Pirelli To Unveil World Leading Optical And Access Capabilities On Unique Seven Week European Tour

Pirelli, the Architects of Light, set another milestone in their history of optical technology

Pirelli, the Architects of Light, set another milestone in their history of optical technology

Milan, 25th September 2002 - Leading edge technologies, from Fibre-To-The-Home access systems, to the latest optical fibre cables for all applications, tuneable lasers to OADMs, are to be unveiled and demonstrated for the first time across 13 European countries next month by Pirelli Telecom Cables and Systems.

The Pirelli New Technologies Tour" will open its doors to invited customers in Milan on September 30th before embarking on a 35-day, 20-location tour including Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Belgium, Holland, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Spain.

We wanted to break away from the traditional 'exhibition approach and develop a much more focused, targeted way of reaching our customers," said Richard Thomas, Marketing Director at Pirelli Telecom Cables and Systems.

The reaction from both our own country managers and customers has already been quite remarkable and we are very confident that they will be impressed by the total capability that Pirelli can offer."

The Roadshow trailer will contain displays and live demonstrations -- a number of which have not been seen before. Amongst products to be shown will be:

· Fibre-To-The-Home access systems for all applications, shown as part of a total system capability including cable provision
· The Pirelli blown fibre solution, which now includes a 12-fibre singlemode module to address the need of network operators looking to connect from a metro ring to a new customer
· The Pirelli micro-cable" -- one of the worlds smallest optical fibre cables -- developed for operators looking to maximise on cable duct space
· The Pirelli Air Bag dielectric fibre optic cable, offering greatly improved resistance to crush and impact

The Roadshow will also present the full range of optical fibres manufactured by Pirelli and, for the first time, the newly established Pirelli Labs will be represented. Their work in tuneable lasers, tuneable OADMs and Radio over Fibre will be shown along side its Nanotechnologies Fabrication Facility.

The work being carried out in Pirelli Labs is producing some real cutting edge solutions for the next generation of fibres and Nanotechnologies. The Roadshow will provide our customers with the first chance they have had to talk to some of our experts and see some of these technologies first hand," said Mr Thomas.
Another revolution is going to happen in optical communications as Nanotechnologies will be widely used in order to manufacture low-cost high-volume optical devices. And this is not so far away: 2003 will bring the first Pirelli products based on these breakthrough technologies" added Giorgio Grasso, CEO of Pirelli Labs Optical Innovation.

The tour starts in Italy on 30th September before moving on to Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic and Germany. It then goes to Norway and Sweden before taking in Holland and Belgium, the United Kingdom and Ireland. It will be in France for the first week in November and then on to Spain before returning to Milan.

Pirelli customers interested in attending the Roadshow should get in touch with their local account manager or call one of the contacts below.

Pirelli Telecom Cables and Systems is part of the Pirelli SpA Group and is one of the worlds foremost suppliers of telecommunications cable systems, employing 39,000 people in four continents. In 2001 it achieved a turnover of more than Euro 7.5 billion, continuing to maintain a strong emphasis on innovative research.

Pirelli -- Architects of Light
Pirelli SpA,
Ivan Dompe,
Tel: +39-02-6442-4249,
Fax: +39-02-6442-4451,
Email: ivan.dompe@pirelli.com

Pirelli Telecom Cables and Systems,
Suzanna Guterl,
Tel: +39-02-6442-7589
Fax: +39-02-6442-4558,
Email: suzanna.guterl@pirelli.com

GBCS:
Claire Dickens / Brian Dolby,
Tel: +44-115-950-8399,
Fax: +44-115-950-8933
Email: enquires@gbcspr.com

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