Brasil Telecom Selects ADVA's DWDM Platforms for Delivery of Broadband Optical Services; Largest DWDM Deployment for Storage Applications in Latin America.

Business & High-Tech Editors

MARTINSRIED/MUNICH, Germany & RAMSEY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 13, 2002

ADVA Optical Networking (German Neuer Markt: ADV), a leading global provider of optical networking solutions, today announced that Brasil Telecom has selected ADVA's Fiber Service Platform (FSP) optical networking solutions for storage applications. ADVA's platforms, which have already been deployed by Brasil Telecom, will address new requirements for the delivery of high bandwidth services as demanded by large corporate users such as banks, financial institutions, and insurance companies.

ADVA's FSP portfolio will be supported locally through one of its principal value-added resellers, Novasistemas Engenharia, Brazil.

"ADVA's optical networking solutions will help Brasil Telecom introduce new revenue-generating service offerings, and at the same time will significantly lower network-wide costs," stated Luiz Fellipe de Abreu, Director of Government Segment at Brasil Telecom. "ADVA's platforms offer scalability, manageability, and service transparent interfaces, which enable us to rapidly roll out a multitude of high bandwidth services from one protocol transparent optical platform. ADVA's platforms are also designed to optimize bandwidth infrastructure and consequently minimize the total cost of ownership."

Brasil Telecom has already begun deployment of ADVA's FSP 2000 platform, with a focus on maximizing the bandwidth density and extending the reach of enterprise networks while also providing service flexibility. ADVA's FSP 2000 platforms offer 32 protected DWDM channels and transport up to 256 different services. The FSP 2000 is engineered to support a wide variety of high-end applications, including disaster recovery, data archiving and mirroring, clustering of high-speed computers for parallel processing, in addition to off-site data storage.

"Storage is the killer application," stated Jose Antonio S. Prata, Technical Director at Novasistemas Engenharia. "The Sistema Brasileiro de Pagamentos (SBP), a recently launched contingency planning initiative, is paving the way for many financial institutions to overhaul their existing networking environments in order to provide faster transfers and real-time monitoring of interbank transactions, as demanded by a growing customer base. ADVA's FSP portfolio enables the `mirroring' of sites at full bandwidth with minimal penalties on latency or performance issues and effectively extends the reach of a data center network to the metro and beyond. Both Brasil Telecom and Novasistemas Engenharia are impressed with ADVA's portfolio and the simplicity of its implementation. We are confident that ADVA's solutions will be established in a leadership position in Latin America."

View ADVA's portfolio of Fiber Service Platforms at Telexpo, Expo Center Norte, Sao Paulo, Brazil, from March 19-22 at stand C53 in the White Pavilion.

About BRASIL TELECOM February 13, 2002

Brasil Telecom is the third largest wireline company in Brazil, with activities in 9 states plus the Federal District, which corresponds to 33% of the country's territory (2.8 million km2), 23% of the population (40 million inhabitants) and 25% of GDP (R$209 billion). It is strategically located, having 4 metropolitan areas with population in excess of one million inhabitants and a natural corridor to the Mercosur. Brasil Telecom S.A. provides local, intra-regional long distance, network, data communication and other value-added services, such as broadband internet portal (BrTurbo.com) and Cyber Data Centers. For more information, www.brasiltelecom.com.br

About NOVASISTEMAS ENGENHARIA

Novasistemas Engenharia is a Brazilian technical services provider, active in the project, installation and 24-hour maintenance of corporate information systems.

As a VAR of ADVA Optical's, Novasistemas aims to design and implement the most robust, reliable and efficient, both cost and performance-wise, photonics for metropolitan area applications. More information on www.novasis.com.br.

About ADVA Optical Networking

ADVA Optical Networking is a leading global provider of optical networking solutions for rapid and cost-effective provisioning of high-speed voice, data, storage, and video services in the metropolitan area. ADVA's solutions have been deployed at over 47 service providers (including PTTs, RBOCs, LECs, and IXCs) and more than 500 enterprises worldwide. ADVA's carrier-class portfolio is comprised of the Fiber Service Platform (FSP) family of products - explicitly designed to ensure the lowest total cost of ownership. ADVA's products are sold through an international network of blue-chip distribution partners in addition to its own direct sales force. For more information: www.advaoptical.com.