Agere Systems and Huawei Technologies sign multi-million dollar agreement for next-generation optical networking systems

Agere Systems (NYSE: AGR.A), a provider of communications components, and Huawei Technologies, a telecommunications equipment and network solutions provider, announced a multi-million dollar agreement for next-generation optical networking systems. Under the agreement, Huawei will use Agere's network infrastructure products and technologies to build communications systems that will help provide high-speed broadband and Internet access to millions of homes and businesses in China.

Huawei will initially use Agere's PayloadPlus family of programmable network processors and PI (protocol-independent) family of switch fabric products to develop systems for high-performance optical networks running from OC-12 (622 megabits per second) to OC-768 (40 gigabits per second) wire speeds.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will work together to pursue a variety of silicon, software and system development activities. These include defining feature sets, conducting technology/architecture/program reviews and producing early silicon.

About Huawei:

Incorporated in 1988, Huawei Technologies designs and delivers network solutions and telecom equipment. Its product lines cover optical access networks, synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH)/dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) transmission, switches, mobile and wireless communications, asymmetric transfer mode (ATM), data communications, intelligent network (IN), signaling transfer point (STP), building integrated timing supply (BITS) and others. For more information, visit www.huawei.com.

About Agere:

Agere Systems is a provider of components for communications applications, including optical components and integrated circuits. Agere also designs and manufactures semiconductor solutions for communications-related devices. For more information, visit www.agere.com.