PMC-Sierra Announces Availability of Complete Evaluation Reference Platform for 10/100M Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- PMC-Sierra, Inc. (Nasdaq:PMCS) today announced the availability of its 10/100M Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH evaluation platform which enables industry-wide multi-vendor interoperability for next-generation SONET/SDH protocols such as low and high order virtual concatenation (VCAT), Generic Framing Procedure (GFP) and link adjustment capacity scheme (LCAS).

The PMC-Sierra Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH evaluation platforms are available in a 24 port 10/100M into OC-48/STM-16 or an 8 port 10/100M into OC-12/STM-4 configuration. System vendors leveraging PMC-Sierra's evaluation platform will experience increased reliability and time-to-market advantages whereby detailed evaluation of PMC-Sierra's standards-based offering can be performed before the system design is completed.

"Utilizing PMC-Sierra's evaluation platform has enabled FiberHome to quickly provide our customers with a high density Ethernet access platform. The time-to-market advantage has established FiberHome as a major player enabling the accelerated deployment of metro Ethernet services," said Mr. Zhi Qiang Zhou, Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH Product Manager at FiberHome Telecommunication Technologies.

"PMC-Sierra's evaluation platform allowed ZTE to demonstrate interoperability with deployed Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH equipment proving both backwards and forwards compatibility before the availability of our integrated system," said Mr. Fan Hongtao, Manager of Transmission Products at ZTE.

"PMC-Sierra currently has a large number of Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH evaluation cards deployed world-wide so our partners can engage with their customers in proving their system capabilities," said Babak Samimi, Product Marketing Manager, Communication Products Division at PMC-Sierra.

Providing a Complete Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH Evaluation Platform

The PMC-Sierra Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH evaluation platform is a complete, stand-alone sub-system solution that includes an evaluation board, board schematics, and a configuration guide. The evaluation platform integrates the following devices:

--PM5329 ARROW 24xFE -- a 24 port 10/100 Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH mapper into OC-48/STM-16

--PM5360 S/UNI(R) MULTI 48 -- a multi-rate OC-48/STM-16 SONET/SDH framer

--PM5333 ARROW 8xFE -- an 8 port 10/100 Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH mapper into OC-12/STM-4

--PM5354 S/UNI(R) MULTI 2x12 -- a multi-rate SONET/SDH framer for OC-12/STM-4

Offering a Broad Portfolio of Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH Products

The PMC-Sierra ARROW 8xFE and ARROW 24xFE products are 622 Mbit/s and 2.5 Gbit/s capacity devices supporting both low order (VT1.5/VC-12) and high order (STS-1/VC-3, STS-3c/VC-4) Virtual Concatenation with hitless bandwidth adjustments using fully integrated LCAS processing. Fine granularity bandwidth tuning with low order Virtual Concatenation (1.6 Mbit/s VT1.5 / 2 Mbit/s VC-12) enables delivery of customer tailored 10/100 Ethernet services while maintaining network efficiency. For network efficient 1000 Mbit/s Ethernet services, the PMC-Sierra ARROW 2xGE device enables Gigabit Ethernet users to benefit from high order Virtual Concatenation and provide transport services from 50 Mbit/s all the way up to a full 1 Gbit/s with 50 Mbit/s (STS-1/VC-3) increments. For more information, visit www.pmc-sierra.com/networking.

Availability and Customer Support

The PMC-Sierra Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH evaluation platform is available upon request. A comprehensive support package, including an evaluation kit board layout and design documentation as well as application notes, is available. For more information, contact a PMC-Sierra sales representative at www.pmc-sierra.com/contactsales or visit www.pmc-sierra.com/networking.

About PMC-Sierra

PMC-Sierra(TM) is a leading provider of high speed broadband communications semiconductors and MIPS-based(TM) processors for enterprise, access, metro, storage, wireless infrastructure and advanced consumer electronics equipment. The company offers worldwide technical and sales support, including a network of offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The company is publicly traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the PMCS symbol and is included in the S&P 500 Index. For more information, visit www.pmc-sierra.com.

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(C) Copyright PMC-Sierra, Inc. 2004. All rights reserved. S/UNI is a registered trademark of PMC-Sierra, Inc. PMC, PMCS, PMC-Sierra, and "Thinking You can Build On" are trademarks of PMC-Sierra, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of the respective owners.