Asia Netcom Completes Platform Upgrade on Pan-Asian Submarine Cable

Lucent Technologies LambdaUnite(R) Multiservice Switch (MSS) Platform Enhances

Core Fiber Transport Layer for Asia Netcom's EAC Cable System

SINGAPORE, June 22 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Asia Netcom today announced that it has completed the upgrade of its pan-Asian submarine cable network, EAC, to the Lucent Technologies LambdaUnite(R) Multi- Service Switch (MSS).

The upgrade project, carried out over a period of six months, will dramatically enhance Asia Netcom's ability to deliver next-generation bandwidth services with a variety of advanced transport and connectivity solutions in the Asia Pacific region, further differentiating Asia Netcom's core network capabilities from its competitors.

"This was one of the most complicated and challenging engineering projects in the history of Asia Netcom," noted Bill Barney, Asia Netcom's President and CEO. "We crossed the finish line ahead of schedule and with minimal impact to customers."

Added Wilfred Kwan, CTO, Asia Netcom, "Many new applications and services, such as IPTV and 3G, require real-time, high-performance bandwidth that traditional service providers cannot deliver. We are pleased to have a next- generation platform with new capabilities and service features to meet and support emerging customer demands."

With the LambdaUnite MSS platform and its support for ASON (Automatically Switched Optical Networks)/GMPLS (Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching) technology, Asia Netcom will be able to adopt a meshed, network architecture on the optical layer, and offer a wide variety of "Class-of-Service" options as part of its optical transport services. At the same time, the LambdaUnite MSS platform's enhanced management system gives Asia Netcom full control of all network elements, resulting in seamless service provisioning and network management of EAC.

"We are pleased that we were able to help Asia Netcom deliver these new, best-in-class capabilities, and that we were able to complete this critical project ahead of schedule," said Ian Gardner, Vice President, Business Development, Lucent Asia Pacific.

Asia Netcom's EAC is the first privately-owned pan-Asian submarine cable system stretching 19,500 kilometers and connecting Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, and Singapore. EAC will soon extend into China through a new cable extension to the northern Chinese city of Qingdao, giving Asia Netcom, its partners, and its customers a second, direct and seamless connection into China.

LambdaUnite MSS is the global optical cross-connect market leader (according to market research firm DellOro Group). It provides a bridge between data-intense metro networks and high-speed optical core networks, connecting cities, campuses and corporate networks to the larger, public long- haul networks. Developed by Lucent Technologies' Bell Labs, the system brings together switching capacity, functionality, density and flexibility into one box and an extremely small footprint.

About Asia Netcom

Winner of Frost & Sullivan's 'Data Communications Service Provider of the Year' award two years running, Asia Netcom operates an extensive telecommunications network infrastructure in the Asia Pacific region, including a privately-owned subsea cable system, EAC, as well as extensive terrestrial backhauls and telehouses in all key Asian markets. Leveraging these strategic assets, Asia Netcom provides a comprehensive portfolio of city-to-city connectivity, data communications and IP-based solutions and services to enterprise, ISP and carrier customers in the Asia Pacific region. The company is headquartered in Hong Kong with local offices in all major Asian markets, the US and Europe. For more information, please visit: http://www.asianetcom.com/

About Lucent Technologies

Lucent Technologies designs and delivers the systems, services and software that drive next-generation communications networks. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent uses its strengths in mobility, optical, software, data and voice networking technologies, as well as services, to create new revenue-generating opportunities for its customers, while enabling them to quickly deploy and better manage their networks. Lucent's customer base includes communications service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide. For more information on Lucent Technologies, which has headquarters in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, visit http://www.lucent.com/ .

FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact: Clement Teo Asia Netcom Tel: +65-6233-6331 Email: clement.teo@asianetcom.com Richard Wright Lucent Technologies - Asia-Pacific Tel: +852-9378-3800 Email: rjwright1@lucent.com Kurt Steinert Lucent Technologies - Network Solutions Tel: +1-973-386-8438 Email: ksteinert@lucent.com