Dulles, VA. December 16, 2003 – Encore Networks, Inc. today announced the opening of its Midwest Regional Sales office with the appointment of Timothy Ross as Director of Midwest Regional Sales. Mr. Ross will direct Encore's sales of broadband Virtual Private Network (VPN) security appliances, IP legacy routers, signaling products and Frame Relay Access Devices (FRADs) from Encore's Michigan office. He will focus primarily on developing partnerships with VARs, carriers, systems integrators, and large enterprise customers.

Mr. Ross has held a variety of senior sales and management positions with Unisys, Apertus, and most recently with Verilink Corporation as Vice President of Strategic Sales, where he developed strong relationships with resellers and service providers SBC and Verizon, and established a wide variety of enterprise accounts. As Director of Midwest Regional Sales, he will concentrate on sales opportunities for Encore, including selected carrier and service providers, throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri.

"I am excited to welcome a person with Tim's extensive experience in the communications marketplace," stated Bill Grant, Vice-President of Broadband Access Solutions. "More importantly, Tim's already-established relationships with carriers and RBOCs [Regional Bell Operating Company] provides us with an immediate list of contacts to whom we can showcase the BANDIT™, a product that is perfectly suited for carriers who want to add valuable, revenue-generating managed VPN services to their offerings."

"Encore's integrated network security products provide the perfect solution for enterprise customers who want to establish multi-protocol and secure VPNs," said Mr. Ross. "The BANDIT is a reliable solution for carriers pressured to reduce both capital and operating expenses for managed services."