SDN Communications Deploys Infinera End-to-End Network for Broadband Stimulus Project

SUNNYVALE, CA on 9 December 2010

SDN Communications (SDN) has deployed an Infinera ATN network (Nasdaq: INFN) to support its Project Connect South Dakota project, funded under the U.S. government’s broadband stimulus program in addition to SDN matching funds.

The Infinera ATN network connects with SDN’s Infinera DTN network and extends the Infinera benefits of flexibility, ease of use, and integrated network management throughout the expanded network.

SDN was awarded a $20 million grant from the Department of Commerce’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) in December 2009. It is matching the grant with an additional $5 million of construction. When complete, Project Connect South Dakota will add 140 miles of backbone network and 219 miles of middle mile spurs to SDN’s existing 1,850-mile fiber-optic network. It is anticipated that the network expansion will enable the delivery of services of 10 Megabits per second or greater to more than 300 anchor institution customers in rural and underserved areas of the state, including schools, libraries, hospitals, government facilities and public safety offices. SDN is one of the nation’s first broadband stimulus grant recipients to deploy and carry traffic on a stimulus-funded network.

The Infinera Management Suite is engineered to provide seamless integration of SDN’s ATN and DTN networks, with end-to-end service provisioning and visibility. By eliminating back-to-back transponders at network interconnection points, an ATN/DTN network delivers savings in capital expenditure, while extending Infinera’s ease of operation to the metro edge. The ATN supports all metro transport services, including Ethernet, SAN, SONET/SDH, OTN and video services.

Powered by Infinera’s photonic integrated circuits, the Infinera DTN is a Digital ROADM with the efficiencies of integration, as well as network-level benefits including Infinera’s Bandwidth Virtualization and GMPLS intelligence to provision circuits and manage the network. SDN has achieved significant benefits from the existing Infinera DTN network, including savings in floor space and power consumption, and the scalability of being able to add capacity to the network at the touch of a mouse.

“Infinera has enabled us to operate a powerful, scalable, highly reliable optical network that is quick to upgrade and easy to manage,” said SDN CEO Mark Shlanta. “The Infinera ATN was the natural choice to extend all those benefits to the edge of our network.”

“We are pleased to support SDN’s broadband stimulus project with an Infinera ATN network,” said Infinera CEO Tom Fallon. “Infinera’s capital and operational benefits make it an excellent choice for broadband networks in the U.S. and worldwide.”

The Infinera family of optical solutions includes the Infinera DTN, the first optical system based on large-scale photonic integrated circuits, and the Infinera ATN, a compact metro edge platform that extends the benefits of Infinera’s Digital Optical Networks to the metro edge.

About SDN Communications

SDN Communications’ 22,000-mile fiber optic footprint touches 300 South Dakota communities and reaches into Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota. Seventeen of South Dakota’s independent telephone companies – cooperative, municipal, tribal, and family-owned companies – own SDN. It is the premier business-to-business broadband service provider for:

Connectivity – for multiple-location offices

Internet – dedicated service

Network Surveillance – guarding networks

Networking Equipment – cabling infrastructure, data equipment, and IP telephony

For more information visit www.sdncommunications.com.

About Infinera

Infinera provides Digital Optical Networking systems to telecommunications carriers worldwide. Infinera’s systems are unique in their use of a breakthrough semiconductor technology: the photonic integrated circuit (PIC). Infinera’s systems and PIC technology are designed to provide customers with simpler and more flexible engineering and operations, faster time-to-service, and the ability to rapidly deliver differentiated services without reengineering their optical infrastructure. For more information, please visit http://www.infinera.com/.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on information available to Infinera as of the date hereof; and actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied, due to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding Infinera’s expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including that an ATN/DTN network delivers savings in capital expenditure, while extending Infinera’s ease of operation to the metro edge; that SDN has achieved significant benefits from the existing Infinera DTN network, including savings in floor space and power consumption, and the scalability of being able to add capacity to the network at the touch of a mouse; that the ATN supports all metro transport services, including Ethernet, SAN, SONET/SDH, OTN and video services; and that the Infinera DTN is a Digital ROADM with the efficiencies of integration, as well as network-level benefits including Infinera’s Bandwidth Virtualization and GMPLS intelligence to provision circuits and manage the network.

Such forward-looking statements can be identified by forward-looking words such as “anticipated,” “believed,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “should,” “will,” and “would” or similar words. The risks and uncertainties that could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include aggressive business tactics by our competitors, our dependence on a single product, our ability to protect our intellectual property, claims by others that we infringe their intellectual property, and our ability to respond to rapid technological changes, and other risks that may impact any of the group’s business are set forth in their annual reports on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 1, 2010, as well as subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements are based on information available to us as of the date hereof and we disclaim any obligation to update the forward-looking statements included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.