Avaya to Provide a Unified Communications Solution for NBC Universal During the Beijing Olympic Games

BEIJING and BASKING RIDGE, NJ--(Marketwire - August 12, 2008) - Avaya has been selected to provide a unified communications solution to NBC Universal in support of the network's coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games from Beijing, China August 8-24. The announcement was made today by Bob Kiraly, director, Broadcast and Telecommunications Operations, NBC Olympics.

NBC Olympics operates under a unique set of IT circumstances: every two years the organization needs a complete, business communications network set up in a new location that is in use for little more than a month. Demands for high-availability, resiliency and cutting edge technology are weighed against cost, since once the Games are over the equipment goes into storage.

"Working with Avaya, we have our communications requirements and implementation down to a science," said Bob Kiraly. "We don't have time for complicated installations and we have zero tolerance for risk. What we do need are powerful, reliable communications that help manage costs and enable the NBC Olympics team to do their jobs most efficiently. Avaya understands that completely."

NBC Olympics took its first leap to IP Telephony with Avaya Communication Manager running on a server -- gateway architecture between the International Broadcast Center and NBC's Field Shop for the 2004 Olympic Games. This step produced immediate benefits -- including better, more consistent features for everyone on the network and an easier, faster implementation. Running its own communications network locally and using IP Trunking between Athens and its U.S. headquarters help cut operating costs. At the same time, integrating existing analog and digital phones allowed NBC Olympics control over the pace and price of implementing new technology. For peace of mind, however, the company elected to run communications and data along separate, parallel paths.

This year, IP Telephony hits full stride for NBC Olympics with Avaya Gigabit Ethernet phones landing on more than 500 desks accompanied by another 200 value sets elsewhere in the network. The power over Ethernet phones provide NBC Olympics with the highest quality audio and the lowest power consumption of any similar business class telephones on the market today.

Avaya Communication Manager helps NBC Olympics move forward with unified communications applications. The company is already enabling greater mobility by allowing calls made to an employee's extension also ring their cellular phone. Now, the new Gigabit Ethernet phones also make it even easier for the team to switch active calls between the desk phone and cellular device: Employees who need to change locations while a call is in progress can simply hit a button on the phone to switch the call from the desktop extension to their cellular device and vice versa. These phones can also enable one employee to see the availability of others in his or her workgroup for live calls by displaying names and telephony presence on the back-lit screen.

About NBC Olympics

NBC, "America's Olympic Network," owns the exclusive U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games, television's most powerful property, through 2012, which includes Beijing in 2008, Vancouver in 2010 and London in 2012. From August 8-24, 2008 NBC Universal will present an unprecedented 3,600 hours of coverage, highlighted by NBC in primetime with live swimming, gymnastics and beach volleyball. In August 2004, 203 million viewers watched as the networks of NBC Universal -- NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo, and NBC's HD affiliates -- offered a then record 1,210 hours of Olympic coverage from Athens. For additional information, go to NBCOlympics.com. Merging news, results and schedules with extensive video coverage and an unmatched depth of unique story telling content, NBCOlympics.com will be the Olympic fan's hub for every aspect of the 2008 Beijing Games experience -- from the most comprehensive TV schedules to learning how to connect to mobile, gaming, VOD and other digital destinations. NBCOlympics.com will provide approximately 2,200 hours of live event competition where users can choose from up to 20 concurrent streams encompassing 25 Olympic sports. In addition, the site will offer more than 3,000 hours of on-demand access to full-event replays and extensive highlights, including daily recaps of key events, best-of montages, commentator analysis and athlete-specific clips.

About Avaya

Avaya delivers Intelligent Communications solutions that help companies transform their businesses to achieve marketplace advantage. More than one million businesses worldwide, including more than 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500®, use Avaya solutions for IP telephony, unified communications, contact centers and communications-enabled business processes. Avaya Global Services provide comprehensive service and support for companies, small to large. For more information, visit the Avaya Web site at http://www.avaya.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Deb Kline Avaya Media Relations 908-953-6179 klined@avaya.com