XConnect Appoints Mr. David Schwartz as Chief Technology Officer

LONDON, BUSINESS WIRE -- XConnect, the world's leading provider of trusted and secure Federated IP Communications Peering, Interconnection and ENUM Registry services to the telecommunication industry, announced today the appointment of David Schwartz to the newly created position of Chief Technology Officer.

Mr. Schwartz joins XConnect after having co-founded Kayote Networks, a leading Voice over IP (VoIP) company with the objective of providing companies with expertise in SIP and other internet telephony protocols, and having served as its CTO for the four years since its inception. Prior to Kayote, Mr. Schwartz served as Director of Telephony Research at Deltathree, Inc., a leading VoIP service provider that laid the foundation for the development of the IP Communications Industry. "XConnect is responding to strong demand for the creation of customized private peering federations for clients, including PTTs, MSOs and other strategically aligned providers while continuing to grow and expand the XConnect Alliance and DirectRoute service lines," said Eli Katz, Founder and CEO of XConnect. "David's experience in architecting and delivering large scale multi-protocol hosted services makes him uniquely qualified to help XConnect satisfy our customer's Voice Peering requirements, and we warmly welcome him to the team."

Prior to Deltathree, Mr. Schwartz served as a VP in the Information Technology group at Bear Stearns & Co., Inc. (NYSE:BSC). Mr. Schwartz holds a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, with a focus in Communication Systems and is the author of a number of industry based standards and specifications. "Voice Peering is essential to the realization of Next Generation Networks and Internet Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), in which advanced IP Communications services enable and enhance interconnectivity. XConnect enables carriers to bridge IP islands that are interconnected today via the PSTN, to achieve breakthrough efficiencies in their networks and interconnects, to reduce termination costs and to extend their advanced services to more customer calls," said Mr. Schwartz.

"XConnect's technological leadership has been a major driver of the rapid growth of VoIP Peering, and I'm excited to join this dynamic team." About XConnect Global Networks: XConnect is the leading neutral and trusted provider of federated VoIP Peering based on ENUM; enabling service providers and carriers to dramatically reduce the costs of communication, and enable rich multimedia IP communications on a cross-network basis. Headquartered in London with offices and facilities in the USA, Europe and Asia, XConnect provides ENUM and peering services to over 400 VoIP operators in more than 35 countries, and includes numerous PTTs and Tier1 customers.

XConnect services include comprehensive multi-lateral signaling and interconnection of networks, centrally managed ENUM registries with local query functionality, advanced VoIP Security, and highly flexible settlement features. Founded by its management and backed by Tier One Venture Capital firms such as Accel Partners and Venrock Associates, XConnect, with its technology partner Kayote Networks Inc., was selected by the cable industry in the Netherlands to operate the first nation-wide VoIP peering solution, and recently acquired the European carrier ENUM exchange, e164.info and US-based peering service IPeerX Inc. For more information, please visit www.xconnect.net.

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The Holding Company Blitz-Inform in Ukraine deploys Alcatel-Lucent’s solution to transform services delivery with advanced communication system

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) announced today that it has implementedan advanced voice over IP system for The Holding Company Blitz-Inform (Blitz-Inform), the national leader of publishing and polygraphic industry in Ukraine.

The project is implemented by Incom Corporation, Alcatel-Lucent’s Premium Business Partner in Ukraine, to transform the business-critical telephony and mobility features of Blitz-Inform communication network. The new network will increase employees’ effectiveness and boost productivity as it supports a wide range of advanced communication services such as dial-by-name, conferencing, mobility and more, and interconnects over 30 offices and branches throughout Kiev and outlying regions, making Blitz Inform one of the largest VoIP telephony networks in the Ukraine.

The end-to-end integrated system connects 2,500 employees in Kiev with each other and with 600 colleagues in regional branches, providing full transparency of telephony features and services as well as seamless user experience across all the company’s sites. The whole solution includes the Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX Enterprise IP Telephony solution, the OmniVista 4760 network management applications, and mobility functionality with DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunication) MobileTouch solution.

Business flexibility is supported by DECT roaming between sites for mobile users and mobility features for remote out-of-the-office users. The new network also connects to the public switched telecom network (PSTN) through various telecom service providers that transparently assign numbers to subscribers across the network, guaranteeing reliability and cost-efficiency of advanced services. “Alcatel-Lucent solution due to its wide functionality equipped us with a wide range of exciting new communication capabilities. Employees across all our sites have access to the same rich set of features and can respond more quickly to each other, allowing them to be more productive,” said Alexander Laptev, technical Director of Blitz-Inform. “The new communications system from Alcatel-Lucent is ideal for our rapid business growth and provides us a top quality business communications system that helps us serve our customers better.” “Alcatel-Lucent provides fully integrated, easy-to-use communication platforms that help companies focus on generating new business by effectively using advanced technologies to communicate internally and with their customers, seamlessly and with higher efficiency than in the past,” said Ivan Makharine, Director of Alcatel-Lucent enterprise activities in CIS. “Our OmniPCX solution not only enhances employees’ productivity and collaboration, but also delivers cost savings from inter-office calls and services.”

The contract has been deployed by Incom Corporation, a system integrator in Ukraine, which provided the full range of services for the project including solution engineering, equipment delivery, installation and integration work involved in the project. The Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX Enterprise is an integrated, interactive communications solution for medium-sized businesses and large corporations.

The solution combines traditional telephone functions with support for Internet-based telephony and multimedia communication.

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INTERPRISE Selects Cypress Communications for Hosted VoIP Solution

ATLANTA --(Business Wire)-- INTERPRISE, one of the nation's largest commercial interior design firms, announced today that they have selected Cypress Communications, the leading supplier of end-to-end managed communication solutions, as their hosted communications provider. Cypress will deliver the hosted service to INTERPRISE using their flagship product, C4 IP, a fully managed voice, data and Internet solution that enables users to connect, communicate, collaborate and continue business as usual, in the face of any disaster.

"Cypress' C4 IP solution is an important part of our corporate business continuity strategy with its ability to provide uninterrupted voice and data communications. Since C4 IP is an off-premise hosted solution--unlike other solutions we evaluated--our business will be protected should we experience any sort of calamity. We'll be able to quickly reroute our communications and be up and running, business as usual, in no time," said Graham Easterling, IT director for INTERPRISE.

"As we discussed INTERPRISE's communication goals, the importance of business continuity planning became quickly apparent. As a professional services company, employee availability to clients is paramount to INTERPRISE; downtime is not an option. Mobility is also key since many of INTERPRISE's staff are required to be on-site for client design projects. Cypress has been providing managed desktop communications for 20 years, so our legacy as an industry veteran, with the experience, staff and innovative technology to keep our customers' communications up and running was a good match for their business needs," said Frank Grillo, executive vice president of enterprise services, Cypress Communications. "With C4 IP, not only can Cypress provide a secure, reliable, redundant communications solution, but we can also provide productivity-enhancing VoIP mobility and collaboration features."

Because the business intelligence is located on the Cypress network and not in INTERPRISE's office, the company can remain operational no matter what happens at their physical location. C4 IP's cutting-edge, user-friendly Web portal and remote access tools enable them to run their business from a client's office or any other temporary location that has an Internet connection.

"With C4 IP from Cypress, we were able to benefit from more functionality than if we had purchased a premises-based phone system. We anticipate that C4 IP's inherent flexibility will facilitate remote work environments, making it easy for field employees and teleworkers to stay connected to the office. With presence information for each employee, we'll instantly know who's available. And C4 IP's collaboration tools--such as video calling, Web conferencing and file sharing--will facilitate communications between our office and field employees, and ultimately improve our productivity," Easterling continued.

C4 IP is an enterprise-class, hosted VoIP solution that enables multi-location companies to communicate seamlessly throughout the enterprise. Scalable and adaptable, C4 IP is a dynamic communications solution that streamlines and improves communications, resulting in a more productive and efficient enterprise.

C4 IP features a softphone, allowing the user to make and receive telephone calls from their PC without the use of a traditional telephone. It also integrates with the user's Cypress-provided IP desktop phone and acts as the interface to the multimedia functionality of C4 IP--presence, chat, point-to-point video calling, file sharing, collaboration, and Web conferencing.

About INTERPRISE

INTERPRISE (http://www.interprisedesign.com) was founded in 1981 by Principal Katherine C. Berg and is headquartered in Dallas. The firm provides corporate interior design and planning, strategic facility organization, retail and showroom design, graphics and web design, signage and real estate analysis. The company's staff is comprised of a diverse mix of designers with backgrounds and education in interior design, retail design, architecture, information technology, graphics, environmental graphics and website design. With the cornerstone of its practice being service to clients, the company's employees are motivated, enthusiastic and experienced, providing the commitment, capability and innovation to meet their client's design criteria. The company is a certified woman-owned business with the Texas General Services Commission and the North Texas Regional Certification Agency (NCTRCA). INTERPRISE has been consistently recognized as one of the nation's "Design Giants" by Interior Design magazine and by the Dallas Business Journal as one of the largest Metroplex women-owned businesses and largest interior architecture firms.

About Cypress Communications

Boasting a 20-year legacy and more than 6,500 customers coast-to-coast, Cypress is one of the nation's largest providers of end-to-end managed communication solutions for mid-sized businesses. Cypress provides advanced IP phones and voice over IP services with cutting edge multimedia desktop applications like Microsoft Outlook integration; unified messaging; video calling and audio, video and Web conferencing. As a Deloitte Fast 50 and Fast 500 award recipient, Cypress is also recognized as one of the fastest growing telecommunication companies in North America. Cypress is headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The company's Web address is www.cypresscom.net.

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Metalink Introduces Advanced Intel(R) Architecture-Based Reference Design for 802.11n Concurrent Dual-Band Residential Gateway

The New Reference Design is Aimed at Service Providers, Meeting the Highest Quality of Service Requirements

YAKUM, Israel, July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Metalink Ltd. , a provider of high-performance wireless and wireline broadband communication silicon solutions, today announced a unique reference design for Residential Gateways (RG) that meets the strict requirements for high quality, robustness and reliability demanded by service providers. The new platform integrates the Intel(R) IXP4XX network processor family, which is based on Intel(R) XScale(R) technology, with Metalink's 802.11n-compliant WLANPlus(tm) chipset. The new RG design offers simultaneous support for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands, enabling it to transmit High-Definition (HD) multimedia content over the 5GHz band while concurrently supporting data networking and other legacy applications over the 2.4GHz band.

Intel IXP4XX network processor delivers scalable performance, reduced power, and lower cost, both in packages optimized for residential and small/medium business applications and for communications-based embedded applications. The combination of Intel IXP4XX network processor with Metalink's WLANPlus chipset provides excellent wireless capabilities and user experience. Its enhanced wireless capabilities include the ability to deliver multiple streams of HD TV, data and audio throughout the home, and meet the highest performance requirements of the draft-802.11n standard, thereby supporting service-provider-grade quality, as demanded by operators worldwide.

Metalink's 802.11n WLANPlus is a high-throughput IEEE 802.11n-compliant wireless LAN technology. Its transmission capability surpasses that of existing wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g technologies, providing a best-of-breed foundation for wireless triple-play and entertainment networks with full demonstrated support for multiple simultaneous high-definition video streams and extended coverage. WLANPlus provides a high-performance solution for applications ranging from Residential Gateways, Access Points and Routers to PC cards, STBs, DMAs and wireless HDTVs.

"We are very pleased to join forces with this industry leader, and excited by the power and quality of the platform that we are developing together," said Barry Volinskey, Vice President, Marketing at Metalink. "We are confident that this unique platform will answer the true needs of the home entertainment market, enabling system vendors and service providers to significantly reduce the time required to design and deploy their new high-end lines of RGs for IPTV and other multimedia applications."

"The Intel(R) IXP4XX network processor family offers the right features and price-performance required by a broad range of home entertainment device manufacturers for service-provider-grade VoIP router gateways and RGs," said Rose Schooler, Director of Marketing, Embedded and Communications Processor Division at Intel Corporation.

About Metalink

Metalink Ltd. is a leading provider of high performance wireless and wireline broadband communication silicon solutions. Metalink's WLAN and DSL technologies are designed to enable true broadband connectivity in every home, and its products revolutionize the broadband experience by facilitating the convergence of telecommunication, networking and entertainment.

Metalink's WLANPlus(TM) is a high-throughput, 802.11n-draft-compliant wireless LAN technology optimized for the networked home entertainment environment. Featuring advanced MIMO technology and full support of QoS, and operating in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, WLANPlus enables multi-room networking of multiple high-definition video streams. In addition, Metalink offers a broad range of symmetric DSL and VDSL products used by operators as a cost-effective network upgrade to support triple-play services.

Headquartered in Yakum, Israel, the company has design centers in USA (Atlanta, GA) and Taiwan, and sales offices in USA (Atlanta, GA), South Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan. Further information is available at http://www.MTLK.com

Metalink's Forward Looking Statement

This press release contains "forward looking" information within the meaning of the United States securities laws that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward looking statements. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements are set forth from time to time in Metalink's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Metalink's Annual Report in Form F-20. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to republish or revise forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrences of unanticipated events. The Company cannot guarantee future results, events, and levels of activity, performance, or achievements.

Intel and Intel XScale are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

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Conexant Secures Cable Set-Top Box Design-Wins with China-Based DareGlobal

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Conexant Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CNXT), a worldwide leader in semiconductor solutions for broadband communications and the digital home, today announced that DareGlobal has chosen the company’s standard-definition MPEG-2 decoders for two new cable set-top box (STB) receivers that are currently being deployed by multi-service operators in the provinces of Jiangsu and Shandong in the People’s Republic of China. Shanghai-based DareGlobal is an international supplier of digital home solutions, and is one of the largest providers of cable, satellite, and terrestrial STB terminals in China.

“China’s conversion from analog to all-digital networks provides leading domestic manufacturers such as DareGlobal with a significant new market opportunity,” said Lewis Brewster, executive vice president and general manager of Conexant’s Broadband Media Processing business. “We are pleased that our cable set-top box technology will play an important role in this country-wide initiative, and that Chinese consumers in Jiangsu and Shandong will soon be able to enjoy high-quality digital programming in their homes.”

“Our customers depend on us for high-quality solutions, which is why we based our new receivers on Conexant’s field-proven set-top box technology,” said Xinyue Huang, president of DareGlobal. “Customer service is also very important to us, particularly when we’re launching new products. Conexant’s local engineering personnel provided us with superior technical support, which enabled us to streamline our design process.”

Dare’s two-way cable STB receiver is based on Conexant’s CX2415X family of MPEG-2 audio/video decoders. These highly integrated devices include features that support a wide range of advanced, interactive, consumer services. Dare’s one-way receiver is based on the company’s CX24146 MPEG-2 devices, which has been optimized to provide a cost-effective solution for non-interactive DVB-C based services.

Conexant offers a comprehensive suite of digital STB components and system solutions for worldwide satellite, terrestrial, cable and IP entertainment broadcasting networks. The company’s product offering includes silicon tuners, demodulators, MPEG audio and video decoders, and dial-up modems for back-channel applications. Complete reference designs that help manufacturers reduce cost and speed time-to-market are also available, bundled with a range of operating systems, middleware, drivers and development tools.

About Conexant

Conexant’s innovative semiconductor solutions are driving broadband communications and digital home networks worldwide. The company’s comprehensive portfolio includes products for broadband access and media processing applications. Conexant is a fabless semiconductor company that recorded revenues of $970.8 million in fiscal year 2006. The company has approximately 3,200 employees, and is headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif. To learn more, please visit www.conexant.com.

About DareGlobal Technologies

DareGlobal is an international leading supplier of digital home solutions. Its vision is to facilitate the integration of IT and telecommunication industry and work as a pioneer in the era of information and economy. Its mission is to provide products and services of superior quality to customers and to create social value for the public.

Safe Harbor Statement

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release includes forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such as Conexant or its management “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “foresees,” “forecasts,” “estimates” or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements in this release that describe our business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.

These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risk that capital needed for our business and to repay our indebtedness will not be available when needed; the risk that the value of our common stock may be adversely affected by market volatility; general economic and political conditions and conditions in the markets we address; the substantial losses we have incurred; the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and the markets addressed by our products and our customers’ products; continuing volatility in the technology sector and the semiconductor industry; demand for and market acceptance of our new and existing products; our successful development of new products; the timing of our new product introductions and our product quality; our ability to anticipate trends and develop products for which there will be market demand; the availability of manufacturing capacity; pricing pressures and other competitive factors; changes in our product mix; product obsolescence; the ability of our customers to manage inventory; our ability to develop and implement new technologies and to obtain protection for the related intellectual property; the uncertainties of litigation, including claims of infringement of third-party intellectual property rights or demands that we license third-party technology, and the demands it may place on the time and attention of our management and the expense it may place on our company; and possible disruptions in commerce related to terrorist activity or armed conflict, as well as other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

The forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Conexant is a registered trademark of Conexant Systems, Inc. Other brands and names contained in this release are the property of their respective owners.

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