Michigan Universities Select Movaz for Wavelength Transport; Movaz Networks' RAY Product Suite to Provide Michigan LambdaRail with Optical Connectivity

Business Wire, Jan 25, 2005

ATLANTA -- Movaz Networks announces that Michigan LambdaRail (MiLR), a consortium of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University, is deploying a DWDM optical network between Southern Lower Michigan and Chicago for providing very high-speed connections to StarLight and the National LambdaRail. The Movaz RAY(TM) product suite of optical networking equipment will be used by MiLR to provide 10 Gb/s wavelength services to its members, enabling them to participate in large-scale research projects and collaborate with other universities and research organizations throughout the United States and worldwide.

"The MiLR project selected Movaz through a highly competitive bidding process based on many technical factors including lab testing of the equipment, customer recommendations, commitment to the ongoing support of the research and educational community, ability to meet our delivery schedule and, of course, price," said Scott Gerstenberger, External Networking Manager for the University of Michigan. "We are very pleased with what Movaz has offered us and are excited about getting our new network on the air."

MiLR has purchased the right to use six strands of dark fiber for 20 years on a 750-mile ring interconnecting locations in the Detroit-Chicago corridor. The network will begin operation by providing seven 10 Gb/s point-to-point Ethernet connections in March 2005.

"Movaz continues to evolve its product portfolio and to build leading edge technology that addresses emerging optical networking requirements in the research and education community," said Zouheir Mansourati, CTO of Movaz. "This market segment is of strategic importance to us and our success there is a reflection of the strength of our transport solutions."

About MiLR and Its Member Universities

The Michigan LambdaRail is a year-old collaborative networking project of Michigan's three largest universities. Michigan State University (msu.edu) has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research, and outreach for nearly 150 years. MSU's 15 degree-granting colleges offer top-ranked academic programs in a beautiful, park-like Big Ten campus and community setting. Undergraduate students can choose from more than 150 majors and even have the opportunity to work with faculty on research projects. MSU distinctions include the largest study abroad program, the leading residence hall system, one of the oldest and most prestigious honors colleges, and one of the largest and best career placement services in the nation. The University of Michigan (umich.edu) is consistently ranked among the top three public research universities in the U.S. U-M also ranks first nationally in research expenditures among public research universities at $750 million in 2003. The University's Ann Arbor campus, with more than 39,000 students, offers 6,600 undergraduate and graduate courses each year in 19 schools and colleges. Wayne State University (wayne.edu) is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 12 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.

About Movaz Networks, Inc.

Movaz Networks is a globally established equipment supplier that provides next generation all optical solutions for delivery of cost effective wavelength services. The company's products, designed for metro, regional, enterprise and government networks, are full-featured carrier-class solutions incorporating advanced optical transport, distributed photonic switching, Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching (GMPLS) protocols, and standards based network management. Movaz is shipping generally available products to customers globally. For more information, please visit Movaz on the web at www.movaz.com.

Movaz Network RAY(TM) Product Suite

The RAY(TM) product suite is designed to lower current optical network economics for service providers by providing integrated optical transport and switching solutions at competitive prices. An integrated solution of five products, the RAY(TM) product suite includes: RAYexpress(TM) (optical add/drop multiplexer); RAYROADM(TM) (reconfigurable OADM); RAYstar(TM) (OADM and wavelength XC integrated platform); RAYextender(TM) (line amplifier); RAYtracer(TM) (NMS) and iWSS(TM) (wavelength-selective switching technology). These products are shipping and used in over 55 customer networks worldwide.