News Release

BACKGROUNDER

NEPTUNE INFRASTRUCTURE COMPANIES

Alcatel

With sales of EURO 12.3 billion and 56,000 employees in 2004, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. Alcatel provides communications solutions to telecommunication carriers, Internet service providers and enterprises for delivery of voice, data and video applications to their customers or employees. Alcatel has played a key role in the development and implementation of the most important submarine cable networks in operation today, connecting every continent from Europe to Asia, crossing the length of the Americas and spanning the Pacific. Alcatel has installed over 450,000 km of submarine networks-enough to circle Earth 11 times. From single network elements to integrated, modular network solutions, from city-to-city to transcontinental networks, Alcatel provides every part of a global transmission network, all tailored to its customers' needs.

www.alcatel.com

Alcatel Canada

Alcatel Canada employs close to 2,700 people in offices across the country, including Vancouver . Alcatel Canada develops a broad range of technologies including broadband networking products and optical networking equipment. Locally, Alcatel Canada developed the automatic train control solution for Greater Vancouver's Skytrain system and supplied a private microwave radio and switching network to BC Hydro which is used for many applications, including the mission critical one to isolate faults in the power system. Alcatel Canada 's primary responsibility on NEPTUNE is for the Internet protocol equipment that enables communication between land-based scientists and the offshore instruments.

www.alcatel.ca/company/about_ca.jhtml

L-3 Maripro

MariPro has been in the Santa Barbara community for the past 45 years and employs approximately 70 multi-talented individuals. MariPro is a leading provider of undersea cabled sensor systems for military, government and science applications, and has recently introduced proprietary through-water communications technology for use by the U.S. Navy. Since the early 1960s, MariPro has designed, manufactured and installed highly reliable, long-life underwater acoustic and electromagnetic sensor systems used by the world's navies for submarine training, tracking exercises and surveillance. MariPro also provides cabled seafloor observatories to support the ocean research community.

www.L-3com.com/MariPro

Satlantic

Halifax-based Satlantic designs, manufactures and sells a wide range of precision sensors and systems for the study of aquatic environments. With over 20 employees and sales representatives in 12 countries, Satlantic has experience with custom-designed sub-sea systems delivering real-time data. Satlantic's primary responsibility on NEPTUNE is for the development, manufacture and testing of the low voltage converters and control software. Satlantic is involved in upgrading Rutgers University 's Long-Term Ecosystem Observatory at 15 Metres (LEO-15) in the coastal waters of New Jersey and installing the coastal Bonne Bay Observatory for Memorial University of Newfoundland.

www.satlantic.com