KDDI Deploys Calient Networks Photonic Switches in New R&D Testbed, Japan Gigabit Network II.

SAN JOSE, Calif. & TOKYO -- KDDI, one of Japan's largest global telecommunications companies, announced today that it has commercially deployed the Calient DiamondWave(TM) PXC photonic switch as the core optical switch element in the new R&D Testbed Network JGN II for the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), an incorporated administrative agency in Japan.

JGN II, or Japan Gigabit Network II, has been designed and deployed to provide high-speed IP and Ethernet services to NICT's research centers as well as to universities and government research centers throughout Japan. JGN II is expected to accelerate research and development activities in the area of applications, ubiquitous networking, and so forth. Calient DiamondWave PXC switching systems were deployed to provide fully transparent optical switching and GMPLS-powered networking for bandwidth on demand to all served sites.

Masatoshi Suzuki, Executive Director of KDDI R&D Labs, noted, "KDDI has worked with the Calient PXC in trials for more than a year. Our Network Engineering team has been pleased that the switch has worked properly to meet our very high reliability and performance standards. Last year, we decided that the switch and its applications were fully proven as ready for commercial deployment with JGN II. This is a major, high-profile customer deployment, and we have high confidence in the architecture."

"KDDI has worked aggressively with us, from early product trials in 2002 to the pre-staging and installation of DiamondWave switching systems in next-generation networks," said Charles Corbalis, CEO and co-founder of Calient Networks. "This engagement has paid off in commercial momentum for KDDI, moving rapidly to the scaling and ease of operation in these GMPLS-powered systems. KDDI's engineers have added tremendous value to the field of photonic networking through their own accomplishments in the application of GMPLS routing and switching. We are proud to have partnered with them on this important network."

About Calient Networks, Inc.

Calient Networks is a leading provider of intelligent, carrier-class photonic switching systems and software that help service providers scale their networks for expanding bandwidth demands and deliver new wavelength services. Calient's DiamondWave(TM) switching system and GMPLS-powered networking innovations provide a seamless, 'opto-electronic-to-photonic' migration path that is non-disruptive to legacy operations, highly cost-effective, and an enabler to revenue-generating optical services. Calient is shipping its DiamondWave PXC systems and PX switching subsystems to production networks, labs and OEMs worldwide. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California. Additional engineering and manufacturing operations are located in Santa Barbara, California, while MEMS design and fabrication operations are located in Ithaca, New York. For additional information about Calient, visit http://www.calient.net.

Calient, the Calient Networks logo, the DiamondWave logo and "Where Innovation Comes to Light" are registered trademarks of Calient Networks, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Calient Networks and DiamondWave are trademarks of Calient Networks, Inc. All other marks used in this press release are the property of their respective owners

About KDDI R&D Laboratories, Inc.

Established in 1960 under KDD, KDDI R&D Laboratories is the research division of Japan's telecom giant, KDDI Corporation. From basic research to developing new applications, its activity covers: Photonic Networking, Mobile & Wireless, IP networking, Multimedia Applications, and Ubiquitous Networking. KDDI Labs USA, the U.S. subsidiary based in Palo Alto, California, is a facilitator for bringing KDDI R&D Labs' technologies to the U.S. market to enhance the presence of KDDI R&D Labs. For more information, please visit http://www.kddilabs.com, email [e-mail], or call [phone].

About KDDI Corporation

KDDI Corporation is a global telecommunications company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and is the only single company in Japan providing a comprehensive range of voice, data, Internet and mobile services to business customers and consumers. The KDDI Group consists of approximately 70 companies across Japan and spans 20 countries worldwide. KDDI was established in October 2000 as a result of the merger of DDI, IDO and KDD, --domestic, mobile and international telecommunications companies. KDDI's total customer base includes over million long-distance telephone subscribers, 20 million mobile telephone subscribers, and 2.5 million Internet service subscribers. For more information, please visit http://www.kddi.com.