a challenge for us as an organization to manage that growth and make the most of the opportunity," said Lazar. "The board, including myself, unanimously agreed that Kevin's extensive CEO experience, supported by my ongoing close involvement as chairman, will create the best possible leadership team for this next phase in the company's evolution."

A veteran of Redback Networks (now Ericsson) (NASDAQ: ERIC), Cisco Systems and Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) (NYSE: VZ), DeNuccio has demonstrated multiple times his ability to turn promising early and mid-stage businesses into multi-billion dollar global players. At Redback, as CEO, he oversaw the company's transformation into the fastest growing edge router vendor and subsequent acquisition for $2.1 billion. At Cisco, as senior vice president, he grew the worldwide service provider division from a $500 million, 500-person organization to $4 billion and 4,000 employees in the space of four years.

DeNuccio comes into the role with intimate knowledge of the company having been an independent director on the board since December 2008. In addition to Metaswitch, he also serves on the boards of SanDisk (NASDAQ: SNDK) and Catholic Charities.

"I have spent much of the last 12 months thinking deeply about where the industry is headed," said DeNuccio. "One major issue is that over the last decade, established vendors with multiple shrinking revenue streams have cut back on R&D, and lost the formula, people and agility to deliver the continuous rapid innovation the industry and carriers need.

"I soon realized Metaswitch had a quite extraordinary combination of talent and technology -- traditional telephony and exciting new mobile, IP-based applications -- that could fill this innovation gap and propel it into the ranks of the major vendors worldwide. So, when the opportunity arose to help drive that strategy from the inside, I jumped at it. The timing just worked out perfectly, and I'm thrilled and excited to be helping the board and senior management team execute on our shared vision, and to be working closely with our existing customers to innovate and deliver the solutions they need today and for the future."

Metaswitch Founder and former Chairman Ian Ferguson is also extremely enthusiastic about the changes and remains on the board in his capacity as chairman of the company's Employee Benefit Trust.

Live Conference Call for Press and Analysts

Press and analysts are invited to a live conference call at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time today to discuss the announcement, including Q&A with Kevin DeNuccio and John Lazar. The conference call may be accessed in the United States by dialing (888) 217-4032 and using access code 627 473 74. The conference call may be accessed internationally by dialing +1-617-614-2737.

About Metaswitch Networks

Metaswitch Networks is a leading provider of the technologies and solutions that are powering the migration of communications networks to open, next-generation architectures. Hundreds of network operators worldwide depend on its reliable, scalable carrier systems solutions, while its high performance, fault-tolerant software technologies are licensed by all the world's leading communications equipment manufacturers. For more information, visit www.metaswitch.com.

Copyright © 2010 Metaswitch Networks. "Metaswitch" is a registered trademark. Brands and products referenced herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Contact Information: Contacts: US: Rich Williams Connect2 Communications +1 919 554 3532 rmwilliams@connect2comm.com UK / Europe: Andy Williams Cohesive Communications +44 (0) 1291 626200 andyw@cohesive.uk.com Caribbean and Latin America: Veronica Henley Innovati Marketing Group + 1 954 839 8616 veronica@innovatimarketing.com