Finisar to Demonstrate Flexgrid(TM) WSS Technology at ECOC 2010

Optics Leader to Also Demonstrate World's First Board Mounted Optical Engine Operating at 240 Gb/s and SONET/SDH SFP+ Transceiver Transmitting Error-Free Over 10km Fiber


SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwire - September 20, 2010) - Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ: FNSR) today announced that it will demonstrate several new technologies and products at ECOC, including its new Flexgrid™ technology for next-generation ROADMs, a fully-functional Board Mounted Optical Engine operating at 240 Gb/s, and a SONET/SDH SFP+ transceiver for telecom networks. With these demonstrations, Finisar continues to deliver key technologies that serve as the foundation for reliable, high-performance communications applications. Demonstrations will take place in Finisar's booth #207 at the European Conference and Exhibition on Optical Communications (ECOC) in Torino, Italy, September 20-22.

Flexgrid™ Technology
Flexgrid™ will be demonstrated for the first time as a software capability of the new WaveManager Application Suite, part of the WaveShaper family of Programmable Optical Processors. Introduced earlier this month, Flexgrid™ enables dynamic control of channel center frequency and channel bandwidth within a WSS, from 50 GHz to 200 GHz in 12.5 GHz steps, with no penalty on performance. It is specifically designed for bandwidth-efficiency as carriers move to higher data rates in next-generation telecommunication networks.

"Verizon looks forward to Finisar's next-generation flexible grid WSS product and we anticipate working with them as system suppliers integrate this type of technology into future line systems," said Glenn Wellbrock, Director of Backbone Network Design at Verizon.

240 Gb/s Board Mounted Optical Engine
Being shown for the first time is Finisar's Board Mounted Optical Engine technology. As data rates on backplanes, intra-chassis, intra-board and chip-to-chip interconnects increase, the limitations of copper exacerbate the challenges faced by systems engineers and architects. Board Mounted Optical Engines represent the next generation for optical technology and enable significant breakthroughs in data rate, power and density for next generation servers, routers and high performance computing (HPC) systems. 

Finisar's Optical Engine enables 240 Gb/s simplex or 120 Gb/s full-duplex links, and doubles the bandwidth of existing optical engines. Finisar is the first company to show a working technical demonstration of this technology at this data rate and in real-world air-cooled environments.

SONET/SDH SFP+ Transceiver
Finisar will also demonstrate its new 10G SONET/SDH SFP+ transceiver, designed for 2km 10Gb/s SONET/SDH SR-1 and 10km 10GBASE-LR/-LW applications. This transceiver integrates re-timers on both the receiver and transmitter for superior jitter performance between 9.95 and 11.35 Gb/s. With this product introduction, Finisar is one of the first manufacturers to bring 10G SONET/SDH SFP+ transceiver technology to market, enabling telecommunications systems vendors to offer high density next generation 10 Gb/s platforms.

"Finisar is dedicated to developing robust, high-performance technologies and products like our Flexgrid™, Board Mounted Optical Engine and SONET/SDH SFP+ transceiver, that directly address today's optical networking challenges and will drive the communications market forward," said Rafik Ward, Vice President of Marketing at Finisar. "Vertical integration and technical innovation are key to our success and enables us to continue to focus on meeting our customers' needs with timely and cost-effective solutions."

In addition to these demonstrations, Finisar will display equipment from its wide portfolio of optical products including transceivers, transponders, wavelength selective switches, active cables, advanced optical components, and passive devices.

About Finisar
Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ: FNSR) is a global technology leader for fiber optic subsystems and components that enable high-speed voice, video and data communications for telecommunications, networking, storage, wireless, and cable TV applications. For more than 20 years, Finisar has provided critical optics technologies to system manufacturers to meet the increasing demands for network bandwidth and storage. Finisar is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, USA with R&D, manufacturing sites, and sales offices worldwide. For additional information, visit www.finisar.com.

SAFE HARBOR UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995
The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based upon information available to Finisar as of the date hereof, and Finisar assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Examples of such risks include those associated with: the uncertainty of customer demand for Finisar's products; the rapidly evolving markets for Finisar's products and uncertainty regarding the development of these markets; Finisar's historical dependence on sales to a limited number of customers and fluctuations in the mix of products and customers in any period; ongoing new product development and introduction of new and enhanced products; the challenges of rapid growth followed by periods of contraction; and intensive competition. Further information regarding these and other risks relating to Finisar's business is set forth in Finisar's annual report on Form 10-K (filed July 9, 2009) and quarterly SEC filings.

Contact Information:

MEDIA CONTACT:
Victoria McDonald
Finisar Corporation
+1 (408) 542-4261
victoria.mcdonald@finisar.com