Astral Point To Initiate OSMINE Interoperability Process; Optical Pioneer Will Automate Flow-Through Provisioning For Its Optical Services Nodes.

Business/Technology Editors

CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 22, 2000

Astral Point Communications, Inc. said today it has initiated the process of making its ON 5000 Optical Services Node capable of automated interoperation with the provisioning systems of network service providers, including the regional Bell operating companies.

The Telcordia(TM) OSMINE Services process, which is being provided by Telcordia Technologies, Inc., supports the growing market requirement for automated provisioning of new products within the service providers' expansive network infrastructure. Without such automation, the operations, maintenance and provisioning efforts for products introduced into the network would require inefficient manual processes not sustainable in today's high rate-of-change, multi-vendor telecommunications environment.

"Demand for Astral Point products by network service providers is substantial. Our distributed cross connect transport systems will be even more valuable if we can interoperate with Telcordia's next generation support systems and enable providers to conform quickly to regulatory changes such as the recent FCC 99-238 ruling requiring major carriers to offer ATM packet access to other providers. Thus, the economic, productivity and application advantages of our products need to be mirrored in the efficient flow-through of fully interoperable support functions as well. OSMINE readiness helps assure that flow-through," Bruce Miller, a founder and vice president of engineering at Astral Point, commented.

"Any manufacturer developing network elements that must interoperate reliably within the service providers' embedded base of Telcordia operations support systems can obtain such compatibility through the OSMINE Services process. It improves every product's marketability to the ILEC customer and should benefit Astral Point in its sales and support activities with those key accounts," Lawrence Gasman, president of the industry analyst firm of Communications Industry Researchers, Inc. (CIR), said.

The Telcordia OSMINE Services process develops the operations support systems (OSSs) used by many network service providers. Telcordia assists equipment manufacturers through a four-stage process involving a scope of work determination, OSS impact analysis, detailed requirements and modifications to assure compliance.

Astral Point is the first company to ship a new class of product for the optical metropolitan access market. Its leading-edge ON 5000 Optical Services Node is an optical access system that can improve by tenfold the performance of very high-speed optical networks used to carry voice, data, video and other traffic. The product's performance derives from advanced and patented capabilities that combine, in a single platform, DWDM, ATM, IP and SONET interworking, centralized management, rapid provisioning and reduced complexity.

About Astral Point

Privately held Astral Point Communications, Inc., of Chelmsford, MA, recently concluded an $80 million third round of financing, bringing to $113 million the total amount invested in the company since its founding in 1998. The company is pioneering the development of optical networking equipment for the metropolitan carrier and other optical access markets. Its patented Self-Healing Mesh(TM) algorithm enables SONET-quality protection and restoration capabilities in a flexible mesh network topology that maximizes efficient use of optical power, simplifies service upgrades and optimizes use of the optical infrastructure. Its ONset network management system enables service providers to add hundreds of circuits in minutes instead of months; ONset also provides centralized management -- from a single console -- of circuit aggregation, grooming, LAN interconnection, banding and transport functions. Additional information can be found on the Astral Point web site at www.astralpoint.com