Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative Selects Infinera for Expanding Reach of Regional Network

Bringing Digital Optical Networks to Underserved Markets


SUNNYVALE, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- January 8, 2007 -- Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (MBC) has selected Infinera for a long-haul regional network in the eastern US. The initial network deployment will provide network connectivity between Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Raleigh, NC; Richmond, VA; McLean, VA; and Ashburn, VA and the 700+ mile regional fiber network MBC has built in rural Virginia.

MBC is a not-for-profit cooperative established with funding from the Virginia Tobacco Commission and the US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration. The MBC network is the first advanced open-access optical transport network project funded by State tobacco dollars and focused on accelerating economic development in rural and underdeveloped areas by making Internet and telecom connectivity more affordable, diverse and scalable for telecommunications service providers in those areas.

MBC selected Infinera for the unique features and capabilities of the Infinera DTN. Infinera's Digital Optical Networks architecture is designed to enable simple installation and deployment of wavelengths and services together with high capacity and reliability. With the Infinera DTN's ability to add or reconfigure circuits in minutes instead of hours or days as on traditional DWDM systems, MBC can offer more services more competitively, while holding down its cost of operations.

"With Infinera, we can provision multi-gigabit circuits on our network in literally minutes," commented MBC General Manager Tad Deriso. "The Infinera DTN is a very powerful product, and a perfect fit for a service provider like MBC. We provide regional transport services to many different customers and we need to be able to offer a variety of different services at competitive rates and get them up and running quickly."

"We are very pleased to support MBC with their innovative business model and inspiring commitment to their region," said Jagdeep Singh, Infinera co-founder and CEO. "As we enter an era of multi-megabit connectivity to businesses, we believe that the Infinera Digital Optical Networking solution will play an important role in bringing these services affordably to rural and underserved areas."

The Infinera DTN integrates high-capacity DWDM, flexible bandwidth management, and GMPLS service intelligence in a single platform. The Infinera DTN is based on Infinera's unique photonic integrated circuits which combine the functionality of more than 60 optical components on a single pair of chips and deliver data capacity in 100 Gb/s increments.

About MBC

MBC is charged with implementing the Regional Backbone Initiative for Southside Virginia. MBC provides open-access optical transport services to telecom service providers, and offers a unique value proposition for competitive telecom providers looking to expand their service area and serve enterprise customers in rural Virginia. MBC offers Metro Ethernet services, TDM-based services, dark fiber, and collocation to over 60 business, industrial and technology parks in South Central Virginia, as well as interconnections with key carrier points of presence in the eastern United States. For more information, please visit www.mbc-va.com

About Infinera

Infinera provides Digital Optical Networking systems to telecommunications carriers worldwide. Infinera's systems are unique in their use of a breakthrough semiconductor technology: the Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC). Infinera's systems and PIC technology are designed to provide optical networks with simpler engineering and operations, faster time-to-service, and more flexible networking. For more information, please visit www.infinera.com.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on information available to Infinera as of the date hereof; and actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied, due to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding Infinera's expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future and can be identified by forward-looking words such as "anticipated," "believed," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "should," "will," and "would" or similar words. Infinera assumes no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact Information: For further information: For MBC: Tad Deriso MBC 804-786-7692 Email Contact For Infinera: Jeff Ferry Infinera Tel. +1 (650) 273-2100 Email Contact