Fujitsu Network Communications Inc.

SWIN Completes a Triple Play across Southwest Iowa with Fujitsu FLASHWAVE® 4000 MSPPs

Richardson, TX, November 16, 2004 — Fujitsu Network Communications Inc., a leading supplier of IT and wireline/wireless networking solutions, today announced the successful deployment of their FLASHWAVE® 4000 Multi-Service Provisioning Platforms (MSPPs) for the South West Iowa Network (SWIN) consortium. This new network, which interconnects 10 independent telephone companies that collectively provide service in 28 exchanges across hundreds of miles, will be used to deliver a triple-play of voice, video and data services to subscribers in Iowa, as well as provide a highly-reliable and scalable converged infrastructure for each company to connect to other companies and services outside Iowa.

“When we decided to expand our network, we did our due diligence and looked at many suppliers, including several start-ups,” said Kevin Cabbage, general manager of Farmers Mutual Telephone Company and acting chairperson of SWIN. “Ultimately, our decision was based upon the size, service capabilities, product availability and reliability that we are used to having with Fujitsu. Our selection of the FLASHWAVE products gives us a technology edge and added confidence because we retain access to the experience and supply chain of a major supplier.”

The new SWIN network uses a fault-tolerant OC 48 ring to provide physical, electronic and interconnection redundancy for the 10 participating companies. Each member company installed either a FLASHWAVE 4100 or FLASHWAVE 4500 MSPP depending on the current and future interface and switching requirements at each site. Both FLASHWAVE platforms support a wide variety of traditional SONET and legacy services from DS1 through OC-48, plus next-generation 10/100Base T/TX and Gigabit Ethernet services via Ethernet over SONET (EoS) capabilities. The FLASHWAVE 4500 MSPP also supports multiple OC-48 and OC-192 rings to allow for future high capacity traffic requirements, as well as DVB-ASI interfaces for broadband video transport.

“Our FLASHWAVE 4000 products are perfectly suited for the triple play services that SWIN will be deploying across southwest Iowa,” said Ron Olkiewicz, senior vice president of sales at Fujitsu Network Communications. “The platforms give SWIN a cost-effective way to create a highly-reliable core network today that can easily scale to support multiple rings and advanced applications as required. Forward-looking technology inherent in each product gives SWIN plenty of options for the future and as their trusted partner we look forward to helping them develop new and exciting services for their customers.”

Iowa Network Services (INS) is using the Fujitsu NETSMART® 1500 Element Management System (EMS) to provision and monitor services across their network of new FLASHWAVE and legacy FLM network elements. Designed to be robust and scalable, the NETSMART 1500 software seamlessly integrates into their existing operational support infrastructure and includes a connection manager that uses advanced algorithms to identify unused network bandwidth, determine optimal circuit paths, preview proposed routes and path adjustments, and implement connections.

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About SWIN and INS

SWIN is a consortium of independent telephone companies in southwest Iowa formed to provide and improve the delivery of voice, data and video services over a fiber optic-based infrastructure. SWIN is supported by INS, a collaborative effort of 150 service providers with an extensive network that spans across Iowa. INS and its member companies now proudly serve over 560,000 Iowans in 330 communities statewide. For more information about INS, visithttp://www.iowanetworkservices.com.

About Fujitsu Network Communications Inc.

Fujitsu Network Communications Inc., leveraging Tokyo-based Fujitsu’s unequalled and unique IT and Telecom portfolio, creates and delivers robust wireline and wireless solutions that boost next-generation communications networks in North America. Supported by over 150,000 professionals in more than 100 countries with revenues of $45 billion, Fujitsu helps its customers fuse information and networking technology with commercial value.
For more information, please see: http://us.fujitsu.com/telecom

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