March 20, 2001 — ANAHEIM, CA — CODEON Corporation, a leading designer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art optical components for the fiber optic telecommunications industry, has begun shipping its high-speed, lithium-niobate optical modulators.

CODEON’s core product line includes:

– The Mach-10 family of external optical modulators, superior-quality

devices for standard 10 Gb/s applications as well as devices with

increased bandwidth performance for applications implementing forward

error correction.

– The Mach-40 — revolutionary, high performance external optical

modulators engineered for next generation high-speed fiber optic

telecommunications solutions that transmit data at 40+ Gb/s.

– Custom designs tailored to meet specific customer requirements.

CODEON’s products are differentiated by their superior frequency response, hermetic packaging and low drive voltage affording customers greater performance and flexibility in system design. All are in limited availability now and are expected to be generally available in the second quarter of this year.

CODEON’s recent expansion into a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility – located in Columbia, Maryland – has made full-scale production possible. The new building, combined with a second CODEON location in the same complex, provides 46,500 square-feet of dedicated manufacturing space and features expansive cleanrooms for wafer fabrication and component assembly.

“Given the growing demand among carriers and their customers for dramatically increased bandwidth and higher speeds, the requirements for high-performance external optical modulators has never been greater,” said Robert H. Harvey, CEO of CODEON. “We believe CODEON uniquely brings to this marketplace a rare combination of top-tier development engineers, experienced manufacturing experts and an intense focus on customer service.”