ADC Strikes Strategic Alliance With NightFire to Deliver Comprehensive Service Ordering and OSS System for Broadband Service Providers.

Business Editors & Technology Writers

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 5, 2000

ADC's Singularit.e and NightFire's SupplierExpress and

CustomerExpress Software Give DSL Service Providers

a Time-to-Market and Cost Advantage

ADC (Nasdaq: ADCT; www.adc.com) a leading global supplier of network equipment, software and integration services for broadband, and multiservice networks, today announced a strategic alliance with NightFire Software, Inc., pioneer of e-infrastructure solutions for broadband service deployment, to provide digital subscriber line (DSL) service providers with a quick way to provision and bill for services. The companies will jointly market an integrated solution based on NightFire(R) SupplierExpress(TM) and CustomerExpress(TM) software and ADC's Singularit.e operational support system (OSS).

Rapid service delivery and fast, efficient customer care for broadband DSL services are critical to a service provider's survival. The ADC/NightFire alliance gives DSL resellers and competitive carriers a time-to-market and cost advantage by providing them with one-stop shopping for automated service deployment and convergent customer care and billing. The integrated technologies of both companies will enable broadband DSL service providers to accelerate ordering and provisioning so their customers receive services quickly. It will also enable the service providers to begin providing complete customer care and convergent billing for those services without any delay.

"This relationship is a great example of how ADC and its expanding group of partners are moving to provide end-to-end solutions to the broadband industry," said Larry Barker, president of ADC's Software Systems Division. "We're creating a framework which includes our Singularit.e suite of integrated OSS solutions and leading third-party applications companies like NightFire and ADC's portfolio of DSLAM technology."

Integrating Best-of-Breed Solutions

Singularit.e is ADC's new suite of products and services that allows service providers to build open OSSs that help them compete more effectively in the broadband era. Singularit.e automates key OSS processes by combining real-time convergent billing, advanced customer management and service assurance technology with integration services from leading consulting companies. ADC's Singl.ePath connectors and integration services will manage the synchronization between Singularit.e and NightFire's applications.

"The competitive landscape of the emerging broadband market is driving DSL service providers to intensify the pace of expansion into new markets," said Keith Giarman, vice president worldwide field operations for NightFire. "NightFire is working with leaders in the telecommunications industry like ADC to provide greater automation and radically reduce the time it takes for competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) and Internet service providers (ISPs) to deploy service - keeping them a step ahead of the competition. ADC will be a key strategic partner in the U.S. market where our software products for streamlining DSL deployment are heavily deployed, and we are looking forward to working with ADC as we embark on our upcoming international expansion."

NightFire's SupplierExpress is the only packaged software product that automates the ordering of "local loops" - the phone lines needed to complete a DSL connection - from all of the major incumbent carriers in the United States: Pacific Bell, US West, GTE, Southwestern Bell, Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, and Bell South. SupplierExpress enables competitive carriers to communicate easily with multiple incumbent providers and expand to new geographic markets. CustomerExpress is the industry's first Web-based packaged qualification, order entry and order tracking system for broadband services. NightFire customers include Covad Communications, DSL.net, Inc., HarvardNet, New Edge Networks and Rhythms NetConnections, Inc.

About NightFire

NightFire is igniting the bandwidth explosion by providing unique e-infrastructure solutions that streamline the ordering and deployment of broadband services. NightFire's ZeroTouch approach automates the entire service management process - from selection to fulfillment. Using NightFire solutions, communications service providers can for the first time bring broadband services such as DSL to customers in new territories in less than 60 days, and expand to deliver nationwide coverage in a matter of weeks.

NightFire Software, Inc. is a privately-funded company headquartered at 918 Parker Street, Suite A14, Berkeley, CA 94710. Primary investors include U.S. Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, The Roda Group and New Enterprise Associates. For more information, contact NightFire at [phone], or visit the company's Web site at www.nightfire.com.

About ADC

ADC is The Broadband Company(TM). ADC's 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 homes and businesses. ADC (Nasdaq: ADCT) has annual sales of over $2.3 billion and employs more than 16,900 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.

NightFire is a registered trademark, and the NightFire logo, Igniting the Bandwidth Explosion, SupplierExpress, eSupplierExpress, CustomerExpress, eCustomerExpress and BandwidthExpress.com are trademarks and/or service marks of NightFire Software, Inc. All other company, brand, and product names are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Cautionary statement under the Private Securities Litigation 

Reform Act of 1995

Any forward-looking statements contained herein reflect management's current expectations or beliefs. ADC Telecommunications cautions readers that future actual results could differ materially from those in forward-looking statements depending on the outcome of certain factors, including the risks and uncertainties identified in Exhibit 99-a to ADC's Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 1999.