Akara and LightWave Communications Announce Partnership and First Customer of Storage over SONET Managed Service Offering.

Business & High Tech Editors

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 21, 2002

Akara and LightWave Join Forces to Offer Service That Leverages

Existing SONET Network for Affordability and High Performance

Akara, the leading provider of Storage over SONET extension solutions for carriers and enterprises, and LightWave Communications, a facilities-based carrier, announced today a strategic partnership and the launch of LightWave's Storage over SONET managed service offering.

The two companies also announced the partnership's first customer deployment at Digex, a leading provider of managed Web and application hosting services.

"We were seeking a high performance, reliable Gigabit Ethernet service at an affordable price," said Joe Leonard, vice president of network services at Digex. "LightWave's offering was not only affordable, but allowed us to utilize our existing Gigabit Ethernet interface by transparently adapting it onto LightWave's extensive SONET network. Since the LightWave offering is based on a point-to-point SONET circuit, security and bandwidth allocation activities are easily performed from the Digex data center."

LightWave is providing Digex with a managed service offering that maps native Gigabit Ethernet onto LightWave's SONET and transports the data between data centers in Virginia and Maryland using Akara's OUSP data center multiplexer. Akara's OUSP adapts Gigabit Ethernet traffic originating from Digex-owned routers onto a SONET OC-12 interface for transport through LightWave's existing SONET network. Based on the OUSP's ability to support all data center protocols, Digex can utilize its existing Gigabit Ethernet interface, rather than purchase an expensive Packet over SONET interface on the same device. LightWave manages the entire end-to-end circuit from their Network Operations Center, providing superior service levels with quick trouble-shooting and fault isolation.

"We considered Packet over SONET, IP and ATM, but found that Akara's Storage over SONET approach delivers the most economical, reliable, secure and scalable method of meeting customer's needs," said Terry Anderson, CTO at LightWave. "With minimal investment, we can provide customers such as Digex with a high performance, managed service that leverages our existing SONET infrastructure and operational procedures. Akara's OUSP enables us to provide customers with immediate access to an affordable managed service solution that provides low latency over extended distances and greater security by utilizing a point-to-point SONET-based circuit."

LightWave Communications is focused on increasing revenues and profitability by offering differentiated, storage-related services that fully leverage its investment in SONET infrastructure. With a specialized knowledge of storage data transport technologies, LightWave's strategic mandate is to provide enterprises with reliable and economic storage extension services over its SONET-based network.

"We are working closely with carriers such as LightWave to bring high performance services to enterprises rapidly and affordably," said Ed Ogonek, CEO of Akara. "We understand that carriers need to leverage their existing network investments to offer differentiated services and gain new revenue streams, and our Storage over SONET solution allows carriers such as LightWave to deliver on those requirements."

Akara is the only provider of a Storage over SONET platform that enables enterprises to leverage existing carrier networks for reliable, lowest cost/MByte storage extension. Akara's OUSP multiplexes data center protocols such as Fibre Channel, ESCON, Gigabit Ethernet and FICON directly into flexible SONET payloads to extend enterprises' business continuance applications over existing SONET/SDH, dark fiber or DWDM networks. This customer-premise device is "enterprise-ready" with OC-3, OC-12 and OC-48 connectivity, enabling the majority of enterprises to easily connect their storage networks to carriers' ubiquitous SONET services for high-performance, cost-effective extended storage networking. With Akara's OUSP, enterprises can create multiple Fibre Channel, ESCON, Gigabit Ethernet and FICON links over a single metro-DWDM wavelength or carrier-leased SONET circuit.

About LightWave Communications

LightWave Communication is a facilities-based provider of metro optical access services. The company's metro access service provides a seamless optical interconnection between major carrier hotels, data centers and Verizon central offices within the Washington, DC to New York City corridor. The company's broadband service portfolio includes a broad range of Ethernet, Private Line and wavelength metro access services. Information about LightWave Communications can be found at www.lightwavecomm.net or by contacting the company directly at 888.953.9300.

About Akara

Akara, the Storage over SONET market leader, is the only equipment supplier with a singular focus on extending business continuance applications between data centers with the lowest MByte per mile cost across existing MAN/WAN networks. Akara's solutions significantly reduces operational and capital expense by leveraging the existing SONET/SDH, dark fiber or DWDM networks, and ensures the performance of Fibre Channel, ESCON, FICON and Gigabit Ethernet in geographically dispersed business continuance applications. Akara has offices in Ottawa, Ontario and Dallas, Texas. Visit Akara online at www.akara.com.