Accomplished telecom leader Bob Annunziata joins Tropic Networks' Board of Directors as chairman

26 August 2003 Ottawa, Canada Lightwave--Tropic Networks, a developer of metro regional DWDM systems, announced today that Bob Annunziata would be joining the Board of Directors as non-executive chairman. Effective immediately, Mr. Annunziata will assist Tropic's senior management team as they continue to secure strategic alliances and penetrate the cable, telephony, and data market space.

Mr. Annunziata joins Tropic with an impressive leadership track record and excellent standing within the business community. He is credited with the establishment and development of Teleport Communications Group (TCG). Mr. Annunziata built TCG into the first and largest competitive local-exchange carrier (CLEC). AT&T later bought TCG for $11.3 billion and Mr. Annunziata became president of AT&T's Business Services unit.

Shortly after, in 1999, Mr. Annunziata became chief executive officer and a director of Global Crossing. Under Mr. Annunziata's leadership, the company grew from 150 to more than 14,000 employees, with annualized revenues of $4 billion. In May of 2000, he was appointed chairman of the board at Velocita Corp. He was later named executive chairman where he served until August 2002.

Currently, Mr. Annunziata serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of the YMCA of greater New York. He also serves on the boards of ThruPoint and ADC Telecommunications.

"Tropic Networks is an excellent company with solid financial backing. The TRX-24000 platform offers compelling technology that will significantly improve the business case for metro/ regional DWDM deployments," said Mr. Annunziata. "This product delivers on what many have promised for some time and as a service provider, I personally had been seeking for the last 5 years."

"It is an honor to have Bob join the Board and we look forward to working with him to make the company more successful. Bob brings with him excellent industry contacts and a leadership profile that speaks for itself," said Kevin Rankin, president and chief executive officer, Tropic Networks.

Founded in 2000 to meet the challenges specific to building cost-effective and scalable metro-optical networks, Tropic Networks is privately held and venture capital backed. The company's TRX-24000 metro-optical transport platform allows carriers to optimize their
optical infrastructures, while leveraging existing network assets.