Allied Telesyn Launches Carrier Grade Ethernet Initiative

BOTHELL, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 23, 2003–

Enterprise Ethernet Leader Opens First Front in Carrier Market

With “Triple Play” DSLAMs; Promises Rapid Future Product Rollouts

Allied Telesyn, a global leader in Ethernet networking solutions for the access edge, today announced Carrier Grade Ethernet, a comprehensive program for extending its leadership into service provider and carrier markets. As the first initiative under this program, Allied Telesyn is rolling out a line of end-to-end products to support delivery of “triple play” services (voice, video, and data) over existing copper infrastructure, starting with its new 7000 series digital subscriber line access multiplexers (DSLAMs). (See Allied Telesyn Announces “Triple Play” DSLAMs, also released today.)

“Carriers and service providers are looking toward IP and Ethernet technologies to increase their service capabilities while reducing costs,” said Howard Kamerer, COO of Allied Telesyn. “With our Carrier Grade Ethernet program, we are leveraging more than 15 years of experience in these technologies to deliver a comprehensive line of products and services that allows carriers to deliver voice, video, and data from the network to the customer premise.”

Since its founding in 1987, Allied Telesyn’s strategy has been to enter markets in which standards have been broadly accepted, and where the company can gain substantial market share by offering technically advanced yet cost-effective products. This strategy has made Allied Telesyn the number four vendor of Ethernet networking equipment worldwide, and has driven steady increases in revenues and profits for the past twelve years, to a record $515 million in 2002. The Carrier Grade Ethernet initiative extends this strategy with a focus on the application-specific product and support needs of carriers who want compelling end-to-end solutions from large, established vendors. The company plans to offer a complete lineup of carrier-grade products and services starting in the second quarter of 2003, beginning with a family of video-optimized, IP-based DSLAMs that deliver triple play services.

“Ethernet has been the most cost-effective, scaleable, and reliable technology for local area networking over the past twenty plus years, and these same qualities are now pushing Ethernet into the carrier marketplace,” said Michael Kennedy, Ph.D., co-founder of Network Strategy Partners. “Allied Telesyn is one of the oldest and largest Ethernet equipment vendors, and with its technology, manufacturing, service, and support capabilities, it will be a strong competitor.”

Carrier Grade R&D, Carrier-Grade Products

To support its Carrier Grade Ethernet program, Allied Telesyn is leveraging advanced R&D facilities in the United States, New Zealand, and Japan. Most recently, the company built a new R&D facility in Raleigh, North Carolina, which houses more than 120 engineers with technology backgrounds from companies like Alcatel, Nortel Networks and Cisco Systems. Allied Telesyn operates its own ISO 9001-certified manufacturing plants in Asia to ensure consistent supplies of quality products.

With these resources, Allied Telesyn plans to roll out a full lineup of end-to-end products for carrier access infrastructure, including customer premise gateways, access platforms, broadband delivery systems, and a comprehensive network management system. The company is first focusing on video-optimized products that meet true carrier standards for reliability, performance, management, and interoperability. While triple play services are Allied Telesyn’s initial focus, however, the company will be announcing product strategies for additional carrier applications later this year and next year.

Triple Play Alliance Ensures Complete Solution

Through its Triple Play Alliance program, Allied Telesyn ensures that carriers have access to best-of-breed products that round out their triple play infrastructure. Current partners include Myrio, Minerva Networks, Net Insight, Tut Systems, and RCA. These partner solutions have been rigorously tested for full interoperability with Allied Telesyn’s DSLAMs, and the Triple Play Alliance’s engineering teams have the expertise to ensure rapid and trouble-free deployments.

About Allied Telesyn, Inc.

Allied Telesyn, Inc. is a worldwide leader in Ethernet networking products for carriers, service providers, enterprises, and educational institutions. Founded in 1987, Allied Telesyn offers a comprehensive line of high-quality access, aggregation, and core transport products, along with global professional services and support organizations to back them up. The company operates in more than 30 countries and is the fourth largest supplier of Ethernet-based networking equipment in the world. For more information, please see www.alliedtelesyn.com.