Astral Point Selects Agere Systems Backplane Transceiver, Sonet Overhead Path Processor Chips for Optical Transport System.

Business/High Tech Editors

ALLENTOWN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 2001

Agere Systems (NYSE:AGR.A), the world leader in communications components, today announced that Astral Point Communications, Inc. has selected Agere's programmable 6.8 gigabit-per-second (Gbit/s) backplane transceiver chip and synchronous optical network (SONET) overhead path processor for Astral Point's ON 7000 Integrated Optical Transport Node.

The ON 7000 combines SONET OC-192 transport with dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) in a single platform for metropolitan area networking applications, and includes recently announced long-haul capability advances that support regional interoffice networking as well.

Agere's ORT8850L transceiver is a field-programmable system chip (FPSC) that provides networking equipment designers with proven backplane driver and receiver technology and customizable logic for transporting various traffic protocols over SONET metro- and wide-area networks such as Internet protocol (IP), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and packet over SONET (POS). The device incorporates eight transceiver channels, each operating at 850 megabits per second (Mbits/s) in standard cell logic, and provides up to 200K programmable gates for Agere-supplied or customer intellectual property.

The embedded programmable gates are implemented in Agere's ORCA Series 4 field-programmable gate array architecture and based on Agere's COM2 modular complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process technology.

Agere's TSOT0410G provides overhead processing for an OC-192 or a quad-OC-48 SONET or equivalent synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) signal. It has a full STS-192 pointer processor that allows the device to handle any SONET frame from STS-1 to STS-192, including all levels of concatenation such as STS-3c, STS-12c and STS-48c.

"We designed our ON 7000 transport node to help carriers build out their metropolitan SONET rings and regional interoffice networks while speeding the deployment of new services," said Bruce Miller, executive vice president of technology and advanced development at Astral Point. "Agere's backplane transceiver and overhead processor chips equip our system with flexibility and performance so we can help carriers expand their networks and increase services while holding down investment and operating costs."

"The chips and intellectual property we are providing Astral Point demonstrate how we can deliver the industry's broadest line of communications-specific intellectual property over a range of silicon platforms," said Shakeel Peera, senior manager for programmable solutions at Agere Systems. "By coupling high-speed standard-cell macros with high-performance field-programmable gates on silicon, and by providing customizable networking intellectual property cores for deployment into the programmable logic, system designers like Astral Point can quickly and cost-effectively deploy products that support a broad range of network transport services."

Additional Technical Information on the ORT8850L

The ORT8850L embeds an eight-channel 850 Mbit/s CDR macro together with 200K FPGA gates, thus allowing bandwidth up to 6.8 Gbit/s (full-duplex) over serial links. The device includes optional 8B/10B encoding/decoding or SONET scrambling, channel alignment capabilities, SONET transport overhead insertion/extraction, and full I/O redundancy for all eight channels. Also supported on the device is up to three eight-bit, full-duplex RapidIO(a) buses, each sending DDR data at up to 311 MHz (622 Mbit/s) for a total bandwidth of 15 Gbit/s. The RapidIO interface includes a dedicated 4x PLL used to center the transmit clock in the data eye and both the CDR interfaces and the RapidIO interfaces use fully on-chip terminated LVDS inputs and outputs to allow for backplane driving or chip-to-chip applications. Agere also provides intellectual property VHDL cores for packet delineation, TOH insertion/extraction, pre-defined backplane interfaces for its Atlanta ATM/IP switching chip set, and payload termination for its TADM04622 SONET/SDH framer.

For more product information, including online data sheets, application notes, and notifications, customers may visit Agere's Web site at http://www.agere.com. Customers in the U.S. may also call the Agere Systems Customer Response Center at 800/372-2447 (in Canada, call 800/553-2448; outside of North America, call 610/712-4323), attention department A15. Written inquiries may be e-mailed to [e-mail] or faxed to 610/712-4106, or sent to Agere Systems, Room 30L-15P-BA, 555 Union Boulevard, Allentown, Pa. 18109, USA.

About Astral Point

Privately held Astral Point Communications, Inc., of Chelmsford, Mass., develops best-in-class equipment to manage optical bandwidth for existing and new services in SONET-based metropolitan optical networks. The company's high-ROI network elements enable carriers to reduce capital equipment, operating, service and support costs by up to 80 percent in many applications. Astral Point's ON 7000 Integrated Optical Transport Node combines OC-192 SONET transport with dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) in a single platform that is one-sixth the size and less than half the cost of the elements it replaces. The company's ON 5000 Optical Services Node provides low-cost, low-speed traffic aggregation that maximizes the use of existing optical bandwidth and simplifies service deployments and upgrades in metro applications. Astral Point is a leader among metro equipment vendors in ensuring that its entire product family is certified OSMINE compliant for integration with ILECs' existing OSS infrastructures. More information about Astral Point is available from its web site at http://www.astralpoint.com.

About Agere Systems

Agere Systems is the world's No.1 provider of components for communications applications with leadership in optical components and integrated circuits. This dual capability uniquely positions Agere to deliver integrated solutions that form the building blocks for advanced wired, wireless, and optical communications networks. Agere also designs and manufactures a wide range of semiconductor solutions for communications-related devices used by consumers such as cellular phones, modems, and hard disk drives for personal computers and workstations. In addition, the company supplies complete wireless computer networking solutions through the ORiNOCO(TM) product line. More information about Agere Systems is available from its Web site at http://www.agere.com.

(a) RapidIO is a trademark of the RapidIO Trade Association

This release contains forward-looking statements based on information available to Agere as of the date hereof. Agere's actual results could differ materially from the results stated or implied by such forward-looking statements due to a number of risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, completion of the distribution of Agere stock by Lucent Technologies Inc., customer demand for our products and services, control of costs and expenses, timely completion of employment reductions and other restructuring activities, price and product competition, keeping pace with technological change, dependence on new product development, reliance on major customers and suppliers, availability of manufacturing capacity, components and materials, general industry and market conditions and general domestic and international economic conditions including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations. For a further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see the prospectus filed by Agere with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 28, 2001, and Agere's subsequent reports on Form 10-Q. Agere disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.