Critical Links to integrate Nexthop wireless LAN controller software with its VoIP edgeBOX product line

Southampton, UK, and Mountain View, California - January 23, 2007 – Critical Links, an international networking technology company, and NextHop Technologies, a leading provider of WiFi control and management software, announced a sales, marketing and joint development partnership for integrating their industry leading products into a single, turnkey solution.

Critical Links will integrate NextHop’s wireless LAN controller software into their VoIP business gateway software platform delivering a single turnkey VoFi (Voice over WiFi) offering for business gateway solutions in enterprise and carrier markets. This integration will provide integrated, production-ready software allowing networking equipment OEMs in the business gateway market to decrease development risk and reduce time-to-market.

The edgeBOX software platform from Critical Links is an all-in-one, remotely manageable networking device that incorporates all the latest in-demand technologies such as VoIP, IP-PBX, VPNs, security and QoS. It also provides network access control, has an integrated router and ADSL modem, and can be used as a web server, email server and storage device. The integration of NextHop’s industry-leading WiFi control and management software and the edgeBOX creates a comprehensive, easy-to-mange business gateway solution for enterprise and carrier markets.

“This combination is especially important since both VoIP & WiFi are showing rapid growth in the Enterprise and Carriers markets,” said Peter Tyndale, vice president of business development at Critical Links. “Setting up a network requires increasingly complex configuration for VoIP-over-WiFi with access point roaming for wireless handsets being a b ig issue. NextHop’s innovative wireless controller software offers quick deployment of wireless LAN infrastructure coupled with scalable, reliable coverage for VoFi voice clients”

“We are very happy to be working with Critical Links to create leading edge VoFi solutions based on best-of-breed VoIP and WiFi technologies”, said PG Menon, vice president of marketing at NextHop. “There is a growing demand in the enterprise and carrier market for simple, out-of-the box yet reliable solutions to support VoFi clients. We believe we are unique in providing the necessary simplicity, reliability and scalability required to support large numbers of roaming VoFi clients.”

About Critical Links

Critical Links (http://www.critical-links.com) is an international networking software company and provider of edgeBOX, a converged multi-function device or business gateway targeted at SMBs and Enterprise Branch Offices. edgeBOX is available in a wide range of scalable hardware platforms, including standard servers, and has the best feature to price ratio in the market, making it the ideal choice for cost savvy SMBs. edgeBOX typically replaces 4-7 single-function devices required to deliver an equivalent set of services, fully remotely managed, with significantly lower TCO. Telecom Service Providers and Managed Services Providers offe r edgeBOX as a service to their SMB customers.
Critical Links is a wholly owned subsidiary of Critical Software SA, established in 1998, with over 100 employees, with a presence in the UK, USA, and Portugal. The company is CMMI Level 3 compliant and has a reputation for producing mission and business critical networking and telecoms solutions for the telecoms, public sector, industry, aerospace and defence markets, with customers such as Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Infineon Technologies, NASA, EADS and ESA.

About Next Hop Technologies

NextHop Technologies is a leading developer of networking software for the wired and wireless communications market. NextHop's GateD® legacy provides the most complete set of production-ready networking protocols in the industry that is more reliable, more tested and more scalable than any other vendor-neutral solution. NextHop’s turnkey solutions for merchant silicon and off-the-shelf hardware offer the unique combination of quick time-to-market and comprehensive networking functionality for enterprise and carrier equipment manufacturers. NextHop reaches these customers through a direct sales channels and is based in Mountain View, California. For further information, please visit http://www.nexthop.com.
NextHop Technologie s and GateD are registered trademarks and NextHop is a trademark of NextHop Technologies Inc. All other third party marks mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.