SBE, Inc. Expands SS7 Product Offerings with Trillium's MTP Level 2 Software.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN RAMON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 11, 2000

Expanding its product solutions for the rapidly growing telecommunications marketplace, SBE, Inc., (Nasdaq:SBEI), a leading supplier of communications connectivity and specialized networking processing solutions, today announced that it has chosen Trillium Digital Systems to provide SS7 protocol software solutions for integration with SBE's CompactPCI (cPCI) HW400c SS7/AIN communications coprocessor card.

The HW400c delivers up to 128 channels of SS7 MTP Level 2 protocol on a single card. This unequalled port density and fault-tolerant performance allows network designers and service providers to implement high-performance telecommunications networks more economically than has been possible to date.

"We are excited to incorporate Trillium's industry leading software into our product offering. Their leadership in interoperability, standards compliance and scalability provide a powerful solution set to deliver to our telecommunications customers," said William B. Heye, Jr., president and CEO of SBE. "As we further our development efforts, we look forward to expanding our work with Trillium. The company has the industry's broadest range of software solutions which will be invaluable as we continue to innovate in delivering new high performance products for telephony, internet, intelligent network, wireless and broadband networks."

"SBE delivers world-class integrated telecom solutions to today's leading network operators and service providers," said Jeff Lawrence, president and CEO of Trillium Digital Systems. "The synergy between Trillium's MTP Level 2 software and the HW400c allows SBE to deliver to its customers a flexible solution with the ability to migrate to new technologies quickly and offer new product and services for next generation networks."

The HW400c is a member of SBE's HighWire product line; a family of high-performance communications products designed to satisfy the needs of traditional and emerging network service providers. The HW400c is a single-slot cPCI 6U card available in versions that support from 8 to 128 channels of SS7 the highest link density offered by anyone. With 700 MIPS of processing power, eight software-selectable T1/E1/J1 ports and a variety of traffic routing options, the HW400c offers unprecedented power and flexibility.

The first release of the HW400c is implemented with on-board SS7 protocol support. The HW400c platform will expand to host a variety of other protocols in later releases. This makes the HW400c an attractive, common hardware platform for a wide variety of carrier-class applications.

The HW400c complies with the stringent specifications of telecommunications service providers. Carrier-class equipment demands high reliability, scalability and easy serviceability. The HW400c meets these requirements by incorporating "hot-swap" technology for all active components in a single rugged cPCI form factor card with on-board processing power. The software-selectability of its eight T1/E1/J1 ports makes the HW400c suitable for the domestic as well as the international market.

Trillium's SS7 Software

Trillium's industry-leading SS7 products have been successfully deployed by leading communications equipment suppliers for more than six years. By providing source code solutions, Trillium offers manufacturers the opportunity to customize the software to their own proprietary applications, an opportunity that is not available from pre-packaged object-code solutions. Trillium offers a complete family of SS7 products, designed using the Trillium Advanced Portability Architecture (TAPA(), a set of proven architectural and coding standards that ensure that products are feature rich, high-performance, high quality, flexible, modular, scaleable and portable.

About SBE

SBE, Inc., based in San Ramon, California, designs and sells products to meet the needs of traditional and converged telecommunication markets. SBE products are designed for incorporation within high-end computer systems and integrated into signaling, switching and routing networks. They include SS7/AIN controllers for switch manufacturers, WAN interface adapters for workstations and servers, high-speed communications controllers for computer systems, and IP policy management products.

SBE products are sold worldwide through direct sales, OEM, and System Integration partners. SBE can be reached at 800/214-4SBE or www.sbei.com.

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements about new product features, market opportunity for new products, and the demand for services that may be offered by SBE's customers. Such statements are only predictions and the company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to risks related to rapidly changing product requirements, the introduction of new products, market acceptance of the Company's products, and reliance on strategic partners. These factors and others are more fully discussed in the documents the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically, the Company's most recent Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, and Form 10-Q/A.