RED-C and Capella to Demonstrate Their Jointly Developed Integrated EDFA / ROADM Subsystem; Featuring RED-C's Sentior 3550 Self-Managed Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA) and Capella's WavePath Wavelength Selective Switch (WSS).

CHICAGO -- RED-C Optical Networks Ltd. (www.red-c.com), a leading provider of Locally Controlled Subsystems based on optical amplification technology and Capella Inc. (www.capellainc.com), a leading provider of Wavelength Selective Switch (WSS) modules for use in Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) applications, announced today that they have successfully developed and will be demonstrating their Integrated EDFA / ROADM Subsystem live at RED-C booth #39063 at GLOBALCOMM 2006, June 5-7 at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.

Featuring synchronous operation between the EDFA and WSS modules in a space saving rack-mountable 2RU subsystem with a single network management interface, the integrated sub-system substantially reduces system vendors' development costs and time-to-market for ROADM enabled systems. At the same time, it provides the best performance of any subsystem of its kind, enabling cost-effective delivery of broadband services through dynamic reconfigurability in metro and long-haul networks.

The demo of the integrated EDFA/ ROADM subsystem proves the design concept pursued together by RED-C and Capella. In contrast to discrete product offerings where significant integration efforts are required, the integrated subsystem provides a network-ready solution which can be easily deployed into today's transmission networks. Benefits include: 1) a stable optical system during spectral and power variations, 2) seamless and coordinated transient control, 3) mitigation of ROADM insertion loss and associated OSNR penalty, 4) complete East/ West separation eliminating any single point of failure, 5) full spectral monitoring capabilities and 6) an integrated system interface.

The Integrated EDFA/ROADM subsystem is comprised of RED-C's Sentior 3550 the world first Self Managed EDFA and Capella's WavePath WSS module. RED-C's Sentior 3550, the only amplifier of its kind with an embedded optical channel monitor (OCM), is capable of closing the amplifier's spectral loop and optimizing the gain and gain tilt in response to dynamic spectral conditions, an essential characteristic for ROADM interoperability. In addition, it offers two completely independent variable gain stages, allowing for full East/ West separation. Capella's WavePath Wavelength Selective Switch (WSS), also the only module of its kind with integrated optical channel monitoring, represents the next generation in ROADM solutions, providing fully flexible switching, optical channel monitoring, wavelength management and both internal and network diagnostic functions.

This joint development has been acknowledged and funded by the USA-Israel Bi-national Industrial Research and Development Fund (BIRD-F) Foundation (www.birdf.com).

Yossi Boker, RED-C's President and CEO, says: "The Integrated EDFA/ROADM is an important milestone in RED-C's visionary concept of a Locally Controlled Subsystem, which is aimed at simplifying optical networks by delegating to the subsystem level many of the complex functionalities currently executed by network management. Our success in meeting this challenge and building a fully functional prototype ahead of the project's original schedule further evidences the parties' determination and R&D excellence."

"This collaboration between our two companies of similar vision and best-of-breed products will afford our customers maximum value by providing a critical network element in enabling cost effective delivery of broadband services," said Larry M. Schwerin, Capella CEO.

About RED-C:

RED-C Optical Networks is a recognized top-player in the optical amplifier market, paving the way for its innovative concept of locally-controlled optical subsystems, based on optical amplification technology. RED-C's Sentior product line constitutes the entire range of optical amplification modules, including the market-leading Self-Managed EDFA, the widely deployed Variable-Gain EDFA, the patent protected Gain Switched Variable Gain EDFA, the innovative class 1M Raman Amplifier and various cost-effective fixed-gain EDFAs.

About Capella:

Capella is the industry leader in intelligent subsystems for managing traffic flows at optical intersections in carrier networks. Only Capella WavePath(R) products offer dynamic, remote reconfigurability with fully integrated optical channel monitoring for simplifying network operations and planning, while dramatically reducing costs. Capella's Wavelength Selective Switch (WSS) products are used in both metro and long haul applications. Founded in 2000, Capella is a privately-held company located in San Jose, California.