Thursday October 12, 8:05 am Eastern Time
Press Release
Sycamore Networks Selected by BellSouth to Equip Next Generation Internet Exchange in Florida
CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 2000--
BellSouth's ``Florida Multimedia Internet eXchange'' plans to use
Sycamore's SN 16000 intelligent optical switch and SN 8000 optical
transport platform to bring unprecedented bandwidth, speed and
performance to South Florida's Internet community
Sycamore Networks (NASDAQ:SCMR - news), a leader in intelligent optical networking, today announced that BellSouth Corp. (NYSE:BLS - news) has selected Sycamore's intelligent optical switches and transport platforms to use in the company's innovative ``Florida Multimedia Internet eXchange'' (FloridaMIX) network in South Florida. In August, BellSouth announced its plans for bringing the nation's most advanced, high-speed Internet exchange, or Network Access Point (NAP), to South Florida. South Florida is quickly becoming a major Internet hub, connecting routes in the U.S. with Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Western Europe. The FloridaMIX will provide a flexible optical foundation for a next generation Internet infrastructure that will support the rapid growth in data traffic from new Internet service companies and new applications such as voice and video over the Internet.
``Technology choice and network design are critical when technology and customer needs change at `Internet speed.' We are building a major new NAP, with a broadband optical switching network that can massively but gracefully scale and evolve in bandwidth and functionality as our customers and partners need it,'' said Ray Smets, Vice President - Internet and Data Services for BellSouth. ``Sycamore's optical networking technology, which is expected to be the foundation of our FloridaMIX network, has the inherent intelligence that makes it easy for service providers to tap into the bandwidth we are building in our South Florida data network. We are pleased to announce Sycamore as our planned optical networking technology vendor for our next generation FloridaMIX network.''
BellSouth plans to deploy Sycamore's SN 16000 intelligent optical switches and SN 8000 intelligent optical transport platform to build an infrastructure that can route and re-route data traffic quickly in response to customer demand. By using the sophisticated intelligence that optical switches bring to public network, BellSouth is able to construct a flexible, optical mesh architecture that will support the requirements of a robust, dynamic Internet economy.
``The intelligent optical network has opened up new opportunities in the Internet economy for service providers to offer high-speed connections quickly and cost-effectively,'' said Dan Smith, President and CEO of Sycamore Networks. ``As one of the first Regional Bell Operating Company to capitalize on the service and capacity creation unleashed by the intelligent optical networking technology, BellSouth has once again shown that they are a leader in building the next generation infrastructure.''
Sycamore's SN 16000 intelligent optical switch combines the BroadLeaf(TM) Network Operating System's innovative signaling and routing software with innovative hard optic technologies to create a flexible, standards-based intelligent platform for the delivery of high-speed services on demand. Built on a combination of industry-standard OSPF routing and MPLS signaling and Sycamore's soft optics technologies, the SN 16000's IP-centric BroadLeaf software platform provides the scalability and interoperability required by today's large-scale applications and hybrid environments.
Participants in the FloridaMIX to date include FPL Fibernet; Intermedia; NETRAIL; Qwest; International Wire Communications (IWC); Diveo; and UUNET, a WorldCom company. Other ISPs are expected to join in the coming weeks. BellSouth, which has acted as the industry's catalyst to coordinate the effort and will also host the new Florida MIX Internet exchange, has developed an innovative wide-area, fiber optic infrastructure to support new services like voice over Internet, video over Internet, and other digital media and broadband capabilities. Implementation is underway and the exchange is expected to begin serving customers by the end of the year.
About BellSouth
BellSouth is a $26 billion communications services company. It provides telecommunications services, Internet, data and e-commerce applications, wireless communications, cable and digital TV, and online and directory advertising to more than 40 million customers in 18 countries worldwide.
About Sycamore Networks
Sycamore Networks develops and markets intelligent optical networking products that transport voice and data traffic over wavelengths of light. The Company combines significant experience in data networking with expertise in optics to develop intelligent optical networking solutions for network service providers. Sycamore's products are based on a common software foundation, enabling concentration on the delivery of services and end-to-end optical networking. Sycamore's products and product plans include optical transport, access and switching systems and end-to-end optical network management solutions. Contact Sycamore Networks at www.sycamorenet.com.
Note to Editors: Sycamore Networks, SN 8000, SN 10000, SN 16000, BroadLeaf and SILVX are trademarks of Sycamore Networks, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Except for the historical information contained herein, Sycamore Networks cautions that certain matters discussed in this news release constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements or implications about the value of the Sycamore/BellSouth relationship or the contribution of Sycamore products to the anticipated growth and functionality of the Florida MIX network. Sycamore's actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including whether any significant purchases are made by BellSouth and those risks and uncertainties discussed under the heading 'Risk Factors' contained in the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (file no. 333-30630) and the other reports filed by the Company from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward looking statements include statements regarding the Company's expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future and can be identified by forward-looking words such as ``anticipate,'' ``believe,'' ``could,'' ``estimate,'' ``expect,'' ``intend,'' ``may, ''should,`` ''will,`` and ''would`` or similar words. The Company assumes no obligations to update the information included in this press release.
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