China's Ministry of Information Industry Certifies Salira 2000 Platform for Use in National Broadband Networks.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

PT Expo

Hall 6, Booth #6399

BEIJING, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 29, 2002

First Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) Access System

Designed for FTTB to Receive Key Approval from Chinese Ministry

Salira Optical Network Systems, a leading provider of optical access systems, today announced that it has received certification for the Salira 2000 Platform(TM) from the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry (MII). The certification signals to service providers that Salira's systems are approved for deployment in China's vast communications networks. The Salira 2000 Platform is the first Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) access system designed for Fiber-to-the-Building (FTTB) to receive this key approval from the Ministry of Information Industry.

The MII certification is the latest demonstration of Salira's commitment to the Chinese market. Salira has had a marketing and sales presence in China since 2000. In July 2002, Salira announced the creation of Salira China, a wholly-owned foreign enterprise incorporated in the province of Shanghai. Salira China was created to provide supplemental product development resources, and to develop markets for Salira's products in China and the greater Asia Pacific region.

"The certification by the Ministry of Information Industry fulfills an important requirement for doing business in China," said Wei Gao, president of Salira China. "Service providers throughout China can now be confident that Salira's systems have been thoroughly tested for use in the telecommunications infrastructure. We've proven the technology; now we're focusing on supporting early deployments of the Salira 2000 Platform in China."

The Salira 2000 Platform is the industry's first intelligent Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) platform for Fiber-to-the-Building (FTTB) to combine support for native-mode TDM services and standards-based IP services. The platform consists of the Salira 2500(TM), a high port-density optical line terminal, and the Salira 2300(TM), the industry's first multi-customer optical network unit. The Salira Access Management (SAM)(TM) system combines service creation, EMS and subscriber management in one integrated software suite. The Salira 2000 Platform leverages Ethernet's simplicity and scalability to reduce the cost of provisioning broadband services to business customers.

Salira Exhibits Salira 2000 Platform at PT Expo in Beijing, China

The MII certification came as Salira began exhibiting the Salira 2000 Platform for the first time in Asia at the PT Expo trade show in Beijing, China from October 29-November 2 (Hall 6, Booth #6399). Salira will demonstrate the platform's unique technical capabilities, such as native-mode handling of TDM services, in addition to the economic case that service providers can expect to derive from implementing the system. Salira's systems were developed with global design elements that make the Salira 2000 Platform suitable for world-wide deployment.

About Ministry of Information Industry

The Ministry of Information Industry (MII) formulates national strategies, policies, plans, regulations and technical standards for the information industry in China. The Ministry of Information Industry promotes development in areas such as electronics manufacturing, telecommunications and software, and oversees public information and broadcasting networks and the special networks of the military and other government departments. The MII also supervises the telecommunications and information service markets. The Ministry of Information Industry can be reached at 010-66014249 via their website at http://www.mii.gov.cn/.

About Salira Optical Network Systems, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Salira builds systems that enable service providers to provision broadband services more quickly and economically than existing solutions. Salira systems have an immediate impact on carrier profitability by minimizing the lead time for service provisioning and reducing the life cycle cost of provisioned services. The Salira system may be used to provide traditional TDM services such as T1/E1, DS3/E3 and DSL as well as providing new profit opportunities in provisioning IP/Ethernet-based multi-services. Through its subsidiary, Salira (Shanghai) Limited, Salira has made a significant commitment to the Chinese market by expanding the company's existing sales and marketing presence in China, and by performing specific product development activities in China. Salira's principal backers include Mobius Venture Capital, Vertex Management, WI Harper and Sofinnova Ventures. The company can be reached at [phone] or via their web site at www.salira.com.