ADC Enters Alliance with Sumitomo Electric and Preformed Line Products to Deliver FTTX Connectivity Bundle; Combined Engineering Results in End-to-End Fiber Connectivity Solution.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NFOEC 2003

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 8, 2003

ADC (Nasdaq:ADCT)(www.adc.com), Sumitomo Electric and Preformed Line Products (PLP) (Nasdaq:PLPC) today announced that the companies have teamed together to develop and engineer a fiber-to-the-premise (FTTX) connectivity solution for use within major telecommunications service provider networks. The alliance offers the collective products - augmented by the engineering, field, and manufacturing expertise - of the three market leaders to bring a customizable and flexible connectivity solution to telecommunication service providers.

"This is a tremendous leap in helping carriers deliver fiber services not just to the edge of the network, but to the home, business and other locations," said Pat O'Brien, president of the Connectivity Business Unit for ADC. "Our work with Sumitomo and PLP has enabled us to combine engineering efforts, field experience, and product expertise to deliver the best fiber connectivity solution for FTTX deployments at a very competitive cost."

In the fiber solution developed specifically for FTTX applications, ADC delivers proven, market leading fiber connectivity equipment including hardened outdoor cabinets, fiber termination storage and splicing, and fiber connectorization. Sumitomo Electric provides fiber cable including feeder, distribution and drop cable along with passive optical components all connectorized with ADC products. PLP provides the access terminals and splice closures needed in any FTTX deployment.

"Service providers must architect their FTTX network right the first time in order to minimize capital expenses while ensuring a network that will last well into the future," said Fred McDuffee, president for Sumitomo Electric Lightwave. "By combining our products, we now offer the most comprehensive fiber-to-the-home solution available. This is truly a complete end-to-end offering that solves every passive equipment need that exists in an FTTX deployment."

"PLP is pleased to join ADC and Sumitomo in developing an offering designed to fit service providers' FTTX needs," said Robert Ruhlman, president and CEO for PLP. "Our closures available with the FTTX bundle are designed to enhance a technician's capability to quickly access and splice fiber where needed. Engineering a highly configurable solution with other leading manufacturers was a logical decision to make."

The FTTX offering helps answer service providers' needs as they begin to deploy fiber further into metro and residential neighborhoods. The fiber deployments are necessary in order to meet existing and future high speed data, Internet, video, and voice demands placed on existing copper-based networks. Combined, the service provider deployments could result in spending more than $2.5 billion annually on network equipment needed to deliver new services via fiber.

About Sumitomo Electric Lightwave

Sumitomo Electric Lightwave, located in Research Triangle Park, NC, is the North American operation within the global network of Sumitomo Electric Industries , Ltd. (SEI). Established in 1984, the company is dedicated to tailoring the fiber optic networks of major telecommunications companies through the manufacturing of optical fiber cable, ribbon-configured network solutions, interconnect assemblies, fusion splicers, FTTH products, and its FutureFlex(TM) Air-blown Fiber Cabling System. First to introduce peelable ribbon fiber to the U.S., Sumitomo Electric Lightwave is the industry's leader in ribbon-configured solutions that increase the bandwidth opportunities of its customers. Visit www.sumitomoelectric.com

About Preformed Line Products

Founded in 1947, Preformed Line Products Company is an international designer and manufacturer of products and systems employed in the construction and maintenance of overhead and underground networks for energy, communications and broadband network companies.

Preformed's world headquarters are in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Company operates three domestic manufacturing centers, located in Rogers, Arkansas, Albemarle, North Carolina, and Asheville, North Carolina. The Company serves its worldwide market through international operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and Spain.

About ADC

ADC is The Broadband Company(TM). ADC offers high-quality, value-added solutions of network equipment, software and systems integration services that enable communications service providers to deliver high-speed Internet, data, video and voice services to consumers and businesses worldwide. ADC (Nasdaq:ADCT) has sales into more than 100 countries. Learn more about ADC Telecommunications, Inc. at www.adc.com.