CMVT Comverse Technology, Inc. (MM)

Comverse, a subsidiary of Comverse Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMVT) and the world's leading supplier of software and systems enabling network-based multimedia enhanced communication and billing services, today announced that SFR deployed the Comverse Call Screening solution in its network in France on top of Comverse�s InSight� Open Services Environment platform. Call Screening enables the called party to listen in real-time to callers while they are recording voicemail messages. At any point the subscriber can opt to "barge in" while the message is in progress and take the call live. Call screening extends the benefits of voicemail, granting the user new control over incoming calls. Instead of feeling compelled to answer every call, the user can now listen to what the caller wants, and then decide whether or not to take the call. Decisions are better informed, based on the content of the message, and not just on the caller ID alone. "By being the first to deploy Comverse Call Screening, SFR demonstrates its commitment to innovation and to its subscribers by offering them a superior service with more choice and control over how they handle incoming calls,� said Benny Einhorn, Chief Marketing Officer at Comverse. �Call Screening can increase revenues, differentiate the operator, attract new customers, and increase loyalty among existing customers, providing an important addition to an operator�s suite of InSight next generation voicemail services.� Call Screening is part of the solution suite in Comverse�s InSight open and modular Open Services Environment for the launch and delivery of a wide variety of messaging and content services over IP, circuit-switched, hybrid and IMS networks. InSight�s IP-based architecture and standard interfaces enable core components to be shared by multiple services, significantly reducing operational costs and speeding time-to-market. The InSight Open Services Environment enables operators to gain a competitive edge by fulfilling their subscribers� total communication needs rapidly and cost-effectively. About SFR With 17.4 million customers and 8,000 employees, SFR is the second largest mobile telecommunications operator in France and has been the market leader in terms of net sales (new customers) since 2003. Operating its own GSM/GPRS and UMTS/HSDPA networks, SFR is able to provide a complete range of mobile telephony and multimedia services, as well as mobile data solutions to its personal, SOHO and business customers. SFR has become the operator of choice for new uses of mobile phones, having been the first operator to launch 3G and 3G+ services on the French market, and had 1.6 million exclusively 3G customers at the end of June 2006. The company is also a player on the fixed telecommunications market through its 40.6% interest in neuf cegetel, the leading alternative operator on the French market. SFR benefits from a stable ownership structure, with two major shareholders, Vivendi (56%) and Vodafone (44%). About Comverse Comverse, a subsidiary of Comverse Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMVT), is the world�s leading provider of software and systems enabling network-based multimedia enhanced communication and billing services. The company's Total CommunicationSM portfolio includes value-added messaging, personalized data and content-based services, and real-time converged billing solutions. Over 450 communication and content service providers in more than 120 countries use Comverse products to generate revenues, strengthen customer loyalty and improve operational efficiency. For additional information, visit the Comverse website at www.comverse.com or the Comverse Technology website at www.cmvt.com. All product and company names mentioned herein may be registered trademarks or trademarks of Comverse or the respective referenced company(s). Note: This release contains �forward-looking statements� under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurances that forward-looking statements will be achieved, and actual results could differ materially from forecasts and estimates. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: the results of the investigation of the Special Committee, appointed by the Board of Directors on March 14, 2006, of matters relating to the company�s stock option grant practices and other accounting matters, including revenue recognition, recording of deferred tax accounts, expenses misclassification, misuse of accounting reserves and understatement of backlog; the impact of any restatement of financial statements of the company or other actions that may be taken or required as a result of such reviews; the company�s inability to file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission; risks associated with the company�s inability to meet NASDAQ requirements for continued listing, including possible delisting; risks relating to the right of holders of ZYPS to require the company to repurchase their ZYPS upon delisting of the company�s shares from NASDAQ at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of ZYPS to be purchased; risks of litigation and of governmental investigations or proceedings arising out of or related to the company�s stock option grants or any other accounting irregularities or any restatement of the financial statements of the company; risks associated with integrating the businesses and employees of the Global Software Services (�GSS�) division acquired from CSG Systems International, Netcentrex S.A. and Netonomy, Inc.; changes in the demand for the company�s products; changes in capital spending among the company�s current and prospective customers; the risks associated with the sale of large, complex, high capacity systems and with new product introductions as well as the uncertainty of customer acceptance of these new or enhanced products from either the company or its competition; risks associated with rapidly changing technology and the ability of the company to introduce new products on a timely and cost-effective basis; aggressive competition may force the company to reduce prices; a failure to compensate any decrease in the sale of the company�s traditional products with a corresponding increase in sales of new products; risks associated with changes in the competitive or regulatory environment in which the company operates; risks associated with prosecuting or defending allegations or claims of infringement of intellectual property rights; risks associated with significant foreign operations and international sales and investment activities, including fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates, and valuations of public and private equity; the volatility of macroeconomic and industry conditions and the international marketplace; risks associated with the company�s ability to retain existing personnel and recruit and retain qualified personnel; and other risks described in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties discussed above, as well as others, are discussed in greater detail in the filings of the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. These documents are available through the company, or its website, www.cmvt.com, or through the SEC�s Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval system (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov. The company makes no commitment to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date any such statement is made. Comverse, a subsidiary of Comverse Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMVT) and the world's leading supplier of software and systems enabling network-based multimedia enhanced communication and billing services, today announced that SFR deployed the Comverse Call Screening solution in its network in France on top of Comverse's InSight(TM) Open Services Environment platform. Call Screening enables the called party to listen in real-time to callers while they are recording voicemail messages. At any point the subscriber can opt to "barge in" while the message is in progress and take the call live. Call screening extends the benefits of voicemail, granting the user new control over incoming calls. Instead of feeling compelled to answer every call, the user can now listen to what the caller wants, and then decide whether or not to take the call. Decisions are better informed, based on the content of the message, and not just on the caller ID alone. "By being the first to deploy Comverse Call Screening, SFR demonstrates its commitment to innovation and to its subscribers by offering them a superior service with more choice and control over how they handle incoming calls," said Benny Einhorn, Chief Marketing Officer at Comverse. "Call Screening can increase revenues, differentiate the operator, attract new customers, and increase loyalty among existing customers, providing an important addition to an operator's suite of InSight next generation voicemail services." Call Screening is part of the solution suite in Comverse's InSight open and modular Open Services Environment for the launch and delivery of a wide variety of messaging and content services over IP, circuit-switched, hybrid and IMS networks. InSight's IP-based architecture and standard interfaces enable core components to be shared by multiple services, significantly reducing operational costs and speeding time-to-market. The InSight Open Services Environment enables operators to gain a competitive edge by fulfilling their subscribers' total communication needs rapidly and cost-effectively. About SFR With 17.4 million customers and 8,000 employees, SFR is the second largest mobile telecommunications operator in France and has been the market leader in terms of net sales (new customers) since 2003. Operating its own GSM/GPRS and UMTS/HSDPA networks, SFR is able to provide a complete range of mobile telephony and multimedia services, as well as mobile data solutions to its personal, SOHO and business customers. SFR has become the operator of choice for new uses of mobile phones, having been the first operator to launch 3G and 3G+ services on the French market, and had 1.6 million exclusively 3G customers at the end of June 2006. The company is also a player on the fixed telecommunications market through its 40.6% interest in neuf cegetel, the leading alternative operator on the French market. SFR benefits from a stable ownership structure, with two major shareholders, Vivendi (56%) and Vodafone (44%). About Comverse Comverse, a subsidiary of Comverse Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMVT), is the world's leading provider of software and systems enabling network-based multimedia enhanced communication and billing services. The company's Total Communication(SM) portfolio includes value-added messaging, personalized data and content-based services, and real-time converged billing solutions. Over 450 communication and content service providers in more than 120 countries use Comverse products to generate revenues, strengthen customer loyalty and improve operational efficiency. For additional information, visit the Comverse website at www.comverse.com or the Comverse Technology website at www.cmvt.com. All product and company names mentioned herein may be registered trademarks or trademarks of Comverse or the respective referenced company(s). Note: This release contains "forward-looking statements" under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurances that forward-looking statements will be achieved, and actual results could differ materially from forecasts and estimates. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: the results of the investigation of the Special Committee, appointed by the Board of Directors on March 14, 2006, of matters relating to the company's stock option grant practices and other accounting matters, including revenue recognition, recording of deferred tax accounts, expenses misclassification, misuse of accounting reserves and understatement of backlog; the impact of any restatement of financial statements of the company or other actions that may be taken or required as a result of such reviews; the company's inability to file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission; risks associated with the company's inability to meet NASDAQ requirements for continued listing, including possible delisting; risks relating to the right of holders of ZYPS to require the company to repurchase their ZYPS upon delisting of the company's shares from NASDAQ at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of ZYPS to be purchased; risks of litigation and of governmental investigations or proceedings arising out of or related to the company's stock option grants or any other accounting irregularities or any restatement of the financial statements of the company; risks associated with integrating the businesses and employees of the Global Software Services ("GSS") division acquired from CSG Systems International, Netcentrex S.A. and Netonomy, Inc.; changes in the demand for the company's products; changes in capital spending among the company's current and prospective customers; the risks associated with the sale of large, complex, high capacity systems and with new product introductions as well as the uncertainty of customer acceptance of these new or enhanced products from either the company or its competition; risks associated with rapidly changing technology and the ability of the company to introduce new products on a timely and cost-effective basis; aggressive competition may force the company to reduce prices; a failure to compensate any decrease in the sale of the company's traditional products with a corresponding increase in sales of new products; risks associated with changes in the competitive or regulatory environment in which the company operates; risks associated with prosecuting or defending allegations or claims of infringement of intellectual property rights; risks associated with significant foreign operations and international sales and investment activities, including fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates, and valuations of public and private equity; the volatility of macroeconomic and industry conditions and the international marketplace; risks associated with the company's ability to retain existing personnel and recruit and retain qualified personnel; and other risks described in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties discussed above, as well as others, are discussed in greater detail in the filings of the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. These documents are available through the company, or its website, www.cmvt.com, or through the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval system (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov. The company makes no commitment to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date any such statement is made.