Lucent Technologies Broadens Portfolio of Stinger DSL Access Concentrators.

Business/High-Tech Editors

MURRAY HILL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 7, 2000

- Smaller Capacity Stinger LS Offers Additional Deployment Options

- Winstar and QSC are Among the First Customers

Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) today announced the addition of two new models to its Stinger family of digital subscriber line (DSL) access concentrators. The new Stinger(TM) LS models complement Lucent's existing DSL portfolio and give service providers more flexibility to provide customers the fast Internet access and advanced digital services enabled by DSL technology. The Stinger LS is well suited for deployment in small to medium-sized market central offices, as well as directly in large hotels, apartments and office buildings.

Winstar Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: WCII) will deploy the Stinger LS as an inside-the-building component of its end-to-end broadband network. QSC Communications will also be among one of the first to deploy the Stinger LS.

Winstar, a leading broadband services company, plans to deploy the Stinger LS inside commercial office and other buildings throughout the United States to provide customers with broadband services, including high-speed Internet and data, Web-based information and local and long distance phone services.

"As part of our ongoing strategic relationship, we worked closely with Winstar on the development of the Stinger LS, which will support Winstar's rapid network growth and expansion," said Ashok Dhawan, president of the Lucent InterNetworking Systems, Next Generation Access unit. "Winstar's `in-building' network architecture is a terrific use of our Stinger technology. The new Stinger LS provides Winstar with a fast and cost-effective way to deliver high-quality broadband services to its customers."

"The Stinger LS provides us with inside-the-building technology that ensures the same high performance and capacity as our core network fiber and fixed wireless infrastructure that connects to the building," said Mike Fink, senior vice president of Winstar's Architecture and Advanced Technology group.

This current year will see a significant increase in DSL lines in service, with worldwide equipment revenues expected to grow from $1.6 billion in 1999 to more than $3.2 billion in 2002, according to a Gartner Dataquest report published in May entitled Worldwide xDSL Market Share and Forecast, 2000.

DSL technology meets the growing demand for new broadband services, leveraging existing copper infrastructure to enable service providers to offer an always-on, high-speed Internet connection, plus multiple phone numbers over an ordinary copper telephone line. DSL access concentrators sit at the edge of a network, in a central office or large building, and terminate DSL traffic -- sending it back to the service provider's backbone network. The new Stinger LS models are smaller versions of Lucent's original Stinger product, the Stinger FS.

QSC AG, Germany's leading alternative provider of DSL-based broadband services, built its broadband network using the Lucent Stinger platform. QSC plans to deploy more than 1,000 Stingers in 40 major cities throughout Germany by the end of this year.

"One problem we face is lack of space in central offices. Some of the exchanges are full of equipment," said Dr. Bernd Schlohbohm, QSC chairman. "In those situations, we will deploy the Stinger LS in shelters near the central office. The special shelters require a smaller DSLAM with front access, so the Stinger LS is a perfect fit."

The introduction of these new products comes on the first anniversary of the launch of the original Stinger FS. The new members of the Stinger family are architecturally compatible and offer the same support for asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) features as the Stinger FS.

"Our new Stinger LS access concentrators are smaller versions of the Stinger FS and retain its base features and functions," said Lucent's Dhawan. "We can now offer service providers more DSL deployment options with the same industry-leading carrier-class performance, reliability and operational availability customers have come to expect from our Stinger platform."

Launched just last September, Stinger DSL access concentrators have been purchased by more than 70 service providers in 15 countries. More than 10,000 Stinger systems have shipped to date.

The new Stinger LS is available in two models. The Stinger LS Model 1 is mountable in 19" racks and has five line interface module (LIM) slots for up to 240 ports capacity. The LS Model 2 is mountable in 23" racks and has seven LIM slots for up to 336 ports capacity.

Designed for flexibility in central office installations, including shallow bay co-location, as well as large MTU and hotel applications, the new LS models are shallower versions (10-inch depth) of the original Stinger. The new models are fully front-loaded - meaning no rear access is required, and all modules supply filters and fans can be replaced from the front. The new models utilize the same line interface and control modules as the original Stinger.

The Stinger LS is available with 24-port ADSL (full rate and G.lite), 32-port HDSL2, 32-port IDSL, 48-port SDSL and 48-port G.lite line cards. For the 48-port line cards, up to 1008 (720 for ETSI) DSL lines can be installed in a single seven-foot rack. The Stinger LS is available worldwide now.

The Stinger family provides support for all common versions of DSL allowing service providers to deliver a wide range of applications from a single platform. The products also deliver support for both ATM and frame relay from customer premises to central office, offering flexibility in provisioning either an ATM or frame-based access network.

Stinger products support an optional integrated copper loop test (CLT) module to perform access and testing for the prequalification, deployment and maintenance of subscriber metallic loops. Lucent's NavisAccess LoopCare can be used to manage the Stinger CLT module.

The Stinger family incorporates a high-speed ATM switching fabric, giving service providers end-to-end quality of service (QoS) capabilities. With bandwidth management and traffic policing capabilities, Stinger enables service providers to deliver differentiated classes of service to their customers.

The Stinger products are managed by NavisAccess DSL 5.0, which ensures that broadband access services are constantly available to users, and service agreements are upheld. NavisAccess DSL 5.0 manages hundreds of thousands of DSL lines, with a simple graphical interface and proactive monitoring tools, to provide a solution that is easy to use and scaleable.

Lucent has a full suite of DSL solutions including its CellPipe(TM) integrated access devices (IADs) for the customer premises, AnyMedia(TM) Access System for multiservice applications, and Navis network management system.

Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, designs and delivers the systems, software, silicon and services for next-generation communications networks for service providers and enterprises. Backed by the research and development of Bell Labs, Lucent focuses on high-growth areas such as optical and wireless networks; Internet infrastructure; communications software; communications semiconductors and optoelectronics; Web-based enterprise solutions that link private and public networks; and professional network design and consulting services. For more information on Lucent Technologies, visit its Web site at http://www.lucent.com.