NXTcomm, Chicago, IL – June 19, 2007 – ANDA Networks, the leader in carrier-class fiber and copper-based access network platforms, announced today that Nortel has signed an agreement to bundle and resell ANDA?s EtherReach 2000 units with Nortel?s flagship Optical Multiservice Edge (OME) 6500.  The solution combines Nortel?s Metro Ethernet Forum MEF-certified OME 6500 platform and their newly announced PDH Gateway interface with ANDA?s MEF certified EtherReach 2000 series of units to offer a complete end-to-end carrier grade solution for the large and growing mid-band Ethernet market.

The solution will include Nortel?s new PDH gateway interface which will allow the OME 6500 to terminate hundreds of ANDA EtherReach 2000 series NTE?s to the OME 6500, offering a highly scalable and cost-effective solution for carriers to deliver metro Ethernet services to customers who need 1-100MB bandwidth to fill the gap between the T1/E1 and OC-3/STM-1 ranges.

?Coupling Nortel?s new PDH gateway with ANDA?s EtherReach MEF-certified Ethernet access platforms gives our carrier customers a complete end-to-end MEF-certified solution allowing them to scale and seamlessly evolve the existing PDH-based access network to an eventual all Ethernet solution,? said Scott McFeely, vice president, Metro Ethernet Networks, Nortel.  ?By simply adding a new Nortel PDH gateway card to any of the over 4000 OME6500 platforms deployed worldwide, carriers can quickly extend their reach and provide Ethernet services to their enterprise business customers over the extensive base of TDM networks worldwide.?

Currently according to Vertical Systems Group, nearly 87% of the 20+ employee business locations in the U.S. alone are not directly fiber connected.  With the new Nortel and ANDA bundled solution, carriers can easily add a card to an existing Nortel OME 6500 to terminate PDH mid-band Ethernet connections from an aggregated collection of ANDA units over either bonded T1/E1 or DS3/E3 infrastructure for a complete end-to-end carrier grade Ethernet solution from the customer premise through to the core optical backbone.  

"Our synergistic relationship with Nortel offers highly interoperable and scalable integrated solutions for carriers to roll out mid-band Ethernet services over their new or large existing base of OME6500 platforms,? said Charles Kenmore, President and CEO of ANDA Networks.  ?Nortel?s strong presence and market leadership in the optical equipment marketplace combined with our flexible MEF certified EtherReach Ethernet solutions enable carriers to maximize their Ethernet service reach over either fiber or copper infrastructure.?

Nortel Optical Multiservice Edge 6500 (OME 6500) is a metro core optical platform that efficiently manages and transports converged TDM, data, and wavelength services, enabling a smooth migration to a reliable and scalable Ethernet infrastructure while maintaining minimal infrastructure costs.  The bundle with ANDA?s EtherReach platforms combines Ethernet over traditional local access technologies such as bonded T1/E1 or DS3/E3?s into either bonded SONET/SDH/PDH interfaces or native Ethernet interfaces (10/100BT, 100FX, GigE) to allow for maximum flexibility to attach to either legacy or next-generation switches/routers, SONET/SDH Multiservice, or existing DWDM equipment. 

ANDA?s EtherTone portfolio includes: EtherReach 2000 series for Ethernet-over-TDM, the new EtherReach 1000 series Ethernet-over-fiber solutions, and the EtherEdge 4000 and 5000 series aggregation platforms to provide cost-effective Ethernet access, aggregation and transport for consolidating Managed Ethernet Private lines such as E-Line and E-LAN, and now wireless backhaul applications, such as WiMAX, WiFi or cellular extensions for business customers requiring a simple Ethernet interface at the customer premise with connection into the Packet Switched Network.  All EtherTone products are Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF9 and MEF14) certified and the new EtherReach 1000, EtherEdge 4000, and EtherSLAM 5000 series are capable to support both Q-in-Q (802.1p/q) and the new PBT/PBB-TE proposed (802.1ay) standards used to deliver Ethernet.

Visit our new partner Nortel for a live demo at Booth #2051 or ANDA Networks at NXTcomm Booth #1915 for a product presentation and receive a free 1G USB memory stick.


About ANDA Networks

ANDA Networks, Inc. headquartered in Sunnyvale CA, provides carrier-class Ethernet platforms delivering cost-effective Metro Ethernet services over fiber, copper, and wireless access networks worldwide.  Deployed on Tier One carrier networks globally, ANDA's solutions portfolio includes: EtherTone®, a family of Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) certified access products that enables carriers to deliver Ethernet private lines, converged VoIP, and Circuit-to-Packet managed services by leveraging highly economical Ethernet technology. For more information visit http://www.andanetworks.com.