MCLEODUSAź ENTERS PURCHASE AGREEMENT WITH POLARIS NETWORKS FOR NEXT-GENERATION DCS SOLUTION
McLeodUSA chooses the Polaris OMXTM for its scalability, reliability and flexibility
San Jose, CA and Cedar Rapids, IA, January 20, 2005 -
Polaris Networks Inc., the leading provider of
next-generation cross-connect solutions announced
today that it has entered a three year agreement
with McLeodUSA Incorporated (Nasdaq: MCLD), one of
the nation's largest independent competitive
telecommunications services providers, for the
purchase of Polaris' OMXTM (Optical Metro Switch)
for deployment in McLeodUSA's metro networks.
With
increased traffic growth and the introduction of
new services, McLeodUSA was looking for a
cost-effective, next-generation platform for
wideband technology to support growth in its
25-state footprint. In addition, McLeodUSA was
looking to further integrate its SONET transport
network directly with their cross-connect
platforms to streamline operations. Polaris' OMX
solution offers the following capabilities to
McLeodUSA:
Support for
New and Existing Services - wideband,
broadband and super-broadband granularity
supports DS1, DS3, STSn, OCn and packet
services ·
Streamlined
Architecture - scalable platform eliminates
back-to-back transport elements and manual
connections ·
Operational
Simplicity - reduced footprint and power
requirements in congested hub sites.
"As a result of recent and expected growth
in our major markets, McLeodUSA intends to add
capacity and scalability to the hub of our metro
networks," said Todd Wilkens, Group Vice
President of Network Engineering for McLeodUSA.
"Polaris' OMX next-generation solution offers
our company cost savings, as well as the
flexibility and reliability that we and our
customers expect."
"McLeodUSA's decision to move towards a
next-generation cross-connect solution will help
them to significantly lower their cost of
infrastructure," said Surya Panditi, CEO and
President of Polaris Networks. "And at the
same time, they are better positioning their
network for advanced network services that will
address the needs of their end customers today and
in the future."
About Polaris Networks Inc.
Polaris Networks develops new generation
optical transport switching systems for metro core
networks. From day one, its systems combine
optical transport with extensive grooming and
switching, managed via a GMPLS-based common
control plane. The company is funded by Redpoint
Ventures, Venrock Associates, Advanced Technology
Ventures, SToRM Ventures and strategic private
investors.
McLeodUSA provides integrated
communications services, including local services,
in 25 Midwest, Southwest, Northwest and Rocky
Mountain states. The Company is a facilities-based
telecommunications provider with, as of September
30, 2004, 38 ATM switches, 39 voice switches, 696
collocations, 435 DSLAMs and 2,474 employees. As
of April 16, 2002, Forstmann Little & Co.
became a 58% shareholder in the Company. Visit the
Company's website at mcleodusa.com
Some of the statements in
this press release include statements about our
future expectations. Statements that are not
historical facts are "forward-looking
statements" for the purpose of the safe
harbor provided by Section 21E of the Exchange Act
and Section 27A of the Securities Act. Such
statements may include projections of financial
and operational results and goals, including
revenue, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, profitability,
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subject to known as well as unknown risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual results to
differ materially from our expectations. Our
expectations are based on various factors and
assumptions and reflect only our predictions.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from the forward-looking statement
include technological, regulatory, public policy
or other developments in our industry,
availability and adequacy of capital resources,
current and future economic conditions, the
existence of strategic alliances, our ability to
generate cash, our ability to implement process
and network improvements, our ability to attract
and retain customers, our ability to migrate
traffic to appropriate platforms and changes in
the competitive climate in which we operate. These
and other risks are described in more detail in
our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed
with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation
to update publicly any forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of future events, new
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