GAITHERSBURG, Maryland and BERN, Switzerland, December 16 /PRNewswire/ --

- Patton establishes Milan operations center in response to escalating requirements from regional carriers and enterprises for reliable and cost-effective datacom, telecom, and VoIP equipment

Patton -- the leader in business-class network access, connectivity, and VoIP equipment -- together with Patton-Inalp Networks AG -- creator of SmartNode(TM) industry-leading VoIP technology -- has inaugurated a regional sales office in Milan, Italy.

As Patton's center of operations and business development for Southern Europe, the Milan office supplies Patton's full catalog of over 1,000 data, voice, VoIP, and triple-play networking products to carriers, enterprises, VARs, and integrators throughout the region.

Today's announcement follows recent carrier Ethernet rollouts from KPN, Tiscali, and ATT.

As operators and enterprises migrate to all-IP services such as Voice-over-IP, carrier Ethernet and digital TV, Patton's Milan office is strategically located to support evolving network infrastructures in southern Europe.

Patton's catalog now includes the recently acquired OnSite S10 next-generation network transport product line that supports seamless migration to IP/Ethernet services while interfacing to existing SONET/SDH networks.

We are moving closer to our customers, said Michel Balabio, Patton-Inalp's regional director for Southern Europe. With established relationships with all the major players, the local demand for Patton solutions is exploding. We support a market that values not only our products, but our expertise and knowledge sharing. Participation in training and sales events has been tremendous.

Commissioned in July and operational since August, the Milan operations center provides business partners with local-language marketing, administration, technical support, and training.

During 2008, Patton trained Certified SmartNode(TM) Specialists through a global training program delivered in five languages at locations including Bern, Paris, Prague, London, and Barcelona, and recently, the Milan office.

Patton is a recognized leader, Mr. Balabio continues, here in Italy and throughout Europe -- especially for business-class VoIP and data solutions that integrate seamlessly with ISDN and E1 lines. Because of its superior interoperability, the SmartNode(TM) brand is recognized as a term of reference, and increasingly selected by SMEs and class A carriers.

Patton VoIP solutions have won Internet Telephony's Product of the Year Award for three consecutive years. In September, Patton announced a high-precision clock feature for SmartNode(TM) that solves VoIP Interop challenges for DECT, PBX, and FAX in ISDN deployments.

For more information or a free catalog, contact sales@inalp.com.

Chris Christner for Patton-Inalp Networks AG, +1-301-975-1000, ext. 109, cchris@patton.com