Internap Network Services Corporation, a leading provider of performance-based routing solutions over the Internet, announced that M5 Networks, the Northeast's leading outsourced IP phone system provider, has purchased additional bundled services, namely Internap Performance IP and colocation to maintain high availability and improve data connectivity and remote (off-net) phone system access for its clients. M5 has supported over 60 million calls since it was founded in 2000.

Based in New York, M5 consolidates up to five separate vendor services for its SMB customers, such as local, long distance, Internet, phone system maintenance and business phone system service. The company uses Internap's high performance connectivity for business customers with a mobile workforce or employees at smaller or temporary off-net sites. M5 has also deployed 100 Mbps of Internap's Performance IP at its non-Internap facility in addition to upgrading throughput capacity at its Internap-operated data center.

"The sheer power, speed and versatility of an integrated VoIP phone system lets smaller companies move faster than ever before. Yet VoIP is only as reliable and available as the network the application is delivered across," said John Hendry, M5's Chief Technology Officer, an expert in enhanced telephony and messaging services. "Internap has provided exceptionally reliable quality of service, project management and technical knowledge to the point that we have increased usage of their Performance IP service dramatically in support of our internal data needs, as well as for our remote phone users."

IP is expected to dominate voice communications on both fixed and mobile connections as broadband penetration increases due to local loop unbundling and as a result of stiff competition to provide VoIP over broadband by telecommunications service providers migrating from traditional telecommunications networks to IP networks. The Yankee Group estimates that the U.S. market for hosted business VoIP services will grow to $785 million in 2009, compared to $233 million in 2005.

"The Internet is much more robust than any one single communications system, so IP-based services and equipment will continue to replace older technologies and legacy protocols," said Bob Smith, chief marketing officer, Internap. "Our Performance IP service is able to quickly scale to meet the increased bandwidth and QoS demands of customers deploying VoIP applications and services worldwide," he added.

Internap also provides high performance connectivity to established VoIP providers such as Vonage, RedGap and DeltaThree. For more information about Internap managed IP solutions visit www.internap.com.