PRESS RELEASES

Contact: Kim Simpao
Phone: +1-312-559-3657
Email: ksimpao@iec.org

For immediate release/February 6, 2003

Telcordia CEO, Matt Desch, to Be Conference Chairperson at IEC's OSS Summit

Chicago - Telcordia Technologies CEO Matt Desch will serve as conference chairperson of the International Engineering Consortium's OSS Summit 2003, taking place March 10-13 at the Renaissance Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Mr. Desch will oversee a panel of leading figures from top global companies who will address the OSS Summit 2003 audience about the challenges of migration from legacy networks during tough times and the strategies they have designed to meet their customers' needs.

In addition to serving as chairperson for the conference, Mr. Desch will chair a plenary panel on Tuesday, March 11, titled "Braving the OSS Storm: Migrating to Next-Generation OSS in Today's Economic Climate."

"I'm looking forward to addressing the OSS Summit attendees," said Mr. Desch. "We will review the technology solutions and practices that will spell the difference between survival and extinction of carriers of all varieties. It will be an intense, education-focused, hands-on learning opportunity for service providers seeking to deploy revenue-generating new services."

Mr. Desch has more than 22 years of industry leadership and experience in the communications industry. He spent 13 years in a range of senior management positions at Nortel Networks, focusing on emerging markets in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Latin America. At AT&T Bell Labs and AT&T Network Systems (now Lucent Technologies), he spent seven years managing software-development and strategic planning activities.

Mr. Desch is a member of the board of the Telcordia parent company, SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation), and he serves on a number of boards of firms offering emerging technologies to the communications industry. He is the chairman of Airspan Networks Inc., a leading supplier of wireless DSL infrastructure for global communications operators, and led that organization through a successful IPO. He is also the chairman of the board for Cyneta Networks and serves on the boards of Flarion Technologies, Glenayre Communications, Celerica, Inc., and Taqua, Inc.

For more information on attending the OSS Summit 2003, contact Kim Simpao at +1-312-559-3657 or visit the Web site at http://www.iec.org/events/2003/oss/ for up-to-the-minute information.

About the IEC
The International Engineering Consortium (IEC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to catalyzing technology and business progress worldwide in a range of high-technology industries and their university communities. Since 1944, the IEC has provided high-quality educational opportunities for industry professionals, academics, and students. In conjunction with industry-leading companies, the IEC has developed an extensive, free, on-line educational program. The IEC conducts industry-university programs that have substantial impact on curricula. It also conducts research and develops publications, conferences, and technological exhibits that address major opportunities and challenges of the information age. More than 70 leading high-technology universities are IEC affiliates, and the IEC handles the affairs of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association.