Leading Japanese distributor to represent Polatis products in Japan

Boston, MA, February 20, 2006 – Polatis Inc., one of the world’s most advanced suppliers of optical switch products, today announced a distribution agreement with Marubun Corporation. Under the terms of this agreement, the Polatis line of optical switches will be available to Marubun’s network of sales channels for the Japanese telecommunications market.

Utilizing its patented DirectLight® Technology, Polatis inc., who have successfully developed a broad range of products for the defense, test and measurement, network configuration, and network monitoring markets, now look to Marubun to expand the company’s presence in Japan.

Dave Lewis, CEO of Polatis, commented, “Polatis is delighted to have Marubun as our partner in Japan, to represent us in the growing optical switch market for Telecommunications networks. The timing is ideal, as we look to build upon our successes in other markets, and expand our presence and leadership into the Japanese market. The strength of the Polatis offering, combined with Marubun’s excellent reputation, is a strong combination for our customers.”

Marubun will be distributing a number of products in the Polatis family of switches, including the OST (Optical Switch tray) and OSM (Optical Switch Module), ideal for local or remote network reconfiguration, allowing for rapid restoration, span testing, and monitoring of fiber optic networks.

"Marubun is pleased to be representing Polatis in Japan and sees tremendous potential for Polatis’ industry leading optical switch products”, said Takashi Nozaki, Marubun Senior Vice President and System Company President. The comments from our customers regarding the Polatis switch products at the recent FOE tradeshow confirmed our belief that we are working with an industry leader. Through our partnership with Polatis, we are confident that Marubun will be able to provide Polatis products with our wide variety of line card products for the optical communication market."

The new Polatis agreement in Japan comes as the company prepares for its largest ever participation at OFC/NFOEC 2006, one of the world’s largest optical communications conferences and exhibitions. The live product demonstrations will take place in the Polatis booth #1940, during exhibition hours Tuesday March 7 through Thursday March 9.