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ADC to Lead Standardization of Tunable Lasers with Agility

Source: ADC and Agility Communications

Initiative Part of Effort by Companies to Develop Industry s First Standardized 40-Pin Parallel Form Factor, Electronic Interfaces and Host Level Software Commands

Minneapolis, MN. ADC (Nasdaq:ADCT; www.adc.com), a leading global supplier of fiber optics, network equipment, software and integration services for broadband, multiservice networks, today announced a new initiative with Agility Communications, Inc., an optical component manufacturer based in Santa Barbara, Calif. The companies have agreed to combine efforts in the development of standards that enable customers to more easily design their systems around common tunable laser interfaces. ADC s industry-leading tunable laser products, along with all of ADC s optical component solutions, will be on display at booth no. 2600 at the Optical Fiber Communications Conference (OFC) 2001 in Anaheim, Calif., March 19 - 21.

The ADC/Agility initiative is intended to provide customers with open interface options of compatible widely tunable lasers. These devices enable the flexible provisioning of affordable bandwidth. The anticipated outcome of the ADC/Agility initiative will be the development of the tunable laser industry s initial standards for a 40-pin parallel form factor, electronic interfaces and host-level software commands. In addition to this effort, ADC expects to actively participate in future standardization activity through such bodies as the Optical Internetworking Forum, among others.

"We believe this initiative will greatly benefit all customers who have a demand for tunable lasers," said Rob Plastow, chief technology officer of ADC s Fiber Optics Division. "In an evolving marketplace, the ability to provide compatible products with similar interfaces will speed network deployment, while ensuring product quality and reliability."

"Cinta Networks has been working closely with tunable laser companies such as Agility and ADC, as part of our overall strategy to track and enable the latest advances in communications technologies," said Chien-Yu Kuo, chief technology officer for Cinta Networks. "By playing an integral role in the efforts of ADC and Agility to drive the emerging tunable laser standards to market, we are now well-positioned to deliver leading edge optical switching solutions that incorporate these component advances to our customers."

Tunable Laser Technology and Marketplace

Telecom providers continue to face the challenge of trying to deploy high-bandwidth networks at increasingly competitive costs. Tunable lasers are sold to telecom systems vendors whose solutions enable telecom carriers to reduce network operating costs associated with these deployments and provide a critical catalyst in enabling the growth of all-optical networks.

According to a November 2000 research report from telecommunications industry analyst firm RHK, the market for tunable lasers is one of the fastest-growing segments in optical components for terrestrial dense wavelength division multiplexed (DWDM) networks. RHK forecasts this market to grow from almost zero revenue in 2000 to $1 billion in sales by 2004.

ADC, which entered the tunable laser market via its acquisition of Altitun in 2000, is the first company to deploy tunable lasers in a field environment and was the first in the world to commercially ship a tunable laser. ADC s Anywave(R) laser family uses proven Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) laser technology and includes an innovative, widely tunable semiconductor laser chip with an emission wavelength that can be tuned over the entire 1529-1561 nm band. Lasers that emit in this band can be optically amplified with erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) and are used in wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) fiber optic communication systems.

About Agility

Agility Communications, Inc., founded by a team of optical networking veterans in Oct. 1998, is headquartered in Santa Barbara, California and has manufacturing facilities in Allentown, Pennsylvania. For more information about Agility solutions visit, http://www.agility.com, send email to info@agilitycom.com or call 805-690-1700.

About ADC

ADC is The Broadband Company(TM). ADC s fiber optics, network equipment, software and integration services make broadband communications a reality worldwide by enabling communications service providers to deliver high-speed Internet, data, video and voice services to consumers and businesses. ADC (Nasdaq:ADCT) has annual sales of more than $3.4 billion and employs approximately 21,000 people worldwide. ADC s stock is included in the Standard & Poor s 500 Index and the Nasdaq-100 Index. Learn more about ADC Telecommunications, Inc. at www.adc.com.

Cautionary Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

All forward looking statements contained herein, particularly those pertaining to ADC s expectations or future operating results, reflect management s current expectations or beliefs and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. ADC Telecommunications cautions readers that future actual results could differ materially from those in forward-looking statements depending on the outcome of certain factors. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, demand for ADC s products or services, availability of materials to make products, changing market conditions and growth rates either within ADC s industry or generally within the economy, volatility in the stock market, new competition and technologies, increased costs associated with protecting intellectual property rights, the impact of customer financing activities, ADC s ability to successfully integrate the operations of acquired companies with ADC s historic operations, retention of key employees, fluctuations in ADC s operating results, pressures on the pricing of the products or services ADC offers and the mix of products and services actually sold, and other risks and uncertainties, including those identified in Exhibit 99-a to ADC s Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2000. ADC disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact: ADC, Minneapolis Rob Clark - ADC Public Relations Tel: 952/914-6355 rob_clark@adc.com or Mark Borman - ADC Investor Relations Tel: 952/946-3338 mark_borman@adc.com or for Agility Communications, Inc. Lisa Blaisdell Tel: 949/347-1040 lisa@trainerpr.com

 

ADC, Minneapolis
Rob Clark - ADC Public Relations
Tel: 952/914-6355
rob_clark@adc.com
or
Mark Borman - ADC Investor Relations
Tel: 952/946-3338
mark_borman@adc.com
or
for Agility Communications, Inc.
Lisa Blaisdell
Tel: 949/347-1040
lisa@trainerpr.com
 
E-mail: lisa@trainerpr.com
Web site: http://www.adc.com
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