UpGrade Communication signs distribution agreement for German manufactured LightPointe laser links


STOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 2, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- UpGrade Communication, a subsidiary of DORO in Lund, which is quoted on Stockholmborsen's O-list, has signed an agreement with LightPointe, a manufacturer and designer of optical transmission equipment using Free-Space Optical (FSO(tm)) technology, to distribute their laser links.

Upgrade Communication, a leading distributor of wireless broadband equipment on the Nordic and Baltic markets, will distribute LightPointe's "Flight" range of FSOtm products, which provide the bandwidth and stability of fibre optics without the costs and delays that excavating and laying cables entail. FSOtm is a line-of-sight technology enabling transmission of data, voice and video communication through the air as digital signals on invisible beams of light.

Flight products provide speeds from 10 Mbps to 2.5 Gbps by using lasers which comply with all safety and environmental standards. They can be set up in hours, instead of the weeks or months required for fibre cable solutions.

UpGrade is one of the leading distributors of broadband infrastructure products on the Nordic and Baltic markets, concentrating on wireless products and services such as site surveys, project management, technical support, training and maintenance. Upgrade has many years' experience of selling and implementing FSOtm products.

"The combination of LightPointe and UpGrade will be very beneficial," says Christian Rook, Admin. Manager of LightPointe Europe, GmbH. "UpGrade's extensive experience in providing customers with innovative and flexible high-speed wireless networking solutions complements LightPointe perfectly."

"LightPointe fits in seamlessly with our range of products and our focus on wireless infrastructure solutions. We are now seeing a greater demand for high-speed last mile links on our markets," says Henrik Mygind, CEO of UpGrade Communication.

UpGrade Communication

Founded in 1987, UpGrade Communication has been a member of the DORO Group since 1999 (for more information about DORO see www.doro.com). UpGrade's head office is in Malmo, Sweden, where central functions such as administration and logistics are based. Regional offices in Denmark, Norway, Finland and Estonia manage sales and technical support in the Nordic region and the Baltic states. The company had sales of around SEK 100 million in 2001. For more information see www.upgrade.dk.

About LightPointe

Founded in 1998, LightPointe designs and manufactures optical transmission equipment using free-space optical technology (FSOtm) that delivers high-speed communications solutions faster and more cost- effectively than traditional fibre-optic cable. LightPointe products are protocol and topology independent and have been tested in diverse weather conditions in varied configurations such as rooftop-to-rooftop, window-to-window, and window-to-rooftop. LightPointe products are field-tested and operate at speeds of between 20 Mbps and 1.25 Gbps at distances up to 4 kms at a wavelength of 850 nm. LightPointe products provide the freedom and flexibility necessary to design and deploy a network. LightPointe is headquartered in San Diego, California, with manufacturing facilities in Dresden, Germany, and an advanced research centre in Louisville, Colorado. For more information see www.lightpointe.com. For further information please contact: Henrik Mygind CEO, UpGrade Communication, Tel: +45 43 220 220 myg@upgrade.dk Ingvar Karlsson, CFO, DORO, Tel: +46 46 280 50 62 Amy Windorski, Senior Manager Marketing, LightPointe Europe GmbH, Tel : +49 160 158 91 11 awindorski@lightpointe.com

Malmo, 2 May 2002

Illustrated material can be ordered from: wh@upgrade.dk

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