Press Releases

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Mar. 28, 2005— Occam Networks Inc. (OTCBB: OCCM) , a supplier of innovative Ethernet- and IP-based loop carrier equipment to telecommunications companies worldwide, today announced the signing of a strategic alliance with Tellabs (NASDAQ: TLAB), which opens up market opportunities with large North American Local Exchange Carriers for Occam's IP-based loop carrier equipment.

“We are pleased and excited that Tellabs has selected Occam's Ethernet- and IP- based Broadband Loop Carrier products and technology to sell to some of North America's biggest carriers,” said Bob Howard-Anderson, Occam president and CEO. “Our IP/Ethernet BLC 6000 family has already been adopted by 75 Independent Operators, including 5 of the top 30 largest in North America.”   Tellabs has licensed Occam's Ethernet transport technologies for integration into its Tellabs® FiberDirect SM portfolio. Occam gains access to Tellabs' cabinet products, enabling the company to provide new and existing IOC customers with more deployment options for delivering services over copper access networks and to evolve to packet-based fiber networks.

“We believe the access network is poised for transformation over the next five years as service providers decide how to deliver high-bandwidth services such as triple play,” said Matt Davis, Director Broadband Access Technologies of the Yankee Group. “It's clear that Ethernet and IP are expected to be key technologies in this transformation, and the market is now ready to accept these technologies as a cost-effective way to evolve the access network. Strategic relationships such as the Tellabs/Occam alliance make sense as broadband technology vendors seek to leverage any advantage they can to create a solution set that will allow them to take advantage of this quickly emerging opportunity."

Occam Networks' broadband loop carrier product enables telecommunications providers to create broadband access networks capable of delivering new revenue generating services such as VoIP, IP TV, and very high-speed data o ver copper using IP and Ethernet protocols. The company's second-generation product, the Occam Broadband Loop Carrier, simplifies the access network by consolidating multiple functions into a single network element that uses low-cost, high-bandwidth Ethernet as the core transport and service delivery technology. The Occam Broadband Loop Carrier also transports all voice as voice over (VoIP) to simplify the transition to next-generation switching technologies while supporting traditional Class 5 switching and POTS. The loop carrier system incorporates high-bandwidth Ethernet transport, integrated software features including IGMP routing on every blade and a series of video service management tools, and the latest ADSL2Plus technology to provide service providers with the most efficient and economic delivery of IPTV.

The Occam Networks Broadband Loop Carrier System is based on the Intelligent Blade Interconnect Architecture (IBIA), which provides cost-effective low, medium or high capacity configurations. The ‘blades' are deployed in all configurations in both the remote terminal and the central office to enable universal sparing, lower cost-of-platform deployment and very simple training and operations management. The system enables carriers to distribute a high-capacity system in low-capacity environments and scale to meet the demands of a rapidly expanding subscriber base.

About Occam Networks Inc.
Occam Networks Inc. develops and markets innovative Broadband Loop Carrier networking equipment that enable telephone companies to deliver voice, data and video services. Based on Ethernet and Internet Protocol (IP) technologies, Occam's equipment allows telecommunications service providers to deliver traditional phone services, as well as advanced voice-over-IP, residential and business broadband, and digital television services through a single, all-packet access network. Occam is headquartered in Santa Barbara, Calif. Additional information can be found at www.occamnetworks.com.

About Tellabs
Tellabs (NASDAQ: TLAB) delivers technology that transforms the way the world communicates™. Tellabs experts design, develop, deploy and support wireless and wireline network solutions. The company's comprehensive broadband portfolio enables carriers in almost 100 countries to succeed in the new competitive environment. Tellabs is part of the NASDAQ-100 Index. www.tellabs.com.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning a strategic alliance between Occam and Tellabs. Occam cannot provide any assurance that the strategic alliance announced today will result in an increase in Occam's revenues or improvement in its operating results. Occam's business, operating results, and financial condition are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. These risks include, among others, the risk that its revenues will not increase as anticipated if its products do not achieve market acceptance. Occam's products could fail to achieve market acceptance based on competitive factors, an unwillingness of telecommunication companies to make substantial capital expenditures, or a failure of these products to perform to industry standards, which may change based on technological developments. Please refer to Occam's most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, annual report on Form 10-K and other filings Occam makes with the SEC for additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements provided today.