Bookham to Highlight Leading InP Technology at ECOC 2004


ABINGDON, United Kingdom, Sept. 3, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Bookham Technology plc, ("Bookham") (LSE:BHM) (Nasdaq:BKHM), a leading provider of optical components, modules and subsystems, is to highlight its innovative indium phosphide Mach-Zehnder modulated laser (InP MZ) LMC10 at the 2004 European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) in Stockholm, Sweden.

On display for the first time in Europe, the LCM10 product range has been designed to meet present and future market requirements for regional metro applications, particularly where 10Gb/s is being overlayed on 2.5Gb/s legacy spans for increased capacity. Designed for 10Gb/s applications, the product employs a high power Continuous Wave (CW) laser co-packaged with an InP MZ modulator.

One of the key benefits of the product is its excellent optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR) performance versus competitive Electro Absorption (EA) technology. Exceeding 80km for Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) applications at 10Gb/s is difficult for Commercial EA lasers. In contrast, Bookham's InP MZ provides performance similar to Lithium Niobate modulators with reaches beyond 100km without any dispersion compensation, making it highly attractive for overlaying legacy 2.5Gb/s links. Unlike Lithium Niobate however, the unrivalled small footprint of the Bookham InP MZ allows it to be used in system shelves commonly employing directly modulated laser technology. This means metro bay density is not compromised.

"A key advantage to the LMC10 is its size, we have worked hard to meet our customers demands for more compact products," said Adam Price, Bookham's product line manager for the InP MZ portfolio. "Through a novel co-packaging technique we have created a package no bigger than a typical directly modulated laser. We believe that InP MZ development could help pave the way to smaller high performance optics."

The fully Telcordia qualified product range is now in high volume production and is anticipating a significant production ramp as the market moves through the second half of 2004.

Within Q3 this year, Bookham plans to add functionality to the product with the inclusion of an integrated Variable Optical Attenuator (VOA) and power monitor. With this increased functionality the product range will target long haul applications in addition to its core customer base of regional metro. Bookham continues to invest significantly in future R&D and operational capacity in the LMC10 product range and will be updating the market with significant added features to the product later this year.

If you would like to arrange an interview, or a tour of the Bookham stand, please contact Helen Lyman Smith on tel. +44 (0)115 950 8399 or email: (helen@gbcspr.com).

About ECOC

ECOC (the European Conference on Optical Communication) is Europe's largest optical communication conference and exhibition, which unites academia and industry in discussion and display of the latest (and future) optical communications components, products, systems, and services. The 30th ECOC is to be held in Stockholm, Sweden, from 5-9 September 2004. For more information visit: (www.ecoc.se).

About Bookham Technology

Bookham Technology (LSE: BHM; NASDAQ: BKHM) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of optical components, modules and subsystems. Bookham's disruptive technologies and broad product range allow it to deliver an extensive range of cost effective optical functionality and solutions to customers, which offer higher performance, lower cost and provide greater subsystems capability to meet their customers' needs. The company's optical components, modules and subsystems are used in various applications and industries, including telecommunications, data communications, aerospace, industrial and military. In 2002, Bookham acquired the optical components businesses from Nortel Networks and Marconi. In 2003, the company acquired Ignis Optics, Inc. and the business of Cierra Photonics Inc. In March 2004, the company completed the acquisition of New Focus, Inc. In June 2004, the company acquired Onetta, Inc. The company, whose securities are traded on NASDAQ and the London Stock Exchange, is headquartered in the UK, with manufacturing facilities in the UK, US, Canada, China and Switzerland; offices in the UK, US, France, Italy, and China; and employs approximately 1750 people worldwide. The company has announced an intention to move its domicile to the US and to discontinue listing its securities on the London Stock Exchange.

More information on Bookham Technology is available at: (www.bookham.com).

Bookham is a registered trademark of Bookham Technology plc.

Safe Harbor

Any statements in this announcement about the future expectations, plans or prospects of Bookham, including statements regarding expectations with respect to the timetable for completing the Scheme, as well as other statements containing the words "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "expect", "estimate", "will" and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including the ability to consummate the Scheme in the expected timeframe and other factors described in Bookham's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2003. The forward-looking statements included in this announcement represent Bookham's view as of the date of this release. Bookham anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause Bookham's views to change. However, Bookham disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this document. Those forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Bookham's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this announcement.


            

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