OFS INTRODUCES EZ-BEND™ OPTICAL CABLE TECHNOLOGY

New Technology Can Improve Bending Performance by Up to 100 times to Help Protect Services and Lower Installation Costs

Norcross, Georgia, November 28, 2007 - OFS today announced the introduction of its new EZ-Bend™ optical cable technology to support multiple dwelling unit (MDU) and in-home wiring applications. The ground-breaking EZ-Bend Technology addresses the critical need to speed and simplify installations by allowing cables to be bent and routed in ways never before feasible using traditional optical drop cables, to facilitate rapid deployment of fiber to and within the residence.

Service providers need drop cables that can support many tight corner bends and stapling. The EZ-Bend technology enables in-residence optical cable installation with the same simple practices used for copper or coaxial cables. Cables using EZ-Bend technology can be stapled in place utilizing existing copper cable installation tools and routed around sharp corners. Its bending loss performance represents up to a 100-fold improvement over conventional single-mode fiber (SMF) type cables.

To satisfy this need, EZ-Bend technology enables negligible video signal loss (0.1 dB) for one turn at 5 mm radius, while conventional fibers under the same assumption would lose nearly all the signal and shut down service. OFS’ EZ-Bend technology achieves this remarkable performance by integrating a new bend optimized fiber design in a new double-protected cable construction. This patent-pending technology is the first to provide such performance within a proven solid glass fiber construction, while being fully compatible with existing installed fibers.

“EZ-Bend technology will further help improve ‘fiber to the MDU’ profitability and performance by providing simple, easy-to-install, backwards compatible optical connection to the subscriber, while bringing the best-in-class optical performance to our customers.” said William Kloss, President, Telecommunications Marketing & Sales, Americas, at OFS. “OFS is continuously developing products and services to improve speed of deployment and help lower costs within FTTx networks,” Mr. Kloss added.

OFS will provide EZ-Bend technology in the V-Linx™ drop cables used in its recently released V-Linx Spool & Play Solution for MDU deployments. A key component of the Access ADVANTAGE™ System for FTTx applications, the V-Linx Solution can simplify MDU installations and lower overall costs by up to 50%. The V-Linx drop cables are planned to be commercially available in 2008.

About OFS

OFS is a designer, manufacturer, and supplier of leading edge optical fiber, optical fiber cable, FTTx, optical connectivity and specialty photonics products and solutions for the widest variety of applications and industries. OFS, formerly the optical fiber solutions division of Lucent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ALU), has a proven track record of being first in the industry with application specific fibers, optical connectors, ribbon cables, erbium doped fibers, Raman fiber lasers and more. OFS is committed to providing customers increased value by offering products that deliver lowest cost-per-bit network solutions, protecting investments through flexible solutions for today’s demanding applications.

OFS distributes its optical fiber, optical fiber cable, optical connectivity and specialty photonics products directly to end users, as well as through valued distributors, external cable customers and equipment vendors.

OFS is owned by Furukawa Electric, a multi-billion dollar global leader in optical communications. Headquartered in Norcross, GA, OFS operates facilities in Avon, Connecticut; Carrollton, Georgia; Somerset, New Jersey; and Sturbridge, Massachusetts, as well as in Denmark, Germany and Russia.

For more information, please visit www.ofsoptics.com.

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PR Contact:
Fernando Costantino
Marketing Communications Manager
OFS
Phone 770-798-2729
fcostantino@ofsoptics.com