MaxLink Communications Leads LMDS Industry with TDMA Deployment from Newbridge Networks.

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 1999--NEWBRIDGE (TSE:NNC.) (NYSE:NN) Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) Enhances Spectrum Efficiency and Maxlink's Competitive Advantage

Newbridge Networks (NYSE: NN; TSE: NNC) today announced that MaxLink Communications Inc. has begun the industry's first time division multiple access (TDMA) deployment for Local Multipoint Communication Systems (LMCS) networking (also known as Local Multipoint Distribution Service or LMDS outside Canada). MaxLink, licensed to provide competitive telecommunications services in 33 cities across Canada, including Montreal, Ottawa-Hull and Calgary, has engaged in extensive field and marketing trials over the past year and will begin commercial service in June, 1999.

TDMA enables the sharing of bandwidth among a large number of customers, thereby promoting the efficient use of spectrum and allowing MaxLink to cost-effectively address a large variety of customer service requirements. The network carries 42 Mbit/s of data per wireless channel, accommodating bursty traffic such as Internet protocol (IP) and a full range of TDM-based services.

The award-winning broadband wireless technology from Newbridge will enable MaxLink to provide affordable advanced telecommunication services including telecommuting, high speed local area network (LAN) interconnect, IP Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), traditional and advanced telephony, videoconferencing, video monitoring, telemedicine, tele-education/distance learning, personal communications services (PCS) backbone, and residential multimedia.

"The addition of TDMA marks a milestone in MaxLink's commitment to provide competitive, innovative telecommunications services across Canada," said Joel Bell, Deputy Chairman, MaxLink. "This advanced broadband wireless technology from Newbridge will enable MaxLink to cost-effectively deliver a full range of telecommunications services including new generations of high speed Internet access and data services for business-critical and real-time voice, video and data communications."

As currently deployed in the MaxLink network, the Newbridge Broadband Wireless Access solution is a multiservices network comprising base station and customer premise equipment. A base station, consisting of the Siemens / Newbridge MainStreetXpress(tm) 36170 Multiservices Switch and point-to-multipoint transmitters and receivers, is the central location that collects all traffic to and from customers within a given wireless coverage area. It is also the linking point between the customer and the backbone network. Customer premise equipment includes transceivers and network interface units (NIUs) which support a full range of services. The industry-leading MainStreetXpress 46020 Network Manager handles all network management requirements and provides billing, statistics and management support.

"The addition of TDMA maximizes the competitive advantages of MaxLink's point-to-multipoint broadband wireless network," said Conrad Lewis, Executive Vice President, Access Products Group, Newbridge Networks. "Our collaborative development efforts on behalf of MaxLink have resulted in this global first which will be carried forward in deployments of the Newbridge Broadband Wireless Access solution in South America, Asia, Europe and the United States."

In January, 1999, the Newbridge(r) Broadband Wireless Solution received the Data Communications HOT PRODUCTS award recognizing the year's "best and brightest" products and services in the networking industry. Calling the Newbridge solution a "Wireless Wonder", Data Communications stated that the award recognizes products and services that provide a key technological differentiator that results in clear and quantifiable financial benefits and sets them apart from the competition. This award follows previous recognition of Newbridge leadership in broadband wireless access technology by the International Engineering Consortium (IEC), which presented Newbridge with the IEC InfoVision Award in October, 1998.

MaxLink Communications Inc. is a consortium organized to develop and operate new local telecommunications services. It is licensed in Canada to provide a range of competitive voice and high speed wireless services through the use of 28GHz radio frequencies. The consortium members are: Joel Bell; Stephen R. Bronfman, through Claridge (SRB) Inc.; Capital Communications CDPQ Inc.; Seymour Epstein; James D. Meekison with Robert Bradshaw; Socit Gasbeau; and US Wavelink Telecommunications Inc.

Newbridge Networks designs, manufactures, markets and services networking solutions to organizations in more than 100 countries. The Company leverages its relationship with a growing family of Newbridge Affiliate companies and strategic alliances with Siemens and 3Com Corporation to deliver seamless, end-to-end solutions. Newbridge customers include the world's 300 largest telecommunications service providers and more than 10,000 corporations, government organizations and other institutions. Founded in 1986, the Company employs more than 6,000 people on six continents. News and information are available at www.newbridge.com.

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MainStreetXpress is a trademark used by the Siemens / Newbridge alliance for comprehensive solutions in broadband communication. No agency relationship, partnership, or joint ownership of a legal entity is to be inferred or implied by the term alliance.