Actelis Networks Appoints Vice President of Operations; VP of Manufacturing from Next Level Communications Joins Actelis Networks.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 2001

Actelis Networks, the first company to boost copper performance to fiber-quality speed and reliability, announced today the appointment of Ben Hsu as vice president of operations. Hsu joins Actelis from Next Level Communications (Nasdaq:NXTV), a supplier of integrated access platforms, where he served as vice president of manufacturing.

"Ben led a steep production growth of products to RBOCs from start-up to over $200M in annual run rate, while both maintaining high quality assurance standards and driving costs down," said Yuval Baron, CEO of Actelis Networks. "He brings Actelis the talent and know-how that will enable us to rapidly scale our production volume. Ben will be instrumental in supporting our aggressive sales target of over $1 billion within six years," stated Baron.

During his tenure at Next Level, Hsu established a proven track record in rapidly scaling operations and accelerating production schedules. While directing domestic operations with tier one outsourcing manufacturers -- as well as directing Far East and European operations -- Hsu was consistently successful in realizing significant reductions in production costs.

"I consistently heard requests from RBOCs and major carriers to deliver a copper-based ultra high-speed solution without the need for expensive loop qualification," stated Hsu. "The Actelis technology eliminates obstacles to ubiquitous deployment. Actelis brings the potential of the fiber era to virtually any small to mid sized enterprise," said Hsu.

Prior to assuming his role as vice president at Next Level Communications, Hsu also held key management positions for Digital Equipment Corporation. He holds an MBA from Northeastern University and a BS from Case Western Reserve University.

Recently, Actelis announced Marty Kaplan chairman of JDS Uniphase (Nasdaq:JDSU) to its board of directors, and also appointed Paul Fagan, former vice president of sales at Fujitsu, as its vice president of sales.

About Actelis Networks

Actelis Networks is the first company to radically boost the speed, range, and reliability of copper to achieve fiber performance and quality in the local loop. By the decade's end, over 10 million businesses in the U.S. will not be fiber-fed. Actelis Networks will bring the fiber era to these small to medium-sized businesses. Drawing from more than 500 years of combined experience in telecommunications and digital signal processing, Actelis is pioneering a new generation of broadband transport that enables local carriers and service providers to rapidly deliver high-speed, high-value services over existing copper assets. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Silicon Valley, Actelis Networks is backed by preeminent telecom investors, including New Enterprise Associates, U.S. Venture Partners, and The Walden International Investment Group (early investors in Juniper Networks, Sun Microsystems, and Ascend Communications).

For more information, please visit the corporate Web site at www.actelis.com.