SPHERA OPTICAL NETWORKS OPENS GLOBAL NETWORK MANAGEMENT CENTER.

Sphera Optical Networks, Inc., a leading metro core network provider, has opened its new Global Network Management Center (GNMC) at Raritan Center in Edison, New Jersey.

The GNMC monitors Sphera's global metro core networks on a 24 hour/7 days a week basis with technologically advanced systems that create the highest operational level in reliability and performance for Sphera's expanding regional areas, which currently include: New York/New Jersey, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington DC/Northern Virginia, Amsterdam and London.

"The opening of the Global Network Management Center demonstrates Sphera's continuing commitment to solving metro-bandwidth-bottlenecks for its customers," said Harold Grossnickle, chairman and CEO of Sphera. "With our new facility, we have the opportunity to provide further operational excellence within our optical metro core networks and offer our customers fast provisioning and flexible network services that meet their demands."

In addition, customers have the advantages of SpheraCore Customer Network Management, which extends Sphera network management functionality to their own network operations. The customer has the option of increasing the management and control of their high capacity network traffic with secure, web-enabled tools and information provided by SpheraCore.

"The GNMC and SpheraCore clearly differentiate us from other competitors in the metro core space," added Grossnickle. "We are taking a lead in network management and providing the type of network services and solutions that make service providers more competitive to their end-users."

Sphera supplies the metropolitan core with high capacity connectivity from multiple service access locations in carrier hotels, co-location facilities, data centers and service providers' sites. The plans for increasing the geographic footprint, scheduled for this year, include additional connectivity in new metro regions and service access points.

Sphera is giving a tour of the GNMC facility to the media and industry analysts on Tuesday, May 15, 2001 and will be scheduling tours for its customers in the weeks to come.

Sphera Optical Networks, headquartered in New York City, is a leading provider of high capacity networks for the metropolitan core using the latest DWDM technology. Providing customers with high capacity networking capabilities on demand, Sphera sets a new industry standard for performance and efficiency by creating an environment of reduced provisioning intervals, expanded network reach, protocol independence, reliability and advanced network management capabilities for carriers, ISPs, ASPs and worldwide service providers.