Bezeq Selects Atrica for Optical Ethernet Trials [26-03-2001]
Israeli Service Provider to Begin Beta Test of Atrica Equipment
Santa Clara, CA. - March 26, 2001 - Atrica Inc, poised to be the leading provider of Optical Ethernet equipment for the $15 billion Metro networking market, today announced that it has begun trials of its Optical Ethernet System with the major service provider in Israel, Bezeq. Per the terms of the Beta agreement, Bezeq will conduct both laboratory and field trials with Atrica's Optical Ethernet equipment.
The trials will include transmission of Bezeq's TDM-based traffic over an Optical Ethernet network, using Atrica's equipment. The trials will determine Optical Ethernet's suitability as the foundation for an integrated voice, data and video service.
Incumbent carriers like Bezeq, which supplies over three million telephone lines in Israel, have found the potential cost benefits of Optical Ethernet and, specifically, Atrica's solution, compelling. Mr. Paul Weisbach, Assistant Vice President of Engineering and Planning and Assistant CEO of Bezeq, said, "Atrica is a promising Metro networking company and implementation of its technology could potentially enable a significant reduction in high-speed network and transmission costs in the future."
Avinoam Rubinstain, founder and CEO of Atrica, commented, "We are excited about the planned trial with Bezeq. It is indicative of the support and interest level in Optical Ethernet and in Atrica that we have received from service providers worldwide."
About Bezeq
Established in 1984, the company has brought about a technological telecommunications revolution in Israel, introducing innovative services, increasing investment and achieving substantial profitability. Bezeq is Israel's principal telecommunications provider with revenues of $2.2 billion in 1999. Bezeq and its subsidiaries offer a comprehensive range of services including local, long distance and international telephone services, cellular communications, data communications, satellite services, leased lines and corporate networks. Over the last few years, the Bezeq group has begun to heavily concentrate on providing Internet services and related applications. Today, Bezeq provides its customers with a wide range of value-added telephone and broadband data communication services, and is preparing itself to offer new services based on ADSL technology. The company's strategy is to focus on growing revenues by entering into new business activities which leverage Bezeq's key strengths and core capabilities.
About Atrica
Atrica's mission is to deliver the most cost-effective, high-performance Optical Ethernet platforms to the forward-thinking service providers who are building next-generation Metro networks. Atrica is a privately-held company based in Santa Clara, California, with R&D facilities in Israel and business development and sales offices in Paris, France. The company received initial seed funding from 3Com Corporation, a first round of financing led by prominent Silicon Valley venture capital firms Accel Partners and Benchmark Capital, and a second round led by four leading global service providers. For more information, visit Atrica on the Web at www.atrica.com. |
