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Yak Communications Joins
Forces with Emergent Network Solutions and DaVinci Integration
to Offer New Prepaid Feature for Its New yakForFree VoIP Service
Cranbury, NJ, Miami, Florida
and Toronto, Canada,
November 16, 2005
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- Sophisticated Prepaid VoIP Feature Provides yakForFree
Members With Easy Means for Upgrading to Local/Long-Distance
VoIP-to-PSTN Services - |
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Yak Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:YAKC), a provider
of telecommunications services to residential and business
customers, announced today that it has joined forces with
Emergent Network Solutions, Inc. and DaVinci Integration Ltd. to
provide users of its new yakForFree VoIP service with an easy
means for upgrading to local/long-distance VoIP-to-PSTN
services. This sophisticated, prepaid VoIP capability is a
standard feature of the new yakForFree virtual videophone
service, which debuts today.
The new prepaid yakForFree VoIP capability is
provided through a partnership between Emergent and DaVinci,
whereby Emergent’s innovative open systems platform, ENTICE,
enables the feature and DaVinci integrates it. Yak expects that
the new yakForFree service represents a “disruptive force” in
the VoIP arena, offering the first free member-to-member voice
AND video online service and enticing users to move to VoIP as
the primary means for communicating with colleagues, friends and
family around the world.
“The
collaboration with Emergent and DaVinci has helped to put our
revised VoIP business strategy on the map,” said David Hurwitz,
President of VoIP Initiatives of Yak Communications. “To remain
competitive in the VoIP space, we had to adapt quickly to
rapidly evolving market conditions. DaVinci’s expertise
combined with Emergent’s ENTICE platform provided us with the
essential operational elements to help bridge the gap between
our existing VoIP infrastructure and the enhanced yakForFree
system.”
“Yak
and DaVinci required a durable, scalable and easily-integrated
prepaid capability for this critically important function. The
ENTICE enhanced services platform is designed specifically for
such applications,” said Nathan Franzmeier, Chief Executive
Officer of Emergent Network Solutions. “This technology will
fully support Yak’s needs now, while also giving it a base for
additional value-added services in the future.”
“We believe
yakForFree has the potential to reach millions of people
worldwide, establishing Yak as a premier global VoIP provider,”
said Charles Zwebner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
“Using Emergent’s ENTICE enhanced services platform provides us
with a fast, cost-effective method for capitalizing on the
higher margins and faster cash flow made possible by
prepayment. We anticipate a significant number of consumers
to sign up for this free communications alternative that
requires only a PC, camera and a broadband connection. Once
they subscribe, the Emergent/DaVinci solution makes it easy for
members to upgrade to the prepaid yakToAnyone service.”
“As experts in VoIP service deployment, we’ve
found that there is no such thing as a cookie-cutter solution.
Some level of customization is always needed,” said James
Carroll, President of DaVinci Integration. “We’ve found that
ENTICE supports customization better than any other product,
which made it an ideal choice for yak’s prepaid technology
requirements.”
“yak and DaVinci required a durable, scalable
and easily-integrated prepaid capability for this critically
important function. The ENTICE enhanced services platform is
designed specifically for such applications,” said Nathan
Franzmeier, Chief Executive Officer of Emergent Network
Solutions. “This technology will fully support yak’s needs now,
while also giving it a base for additional value-added services
in the future.”
DaVinci Integration, which has enjoyed a
longtime business relationship with yak, managed all aspects of
the new yakToAnyone prepaid feature rollout. For more
information about yakForFree, yakToAnyone, and other popular yak
VoIP services, visit
www.yak.com.
yakForFree users can place free online
videophone calls only to other yakForFree members. Customers
who enroll in yakToAnyone, the upsell service for yakForFree
members, will be able to place VoIP calls from their VoIP
videophone to non-member local and long distance numbers in the
United States and Canada for just $.02 per minute. Calls can
also be placed to international numbers at highly competitive
prices.
For
more information about yakForFree, yakToAnyone, and other
popular yak VoIP services, visit
www.yak.com.
About
Emergent Network Solutions, Inc.:
Emergent
Network Solutions (ENS) is a leading provider of advanced
telecommunications software for the emerging communications
networks. ENS offers a broad portfolio of solutions based on
its cutting-edge ENTICE (Emergent Networks Telecommunication
Infrastructure Control Environment) technology. The ENTICE
portfolio includes a softswitch, session controller, VoIP
gateway, converged tandem/ international gateway and
various enhanced service solutions. All ENTICE solutions are
open allowing deployment today with room for opportunistic
innovation in the future. Emergent’s products, services, and
expertise allow carriers to adapt swiftly to changing industry
conditions and maximize their current and future networks. The
company is privately owned. For more information, visit
www.emergent-netsolutions.com.
About Yak Communications
yak
Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:YAKC - News) is an Integrated
Communications Provider (ICP) offering a full array of long
distance (1+, toll free and dial-around), local lines, travel
cards, cellular long distance, data services, and broadband
voice (VoIP) to residential and small businesses in North
America over high speed internet access. Yak currently serves
approximately 900,000 customers for its traditional telecom
services. For more information, visit
www.yak.com.
YAK CONTACTS
The Communications Group Inc.
The Global Consulting Group
David Eisenstadt
Kathy Price
Media Relations
(Canada) Investor
Relations (US)
1-416-696-9900 x
36
1-646-284-9430
deisenstadt@tcgpr.com
kprice@hfgcg.com
Yak Communications
Inc. Maranon &
Associates
Investor
Relations
Media Relations (Spanish Markets)
Larry Turel
Legia Maranon
1-305-933-8322 x
105
1-305-476-5050
larry@yak.com
lmaranon@maranonad.com
The Global Consulting Group
Joe Korbel
Media Relations (USA)
1-646-284-9402
jkorbel@hfgcg.com
EMERGENT CONTACT: DAVINCI
INTEGRATION:
Patricia Handschiegel
James P. Carroll
S&S Public
Relations
DaVinci Integration
818/528-2573
203/460-8056
pattyh@sspr.com
jpcarroll@davincint.com
Forward Looking Statements:
Statements contained in this news release, which are not
strictly historical are forward looking within the meaning of
the safe harbor clause of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Yak Communications Inc. (the “Company”)
makes these statements based on information available to it as
of the date of this news release and assumes no responsibility
to update or revise such forward-looking statements.
Editors and investors are cautioned that forward-looking
statements invoke risk and uncertainties that may cause the
Company’s actual results to differ materially from such
forward-looking statements.
Words such as
“projects”, “believe”, “anticipates”, “estimate”, “plans”,
“expect”, “intends”, and similar words and expressions are
intended to identify forward-looking statements and are based on
our current expectations, assumptions, and estimates about us
and our industry. In addition, any statements that refer to
expectations, projections or other characterizations of future
events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. Although
the Company believes that such forward-looking statements are
reasonable, we cannot assure you that such expectations will
prove to be correct. Our actual results could differ materially
from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a
result of several factors, risks and uncertainties. These
factors, risks and uncertainties include, without limitation,
our ability to satisfactorily address any material weaknesses
in our internal financial controls, our success in integrating
the operations of any newly-acquired businesses, and associated
reduction in costs, the successful implementation of our
business plans including growth of existing product offerings,
strategic acquisitions and development of broadband telephony
products, the successful integration of new management team
members, continued and increased demand for our services, the
successful deployment of new equipment and realization of
material savings there from, competition from larger and/or more
experienced telecommunications providers, our ability to
continue to develop our markets, general economic conditions,
changes in governmental regulation, and other factors that may
be more fully described in our literature and periodic filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You are urged to
carefully review and consider these disclosures, which describe
certain factors that affect our business.
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