London, 30th October 2008 -- Showcasing unparalleled ideas and innovation across a wide variety of technologies which continue to flourish amid the current global economic gloom, seventeen exemplary organisations were honoured at Frost & Sullivan’s recent Excellence in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Awards Banquet.

Speaking at the ceremony at London Zoo on 16th October, Martyn Lewis CBE, Chairman of telepresence pioneer Teliris, highlighted the favourable changes afforded by the technologies lauded during Frost & Sullivan’s gala night, positively impacting work patterns and habits in ways that bring environmental benefits, but are also attractive and justifiable on financial grounds. 

“In many different ways, the products and services we are applauding here tonight are shrinking the corporate world by playing directly into the concerns shaping senior executives’ priorities over the next few years.”

“While there is nothing new about the issues of cost-cutting, carbon emission reduction, increasing productivity and improving the work/life balance, the financial and environmental priorities are merging as never before”, Mr Lewis adds.

Placing telepresence technology at the core of his address, Mr Lewis commented on the technology’s ability to promote Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and carbon emission reduction by limiting the need for business travel.

Teliris was founded in 2001 and, according to the official company statement, offers the world’s most natural, immersive virtual meeting environments combining an intimate experience with innovative collaboration tools that enable more effective interactions between geographically dispersed locations.

Another highlight of the evening was a further keynote address delivered by Tatiana Tolmacheva, co-founder and Managing Partner of iKS-Consulting, who drew the audience’s attention to the vast business opportunities offered by the Russian and other CIS telecoms markets.

“While Russia spans more than an eighth of the Earth's land, the total CIS telecoms market currently only accounts for four per cent of worldwide telecoms revenues, equating to $63 billion”.

“One of the key drivers for growth in the local telecoms market is the expansion of Russian operators into CIS, bringing investment into infrastructure development, providing more variety to local consumers and increasing competition”, Ms Tolmacheva explains.

iKS-Consulting is the international consulting agency that provides analytical
and management consultancy services in Telecommunications, IT and Media in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and other CIS countries.

The event culminated in a celebration of achievements by the following organizations demonstrating best practices in their respective disciplines.

Tailgate Technologies	European Online Advertising Technology Innovation of the Year Award
Datalogic	Global Customer Shopping Devices Product Innovation Award
Stratos	North American Mobile Satellite Services Product Innovation of the Year Award
MetaSwitch	Global Softswitch Product Line Strategy Award
BT Global Services	European Contact Centre Market Leadership Award
BT Global Services	European Communications Service Provider Customer Value Enhancement Award
Sarian Systems	European High Speed Wireless Enterprise Routers Product Innovation of the Year Award
France Telecom	European Green Excellence Product Innovation Award
Telsis Limited	European Mobile Messaging Product Line Strategy Award
Aastra Technologies	European Managed Services Product Innovation of the Year Award
Sony	European Videoconferencing Endpoints Product Innovation Award
Applicure Technologies	European Network Resource Protection Technology Innovation of the Year Award
InVision Software	EMEA Agent Performance Optimisation Competitive Strategy Leadership Award
Wavesat Inc.	European Mobile Broadband Wireless Access Excellence in Technology of the Year Award
Tandberg	European Videoconferencing Endpoints Market Share Growth Leadership Award
Thomson Premises Systems	European DSL Wireless and Integrated Femtocell Gateway Product Line Strategy of the Year Award
Qualcomm	European Mobile and Wireless Technology Leadership of the Year Award
Telcordia	European Managed Services Product Innovation of the Year Award

"As global markets begin to reassess their economic fundamentals,” says Sharifah Amirah, Principal Analyst at Frost & Sullivan, “we are proud to unite an elite group of companies that have excelled beyond financial parameters. Our long-established Best Practices Awards Programme is an integral part of our proposition.”

“Frost & Sullivan’s research is an invaluable source of ideas for companies on how to improve strategies and processes, which ultimately drive corporate growth. We host this annual event to celebrate these accomplishments and will continue our rigorous analysis of how companies deliver sustainable growth," Ms Amirah concludes.

Frost & Sullivan's Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievements and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients to
accelerate their growth. The company's TEAM Research, Growth Consulting and Growth Team Membership empower clients to create a growth-focused culture that generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents. For more information about Frost & Sullivan's Growth Partnerships, visit http://www.frost.com.

For further information, please contact:

Kristina Menzefricke
Frost & Sullivan
Best Practices
Promotions Manager, Europe
kristina.menzefricke@frost.com
T: +44 (0) 1353 659130