Marconi Federal provides IPTV solution with BXR5000 and BXR1000; ViPr Media Center provides high-quality video conferencing at lower bandwidth PITTSBURGH, Dec. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Marconi Corporation plc (LONDON: MONI and Nasdaq: MRCIY) today announced a new IPTV solution for the U.S. Federal Government and the availability of the ViPr(TM)Media Center, which is based on H.264 standards. Marconi's IPTV solution enables federal service providers to immediately offer an IPTV service over their current infrastructure. Both of these new video solutions will be part of the demonstrations taking place at AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association) TechNet Asia Pacific 2005 conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, December 6-8, 2005. IPTV has the potential to open up substantial new markets for video content provisioning, but this requires that quality levels are acceptable in order to gain consumer confidence. Using multicast protocols, the Marconi BXR(TM)5000 or BXR1000 ensures Quality of Service (QoS) to each video stream, with on-time delivery to the end TV tuners. Because the Marconi BXR performs multicast functions in hardware (not software), it can easily transport the video stream even while other traffic is flowing through the router at the same time. Utilizing the BXR product family and by partnering with a video headend encoder and set-top box provider, Marconi will demonstrate at AFCEA TechNet (Booth #810) how the BXR can transport multiple broadcast video streams. Marconi Federal is targeting service providers' federal business arms as well as federal agencies with this solution, which would allow those providers to immediately begin providing IPTV services with more features and higher video quality to thousands of consumers, such as military personnel stationed at bases throughout the Pacific and elsewhere in the world. Marconi Federal will also showcase the newly released ViPr Media Center. ViPr is a Session Initiation Protocol- (SIP) based video telephony and multimedia system that works across Defense Department and intelligence networks (Ethernet or ATM), including Type 1 encrypted networks. ViPr empowers users (up to 15 parties) with a rich mix of communications capabilities, including Virtual Share, a package of optional collaboration tools that allows conferees to share documents and applications like electronic white boarding. Other optional components expand meeting capabilities and enable conferees to view and discuss live broadcast TV, prerecorded video, or closed circuit TV (CCTV) during a ViPr call. The ViPr SIP Firewall, powered by BorderWare, provides application layer security that extends beyond conventional perimeter firewalls and session border controllers to protect against threats from across public or private networks. With more emphasis on group conferencing, the new ViPr Media Center suite has two group conferencing product lines (VMC5000 and VMC6000 series), along with the new ViPr Media Center personal product line (VMC4000 series). Based on the H.264 standard, ViPr high-quality video conferencing provides DVD- quality video and CD-quality audio at bandwidths ranging from 384 Kbps to 3 Mbps, and interoperates with traditional H.323- and H.320-based video conferencing. "Marconi has a long standing reputation for expertise in delivering video solutions to our government customers. The new Marconi IPTV solution with the BXR5000 or BXR1000 provides our Marconi Federal service provider customers with flexibility for remote locations without Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) or IP capabilities, and enables them to deliver Video over IP services over current infrastructures," said Ralph Havens, President of Marconi Federal. "IPTV will provide exciting new revenue opportunities for government service providers while allowing end users more features and higher video quality." Notes to editors About IPTV Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) refers to a system where television and/or video signals are distributed to subscribers or viewers using a broadband connection over Internet Protocol. Telecom operators are moving to provide their customers the triple play of voice, data, and now video in the form of IPTV services. IPTV introduces a new route to consumers with the distribution of high-quality video over the Internet or private networks by telecom operators, who will compete with incumbent cable and satellite operators. Market forecasts for IPTV subscribers range from about 15 to 40 million subscribers worldwide by the end of the decade. About H.264 H.264 is the most advanced video coding standard available today. It uses many new coding techniques not available in MPEG2, MPEG4 and H.263, and it considerably raises the bar and yields better picture quality while significantly lowering the bit rate, allowing lower overall system cost, reduced infrastructure requirements and enabling many new video applications. The new H.264 video compression standard is the first to be ratified by both the ISO/IEC and ITU-T. About AFCEA TechNet AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association) TechNet Asia Pacific 2005 conference will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 6- 8, 2005. The conference will provide for an insider's perspective from key military featured speakers, as well as panel sessions and the latest on IT developments in the Pacific for military operations. TechNet Asia Pacific 2005 AFCEA's 20th Annual Conference & Exposition Harnessing Information For Tomorrow's Flexible Mission Applications December 6 - 8, 2005 Sheraton Waikiki & Royal Hawaiian Hotels Honolulu, HICo-Sponsored by AFCEA International and AFCEA Hawaii About Marconi Communications Federal, Inc. Marconi Communications Federal, Inc. is a trusted partner of the U.S. Federal Government, providing mission-critical networking and telecommunications equipment; communication facilities survey, design and construction; classified and unclassified professional services and customer support. Marconi Communications Federal supports a $1.5 billion installed base of systems within various U.S. government agencies. Marconi Communications Federal, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marconi Communications plc (LONDON: MONI and Nasdaq: MRCIY) . About Marconi Corporation plc Marconi Corporation plc is a global telecommunications equipment, services and solutions company. The company's core business is the provision of innovative and reliable optical networks, broadband access technologies, data networks and related professional and support services. The company's customer base includes many of the world's largest telecommunications operators. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol MONI and on NASDAQ under the ticker MRCIY. Additional information about Marconi Corporation can be found at http://www.marconi.com/. All rights reserved. All brands or product names are trademarks of their respective holders. This press release contains forward-looking statements with respect to products, partners, customers, future growth and other matters. Please refer to the Form 10-K report filed by Marconi Corporation plc with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. DATASOURCE: Marconi Corporation plc CONTACT: Press and Industry Analysts, Colleen Rosander, +1-724-742-7794, or , or Investors, Karen Keyes, +44 207 306 1345, or , both of Marconi Corporation plc Web site: http://www.marconi.com/

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