ADC Features Fiber Connectivity Gear Designed to Reduce Carrier Operating Expenses and Increase Revenues at NFOEC 2002; New Optical Network Element Access Bay Launched at Annual Conference

Business Wire, Sept 16, 2002

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NFOEC 2002

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 2002

ADC (www.adc.com; Nasdaq:ADCT) will feature its market leading fiber connectivity equipment and new broadband access gateway and access products in its booth (No. 3533) at the National Fiber Optic Engineering Conference (NFOEC) held here this week. ADC manufactures a breadth of world-class broadband technologies and product/service solutions deployed in service provider networks worldwide.

The ADC exhibit will include an array of fiber connectivity solutions for high-density central office, metro edge and customer premises applications. These solutions include Next Generation Fiber Frames, FL2000 rack-mount panels and wall-mount boxes, fiber distribution frames, fiber management trays, FiberGuide(R) fiber cable raceways, and value-added modules. ADC's Wireline Systems Business Unit will display its iAN Broadband Access Gateway and Loop Transport solutions including Soneplex(R)/HiGain(R) HDSL4 modules, all designed to help service providers move fiber closer to homes and businesses.

"Annual events like NFOEC present ADC with a great opportunity to show our customers how ADC can make broadband profitable for them," said Jeff Quiram, president of the Connectivity Business Unit at ADC. "As networks evolve, our fiber equipment offerings will play an increasingly important role in the delivery of broadband services to home and business customers."

At NFOEC, ADC also announced its new Optical Network Element Access Bay. As multi-fiber ribbon cable and connectors are deployed on new network elements, the ability to access individual circuits is eliminated. With each connector and cable carrying eight, 12, or even 24 channels, the cost of service down time increases and network flexibility decreases. The Optical Network Element Access Bay allows single circuit turn up, testing, patching, and replacement in the network. The access bay enables carriers to minimize the risks associated with loss of service when breaking out multi-fiber connections into individual fibers.

"Service providers are looking for ways to take full advantage of fiber's immense bandwidth capacity to deliver more services and generate revenue. They also need to conserve space in their increasingly crowded central offices," said Tom Kampf, program manager for fiber products at ADC. "The multi-fiber ribbon cable and connectors deployed on many new optical network elements solve the density issue. However, higher density can mean restricted access to single fibers for testing, monitoring, and re-routing to assure optimum performance of optical networks. The new Optical Network Element Access Bay is a safe and reliable way to deploy next generation optical transport systems. Now carriers can use the immense bandwidth provided by optical fiber more efficiently, while maintaining the quality of service demanded by customers."

In addition to the new Optical Network Element Access Bay, ADC will display its line of fiber management trays (FMT), which received NEBS Level 3 compliance on Aug. 30, 2002. Designed for mounting in network equipment racks, the FMT line features compact, configurable slack storage, termination and splicing trays giving carriers the flexibility needed for a variety of applications and ensuring safe, reliable and robust networks.

Compliance with NEBS Level 3 means that original equipment manufacturers can confidently include the trays with their equipment without incurring expenses for additional equipment tests often required to qualify products for resale. FMTs are used in customer premises and central office applications as well as data centers and other locations where fiber connectivity solutions are found. ADC has historically provided high quality, standards compliant product solutions including other NEBS tested and approved products such as DS1/3 panels and modules, PowerWorx(R), FiberGuide(R), and Next-Generation Fiber Frames.

Also featured at NFOEC this year, Karl Rookstool, director of strategic technology for ADC, will present, "The War for Residential Customers Necessitates a New Fiber Sweet Spot." The presentation, Session F6, begins on Wednesday, Sept 18 at 3:30 p.m.

About ADC

ADC is The Broadband Company(TM). ADC tailors high-quality, custom solutions of network equipment, software and systems integration services that enable communications service providers to deliver high-speed Internet, data, video and voice services to consumers and businesses worldwide. ADC (Nasdaq:ADCT) has sales into nearly 100 countries and is included in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and the Nasdaq 100 Index. Learn more about ADC Telecommunications, Inc. at www.adc.com.