Dave Orr Named CEO of Metro-Optix; Arun Bellary, Co-Founder and Current CEO, Named Executive Chairman.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif. & ALLEN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 2002

Metro-Optix, creators of the CityStream(TM) bandwidth manager for optical edge TDM, ATM, IP and MPLS services, today welcomed Dave Orr as the company's new CEO. Arun Bellary will move from the CEO position to that of Executive Chairman and remain involved in the company's strategy and management.

A well-known and respected industry veteran, Mr. Orr has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the telecommunications field and served most recently as President and CEO of Pliant Systems (formerly known as BroadBand Technologies) in Research Triangle Park, N.C. His experience at Pliant is directly relevant to Metro-Optix's target "multi-protocol" market since the CityStream incorporates legacy and data-centric services to help carriers seamlessly transition from voice to cell and packet-based infrastructures. Taking the helm of Metro-Optix also marks Mr. Orr's return to the Dallas area. From 1991 to 1997, Mr. Orr served as President and CEO of Alcatel Network Systems, Inc. (a unit of Alcatel, NYSE:ALA) -- the then Richardson, Texas-based company with 6,000 people and $1.5 billion in revenue in 1996. From 1989 to 1991, he served as Vice President and General Manager of Rockwell International's Network Transmission Systems Division, prior to its acquisition by Alcatel.

"My charge is clear -- to convert our existing traction with major carriers into significant revenues while working closely with customers, current & prospective, to realize the full potential of CityStream," said Mr. Orr. "It will be good, too, to return to an office in the Dallas area, where I have many friends and business associates."

"I have known Dave since our days together at Rockwell and think it's a real coup to have an executive of his capabilities join Metro-Optix," said Mr. Bellary. "I look forward to working with Dave in my new role as Executive Chairman to make CityStream a great success."

"With the appointment of a seasoned industry veteran, Metro-Optix has seriously signaled its intent to move into the realm of established, incumbent players," said Frank Dzubeck, president of Communications Network Architects, an industry analysis firm in Washington, D.C. "In today's constrained marketplace, management experience is as, or more, important than technology and/or products in a start-up."

Mr. Orr received an MBA degree from the University of Chicago and a BSIE degree from Gannon University, Erie, PA. He is a member of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the National Communications Forum and the National Association of Radio and Telecommunication Engineers.

About Metro-Optix

Jointly headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. and Allen, Texas, Metro-Optix is a privately held, optical networking equipment provider that is pioneering a new generation of telecommunications infrastructure for metropolitan networks. Named a "Top 50" private company by Red Herring magazine in 2001, Metro-Optix is developing solutions that enable carriers to effectively transition from traditional circuit-based services to high-performance cell and packet-based services. The company currently employs approximately 275 and has raised more than $136M in financing. For more information, please visit www.metro-optix.com.