BT IGNITE LAUNCHES NEW DATA SERVICE WITH FSP 2000 PLATFORM FROM ADVA OPTICAL NETWORKING

Martinsried/Munich, Germany and Mahwah/New Jersey, USA - January 16, 2003 - ADVA Optical Networking (FSE: ADV), a leading global provider of optical networking solutions, today announced that BT Ignite, the British Telecom subsidiary and provider of broadband and IP data solutions, has launched a 2.5 Gigabit service in the UK market. Based on ADVA's Fiber Service Platform (FSP) 2000 and branded as the WaveStream Connect, BT Ignite's new service is targeted at enterprises with high-bandwidth requirements and heavy data traffic for Local Area Network (LAN) and Storage Area Network (SAN) applications over their networks.

ADVA's FSP 2000 employs parallel use of Coarse/Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (C/DWDM) and TDM technology to enable up to 256 applications to be transported over one single fiber pair. Its robust character and ability to transport all protocols between 8Mbit/s and 10Gbit/s make the FSP 2000 an ideal solution particularly for large-scale, high-bandwidth storage networks. Newly released features for the FSP 2000 include a universal card and small form pluggable (SFP) transceivers.

"Large organizations face comprehensive communications networks today which need to be efficiently and cost-effectively managed," noted Alan Davies, Manager ShortHaul Data Services, BT Ignite. "Our mission at BT Ignite is to minimize this burden for customers by providing the most reliable and advanced data services over the largest optical network infrastructure in the UK. The new 2.5 Gigabit WaveStream Connect service is targeted specifically to meet increasing customer demand for the transportation of high-bandwidth storage data over high speeds to secure remote back-up sites."

"BT Ignite has achieved a high level of market penetration in the UK over the past four years with data services based on our FSP 500 and FSP-II product platforms - the new 2.5 Gigabit WaveStream Connect represents the fifth service launched by BT Ignite based on an ADVA product," commented Jürgen Hansjosten, Chief Sales Officer at ADVA Optical Networking. "We are extremely proud of the success our companies have achieved together in the UK. Furthermore, the new service based on our FSP 2000 will gradually replace the previous generation service based on our FSP-II, and we are now providing BT Ignite with 24x7x365 Level 1 and 2 technical support and service."

ABOUT ADVA OPTICAL NETWORKING
ADVA Optical Networking is a leading global provider of optical networking solutions for rapid and cost-effective provisioning of high-speed data, storage, voice, and video services in the metropolitan area. ADVA's carrier-class portfolio is comprised of the Fiber Service Platform family of products - explicitly designed to ensure the lowest total cost of ownership. ADVA's solutions have been deployed at over 68 carriers and service providers (including PTTs, RBOCs, LECs, and IXCs) and more than 500 enterprises worldwide. ADVA's products are sold through an international network of blue-chip distribution partners in addition to its own direct sales force. Further information about ADVA Optical Networking: www.advaoptical.com.