Hitachi and OFS Demonstrate 'Quintuple-Play' B-PON System at OFC

LOS ANGELES, CA., February 24, 2004 - Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Telecom (USA), Inc. and OFS are teaming up during the Optical Fiber Conference to demonstrate innovative real world fiber access applications for the FTTx market. In particular, Hitachi will exhibit 'Quintuple-Play' services (RF video, IP video, data, voice and on-line gaming) using OFS' All Wave® Fiber over a 20km distance.

According to Hitachi Telecom, this is the first demonstration featuring the full capability of Hitachi's FTTx equipment to deliver 'Quintuple-Play' services to subscribers. The power of this system is its ability to deliver all of these services in the access network to multiple customers over a PON system utilizing a single fiber.

The AMN1200 in Hitachi's booth #2226 serves as the head-end for the network. From a single location and over a single 20km fiber, multiple services are transmitted simultaneously and received at the AMN1200 Single Family Unit (SFU) ONTs and the AMN1200 Ethernet Terminal Unit (ETU) ONTs (based on a technical license from NTT Access Network Service Systems Lab) located in both Hitachi Telecom's booth and OFS' booth #2538. RF video is broadcast to all end customers on its own wavelength using WDM technology. Broadcast IP video is encoded onto the PON data stream to demonstrate the high bandwidth capability of the network. Microsoft Xbox on-line, real-time gaming and direct Internet links are provided at four terminals located in the Hitachi Telecom and OFS booths. Also, native POTS telephony is provided between the booths using Hitachi's SFU ONTs. A 1:32 splitter divides the fiber so that all five applications can be shared at once to four locations in the two booths with the flexibility to expand to 32 end users. Hitachi Telecom has worked with several 3rd party vendors who have provided head-end and terminal equipment to support this demonstration, highlighting Hitachi's interoperability with best of breed technology in the FTTx space.

Hitachi's AMN1200 Series includes the AMN1200 low-cost B-PON OLT, the AMN1210 highly integrated B-PON OLT, and the AMN1200 ONT series, including an Ethernet Termination Unit (ETU), Single Family Unit (SFU), Multi-Tenant Unit (MTU) and Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) that operate with either OLT. The AMN1200 Series is based on the FSAN B-PON standards.

OFS' All Wave® Fiber, which complies with ITU-T G.652.c is the industry's first zero water peak fiber and opens up the entire spectrum from 1260 to 1625 nm including the 1400 nm E-band, making it ideal for the support metro and FTTx space.

About Hitachi Telecom (USA)

Hitachi Telecom (USA) Inc., a subsidiary of Hitachi America, Ltd., develops, manufactures and markets telecommunications equipment for the U.S. market. The company offers a full suite of access products such as PON, ultra high-speed optical networking equipment, as well as customer premises products such as PBXs. For more information, visit http://www.hitachitelecom.com .

Hitachi America, Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., markets and manufactures a broad range of electronics, computer systems and products, consumer electronics, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout North America. For more information, visit http://www.hitachi.us .

Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company, with approximately 340,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2002 (ended March 31, 2003) consolidated sales totaled 8,191.7 billion yen ($68.3 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors, including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's Website at http://www.hitachi.com .

About OFS

OFS is a designer, manufacturer, and supplier of leading edge optical fiber, optical fiber cable, optical connectivity and specialty photonics products for high-speed optical networks. OFS, formerly the Optical Fiber Solutions division of Lucent Technologies Inc., 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 future flexible solutions.

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 and majority shareholder, and CommScope, Inc., a world leader in broadband coaxial cables and minority shareholder. Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, OFS operates facilities in Avon, Connecticut; Carrollton, Georgia; Somerset, NJ; and Sturbridge, Massachusetts, as well as facilities in Denmark, Germany, and Russia.

# # #