Centerpoint's Aim to Offer Capacity Breakthrough for Broadband Wireless Access; Unveils Radio Family Offering 8 Mbps to 310 Mbps Capacity.

Business and Technology Editors

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 20, 2001

Centerpoint Broadband Technologies, Inc., dedicated to delivering high capacity transport systems that maximize network performance in both optical and wireless networks, today unveiled its Adaptive Integrated Multi-Rate (AIM(TM)) radio product suite at the Broadband Wireless World Forum show. AIM offers network operators unrivaled flexibility and bandwidth for a wide range of fixed wireless broadband applications. The product rollout will commence next quarter with the AIM-34, an 8- to 34- megabit-per-second (Mbps) radio followed by AIM-310, a 34- to 310- Mbps radio, later this year.

Operational flexibility is the key feature of the AIM radios, with capacity or network interfaces easily upgraded through the use of multiple plug-in boards. The "pay-as-you-grow" concept allows the network to adapt to changing customer demands without replacing radios. Benefits include a lower investment in infrastructure, lower initial cost and total cost of ownership, seamless upgrade in capacity, increased data link capacity, and reduced logistics and training expenses.

"The bandwidth efficient modulation (BEM) technology which helped us achieve 20 Gbps - per wavelength - in our optical products is now being used to drive spectrally-efficient fixed wireless radios," said Dana Waldman, CEO and President of Centerpoint. "This wireless approach extends Centerpoint's vision of building highly efficient broadband networks for regional, metro, and access applications."

The AIM-34 radio has been designed for international markets where tightly packed populations and rapid deployment of new services favor the use of wireless technology. It is optimized for medium-capacity fixed access and mobile backhaul applications.

The AIM-310 radio will be used worldwide to help fixed and mobile service providers avoid the high costs and right-of-way issues associated with laying fiber. The AIM-310 will offer speeds between 34-310 Mbps in a single radio, supporting simultaneous transport of asynchronous, SONET, and Fast Ethernet traffic in one over-the-air link.

Centerpoint is presenting its wireless product family at the Broadband Wireless World Forum in San Francisco, California on 19 - 21 February, booth number 417.

About Centerpoint Broadband Technologies, Inc.

Centerpoint Broadband Technologies, Inc., headquartered in San Jose, California, is a rapidly growing network solutions provider, offering optical and broadband wireless systems that give service providers the edge they need, providing highly scalable, dynamically flexible products that can be applied throughout the network. Centerpoint's Subcarrier Multiplexing (SCM) technology is ideal for aggregating and transporting multi-service traffic within optical networks at rates of up to 20 Gbps per wavelength. The same advanced modulation techniques that are at the heart of SCM are also being used to dramatically expand throughput of broadband wireless networks, bringing high-capacity broadband services closer to the end-user, reducing operational and installation costs and maximizing carriers' revenues. Founded in 1999, Centerpoint is privately held and has secured approximately $200 million in funding from leading crossover funds, investment banks, strategic partners and venture capital firms. For more information, visit Centerpoint at www.centerpoint.com.