E O Networks Links Oran Telephone to Future Communications Services; "Fiber to the Farm" installation brings Internet access to rural students, residents

Business Wire, April 8, 1996

HAYWARD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 8, 1996--The path to and from school for students who attend Wapsie Valley High School located in northeast Iowa is now a Super Highway.

E/O Networks today announced that customers of Wapsie Valley's telephone company, Oran Mutual Telephone, are now receiving services such as Internet access over the company's fiber optics telecommunications system. The independent telephone company moved 250 customers, including the local high school, onto E/O Networks' FDS-1 fiber optics transmission system in a bid to bring advanced services to the area and expand its outside plant capacity.

Positioned for future growth

According to Dan Lundt, general manager, "E/O Networks' FDS-1 solution made sense for Oran Mutual because it positions us for future technological advances as well as improves the services we supply today."

Oran Mutual selected E/O Networks' fiber access product as an economical path for replacing and upgrading its copper plant. "Our existing buried plant had reached capacity and we were considering burying additional copper cable or installing a T-1 carrier," said Lundt. Both options were expensive and did not provide the versatility for adding new services that Oran sought.

"We're a small company with a forward-looking approach and E/O Networks' fiber product offered the most attractive solution on the market," he said. "The FDS-1 is affordable, simple to install, and easy to maintain. In addition, it's not software dependent and does not require a lot of training to operate," Lundt added.

Equal, affordable services

According to E/O Networks President Al Negrin, Oran Mutual Telephone represents the direction many independent, progressive telephone companies are taking to provide leading-edge services. "Traditionally, cost has restricted such services to larger carriers supplying urban areas," Negrin said. "E/O Networks is extremely pleased that Oran Mutual saw in FDS-1 a practical and affordable means to deliver these services today."

A member of Iowa Network Services, a consortia of independent telephone companies in the state dedicated to providing centralized equal access including Internet access, Oran Mutual is committed to supplying all current and future services to its customers. "With FDS-1 in place we can now provision any new services our customers want," said Lundt.

E/O Networks

E/O Networks develops, manufactures and markets fiber optic telecommunication systems for domestic and international telephone companies with low-subscriber densities. E/O Networks is a privately held, venture-backed company headquartered at 3988 Trust Way, Hayward, CA 94545-6927; phone: 510/264-3800.

CONTACT: E/O Networks

Leif Hoglund, 510/264-3800

leif.hoglund@eonetworks.com

April Neilson, 510/264-3837

april.neilson@eonetworks.com