Aegis Expands Sales Team to Serve Growing Communications Market.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

WOBURN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 26, 2004

Aegis Semiconductor, an emerging leader in dynamic optical components and systems, today announced a major expansion of its worldwide sales and distribution channels. Aegis has appointed Mike Sullivan, Director of Sales, as well as a network of distribution partners to market and sell the company's complete line of communications products.

Aegis has expanded its global sales force in response to telecommunications and cable carriers who are requiring network equipment that is much easier to install, maintain and reconfigure, but without the up-front capital expenditures traditionally associated with automation. The result has been an increase in design activity for low cost, self-adjusting modules by manufacturers of optical systems and sub-systems such as amplifiers, muxes, variable optical attenuators, and optical add/drop multiplexers. The benefit is an ability to cost-effectively integrate automatic system monitoring and adjustment to reduce set-up time, eliminate regular balancing by technicians, increase system robustness in face of long-term drifts, and make the system easily reconfigurable.

"Given the low cost, small size and product performance delivered by our Active Thin Films(TM) platform, the global marketplace has signaled a great interest in Aegis products," said Jim Witham, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Aegis Semiconductor. "Many developers of these low cost communications systems are located outside of the U.S., so our sales expansion is well-timed to significantly increase Aegis's capacity for customer engagements throughout the globe."

Mike Sullivan, who has joined Aegis as Director of Sales, has more than fifteen years of sales and marketing experience with optical component companies. Sullivan comes to Aegis from Coviant, an optoelectronics packaging company. He has also held senior sales positions with optical component manufacturers CyOptics and Lasertron. At Aegis, in addition to direct sales, Sullivan will be responsible for the new distribution partnerships in Europe, Japan, China, and Israel.

The distribution partners include:

-- Laser 2000, a distributor that specializes in the photonics

market, will cover Europe for Aegis. Laser 2000 has operations

in 9 countries, including the major optical design centers in

France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Laser 2000

carries a complete line of optical communications products

including Finisar transceivers, Alcatel fiber optic IC

solutions, and OFS fiber.

-- LuY Broadband now distributes Aegis product in China. In the

fast growing Chinese market, LuY already serves systems

companies and sub-systems makers with a wide range of fiber

optic product, such as DWDM switches, pump laser modules,

tunable lasers and 10G transponders.

-- Optiwa represents Aegis in Japan. Optiwa has a strong history

of introducing disruptive optical technologies to the major

Japanese systems companies, as well as major sub-system module

manufacturers.

-- ADM Electronics is the new Aegis partner in Israel. ADM is a

leading distributor of passive and active components, power

devices, and electro-optic components to major telecom

suppliers and the large number of start-up optical companies

in Israel.

About Aegis Semiconductor

Aegis Semiconductor is a privately held company that builds solutions for monitoring and managing intelligent optical systems. Based on its tunable thin film technology, Aegis is the first company to deliver low-cost dynamic optical components that are reliable and easily manufactured using well-tested methods from the semiconductor industry. Aegis has secured more than $17 Million in funding from leading investors and venture capitalists including St. Paul Venture Capital, Alta Partners, YankeeTek Ventures, Technology Venture Partners, Stata Venture Partners, and Megunticook Management. The company is located in Woburn, Massachusetts, USA. More information can be viewed at www.aegis-semi.com.