BroadBand Office Selects Zaffire as Optical Networking Systems Provider to Maximize its Nationwide Network.

Business Editors and Technology Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 24, 2000

Zaffire, Inc., a leading developer of optical networking systems for metro and regional area networks, will supply BroadBand Office, Inc. (BBO), a delivery platform for network and applications services, with critical networking systems designed to maximize BBO's broadband-rich platform in major metropolitan areas across North America.

Zaffire's Z3000(tm) optical systems will be used to link the BBO network throughout metro and regional areas.

As corporate networks increase demand for high-bandwidth data transmission and advanced Internet-based services, maximizing network capacity and minimizing the lead time to add more services become major concerns of network designers. Zaffire will provide BBO advanced systems that combine multiple wavelengths of light onto a single fiber strand, using technology known as dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM). The result is an increase of up to 256 times the data-carrying capacity of the fiber that links multiple office sites together. With the Z3000 advanced software capabilities, these capacity increases can be implemented more quickly than with alternative solutions.

BBO will use the Z3000 to link its network, which spans over 30 of the most populous metropolitan areas in the United States and provides the bandwidth for data-intensive applications such as advanced Internet access, virtual private networks, web hosting, video and e-business solutions. The selection of the Z3000 platform will uniquely position BBO to capitalize on the fast-growing corporate demand for bandwidth-intensive or real-time applications and services.

"Zaffire's DWDM-based technology will enable us to deliver high-bandwidth, new age application services quickly and efficiently," said Johnson Agogbua, Founder and Vice President of Engineering for BBO. "In addition, Zaffire has demonstrated its readiness for real-world deployment in its trials with BBO. The Z3000 offers the wavelength density, scalability, low power consumption and ease of installation and operation that we need to deliver the rapid provisioning and high reliability that our customers need and expect."

"We're extremely pleased to have been selected as a partner of BBO, a technology platform for next generation application delivery," said Near Margalit, CEO of Zaffire. "Powering the next generation of fiber-based networks demands technology that is cost-effective, scalable and easy to provision. BBO's selection of the Z3000 will help it remain on the leading edge in delivering advanced, IP-based services to corporate customers."

Using its patent-pending DWDM optical services platform, in conjunction with its ZOS(tm) cross-platform operating system, and its Z-Manager(tm) network management system, Zaffire's Z3000 combines robust software functionality with optical hardware innovations. This new solution features advanced technology such as digital wrapper and automated power balancing to help carriers solve the problem of bandwidth capacity bottlenecks in the metro and regional market -- and intelligently manage the fiber optics links between long-haul carriage and last-mile access.

About Broadband Office

BroadBand Office, Inc. is a delivery platform for network and applications services launched by premier venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in conjunction with over seventy-five of the largest real estate companies across the United States. BBO's core business is to enable customers to simply plug into the BBO network and immediately access a full range of advanced communications, Internet, and e-business solutions. BBO's footprint spans over 25 percent of all the commercial office space in the United States. BBO began providing service in late 1999, and is currently rolling out its services to 34 major markets nationally. More information about BBO can be found at www.bbo.com (http://www.bbo.com/).

About Zaffire

Zaffire, Inc. is a high-technology company focused on developing a next-generation, optical services networking system for service providers worldwide. Zaffire's breakthrough optical technologies have been well received by new-generation carriers, CLECs, RBOCs, and IXCs. Designed specifically for deployment in metro and regional-area networks, the Zaffire Advanced Optical Services Network Architecture gives service providers a new level of transport control over existing and emerging data, circuit, and lambda services. The solution also significantly reduces the total cost of ownership and provides service providers with a high level of flexibility to price and deliver differentiated service offerings. For more information, see www.zaffire.com (http://www.zaffire.com/).

Zaffire, Z3000, Z-Manager and ZOS are trademarks of Zaffire, Inc. Copyright (c) 2000, Zaffire, Inc. All Rights Reserved.