Press release :

Quebec City, Quebec - August 21, 2003 - CorActive, an independent manufacturer of advanced specialty optical fiber products, is pleased to offer a cost effective drop-in replacement for OFS MP 980 Erbium Doped Optical Fiber.

CorActive's EMP-980 offers many additional advantages over the OFS MP 980 that translates into tangible economy for the customers. Just to name a few, CorActive's EMP-980 offers a better Quantum Conversion Efficiency (QCE) than the OFS MP 980, the advantage being a lower pump consumption, hence the customer's savings on its pump costs. CorActive's EMP-980 features higher Erbium absorption results than the OFS MP 980, the advantage being a smaller length of fiber required, therefore giving the client reduced fiber costs.

The CorActive EMP-980 has been specifically designed to match the gain profile of the OFS MP 980 to enable quick and effective EDFA cost reduction. The gain profile overlay of the CorActive EMP-980 ensures that the Gain Flattening Filter (GFF) used in an EDFA design with OFS MP 980 will not change when using CorActive's EMP-980.

Commenting on CorActive's most recent product introduction, Claude Adrien Noel, President & CEO said: "Manufacturers producing EDFAs with the OFS MP 980 fiber can now benefit from a reliable second source option and an immediate cost reduction, without a costly redesign effort. The EMP-980 means great potential savings for several EDFA manufacturers and our goal is to help these potential customers to build better quality products with a better bottom line."