SMC Ships First in New Line of Ultra-Efficient Single Chip Gigabit Ethernet Switches Powered by Agere Systems Ethernet Chips.

IRVINE, Calif. & ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- SMC Networks:

--New TigerSwitch(TM) 1000 48-Port Gigabit switches featuring the latest Ethernet technology from Agere are high-performance, economical high-density switches that handle heavy traffic efficiently with full Layer 2 management

SMC Networks (www.smc.com) and Agere Systems (www.agere.com), (NYSE:AGR) today announced the shipment of the first in SMC's newest line of Gigabit workgroup switches, the TigerSwitch(TM) 1000 (SMC8748L2), powered by Agere Systems' industry-leading Ethernet chips.

Designed to turn today's common unmanaged data networks into intelligent, multimedia-rich converged Internet Protocol (IP) infrastructures with huge performance advances and built-in economic benefits, the new Layer 2, fully-managed 48-port Gigabit Ethernet switch with two 10 Gigabit uplinks is available now at an MSRP of $1999.99.

The new TigerSwitch 1000 (SMC8748L2) stands alone as the only switching solution on the market that provides such a high port density with an efficient single chip solution, and it is the first in SMC's new family of efficient, high-performance Gigabit switches. Built on Agere's newest Gigabit Ethernet chipset solution, the SMC8748L2 utilizes the Agere ET4K and the Agere Octal TruePHY(TM) 1081 for the ultimate in performance and efficiency. The Agere ET4K is the world's first single chip 48-port gigabit Ethernet switch device, and features the industry's highest level of integration and performance. The ET4K chip allows the TigerSwitch 1000 to operate 48 channels simultaneously--twice as many as the nearest competing alternative--while maintaining full Gigabit wire speed performance on each channel. The Agere Octal TruePHY(TM) 1081 is optimized for efficiency and performance, providing the industry's lowest power utilization while exceeding industry standards requirements for reach and error-free performance by approximately 40 percent.

"The TigerSwitch 1000 Managed Gigabit switch brings great price/performance improvement, making it likely that it will encourage network upgrades that transform unmanaged data networks into much more intelligent, multimedia-rich converged infrastructure," said Tony Stramandinoli, SMC Networks' Vice President of Marketing.

"This technology relationship between SMC and Agere finally makes it possible for corporate computer network users to receive much more robust multimedia services at more affordable costs," said Samir Samhouri, vice president of the Agere Systems Enterprise and Networking Division. "These users are keenly interested in reducing their network costs while boosting the quality of service versatility they gain, which is exactly what the SMC and Agere technologies deliver now."

The significant performance improvement offered by the TigerSwitch 1000 (SMC8748L2) will help networks move to the next level of performance while simultaneously slashing operating costs. Many networks today are unable to distinguish between voice, video and data Internet Protocol (IP) traffic, necessitating separate, dedicated data and voice networks. The technology built-in to the new TigerSwitch 1000 family of switches has the intelligence to dynamically recognize these services, thus enabling their convergence onto a single, reliable and efficient multimedia-aware infrastructure. The TigerSwitch 1000 family of switches will likely be a catalyst for rapid acceleration in the replacement of Private Branch Exchange with IP telephones in businesses, among other advances.

In challenging high-traffic environments, the SMC8748L2 provides Gigabit switching at full wire speed. The SMC8748L2 switch not only delivers high performance, it's loaded with advanced features that demanding environments need. Security is paramount in today's networks, and these new switches deliver, with ACLs and 802.1x for secure network access, and SSH, SSL/HTTPS for secure management enabled by RADIUS and TACACS+. Flexible Layer 2/3/4 traffic prioritization and rate-limiting enable Quality of Service across the network, and network segmentation is provided by port and tag-based VLANs.

The TigerSwitch 1000 also brings a comprehensive Layer 2 management feature set, including Spanning Tree Protocol, VLANs and link aggregation (LACP) which also supports trunking the 10G ports. Built for robust workgroup and backbone switching today, the SMC8748L2 has the flexibility to allow for upgrades to even more features that will be released in the future.

"These high-performance switches pack the power of 10G capability, so they can excel in the most demanding networks, now, and into the future," said SMC Product Manager, Iain Kenney. "10/100/1000 copper connectivity built-in, with options for fiber and ten Gigabit uplinks make it extraordinarily flexible and adaptable-- and the full range of advanced features make them perfect for the most demanding Enterprise and workgroup environments."

The TigerSwitch 1000 switch (SMC8748L2) with optional uplinks and redundant power supplies are available now. For more information about SMC Networks or its products, visit www.smc.com, or call 800-SMC-4YOU (800-762-4968).

About Agere Systems

Agere Systems is a global leader in semiconductors for storage, wireless data, and public and enterprise networks. The company's chips and software power a broad range of computing and communications applications, from cell phones, PCs, PDAs, hard disk drives and gaming devices to the world's most sophisticated wireless and wireline networks. Agere's customers include top manufacturers of consumer electronics, communications and computing equipment. Agere's products connect people to information and entertainment at home, at work and on the road -- enabling the connected lifestyle.

This release contains forward-looking statements based on information currently available to Agere. Agere's actual results could differ materially from the results stated or implied by those forward-looking statements due to a number of risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, our reliance on major customers and suppliers, our ability to keep pace with technological change, our dependence on new product development, price and product competition, availability of manufacturing capacity, customer demand for our products and services, and general industry and market conditions. For a further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004, and our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2005. Agere disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.