I only have some passing background knowledge of Aethera Networks and some of the work they've been doing in the metro-network space. I know of Benoit Fleury by reputation from his work at Nortel. This looks to be a good move for both. I think it also signals tighter coupling between metro-networks and emerging access to services. This bears watching.

Aethera NetworksTM Appoints Product Management VP
Leadership team continues to strengthen for global expansion with addition of experienced telecom executive.

Montreal, Canada, July 19, 2007 - Aethera NetworksTM, a globally focused company delivering 4th Generation solutions in the multi-service access and metro networking markets, announced today the appointment of Benoit Fleury as Vice President, Product Management.

Mr. Fleury brings a broad range of functional and management experience that spans over 20 years in the telecommunications sector. Previous positions encompass senior and director-level roles at Nortel in product management, product development, systems engineering, test engineering and marketing , followed by VP-level positions at EXFO, a telecom test and measurement provider, and most recently at Lyrtech, a global digital signal processing solutions provider.

In this position, Benoit will drive the strategic growth of Aethera Networks’TM leading portfolio of micro-footprint AEGIS-VTM multi-service access networking solutions, optimized for service providers migrating from legacy TDM to high-bandwidth converged network infrastructures and progressive wireless operators moving to flexible 4th Generation wireless backhaul.

“Benoit brings a wealth of experience with a proven track record of international success, and reflects Aethera Networks’ leadership values and enthusiasm for providing agile, carrier-class multi-service converged networking,” said Sami Yazdi, President and CEO of Aethera Networks, “Reinforcing our recent appointment of Juan-Felipe Gonzalez as VP of Sales and Marketing, Benoit’s addition further strengthens our leadership team with leading talent as we position for continued large-scale growth with our leading, internationally focused products.”

About Aethera NetworksTM Inc.
Aethera NetworksTM is focused on delivering multi-service access and metro networking solutions to the global market. Aethera Networks’ innovative AEGIS-VTM 4th generation platform enables service providers to transition from legacy to converged network architectures that seamlessly deliver TDM and packet-based services to their customers. Featuring a comprehensive MEF-certified Carrier Ethernet optimized & next generation SONET/SDH networking portfolio built on the μFlexTM multi-service architecture, Aethera Networks’ solutions deliver industry leading performance, scalability, resilience, and compelling economics in converged traffic access and aggregation applications including high performance metro networking, 2G/3G/4G wireless and FTTx/DSL/HFC backhaul.

Aethera NetworksTM is a privately owned company headquartered in Montreal, Canada with an installed base of tens of thousands of carrier-class nodes delivering large-scale triple-play, wireless and data networking services. By providing customer driven, carrier-class solutions, and quality support for over 12 years, Aethera has established a global spectrum of clients including premier telecom service providers, cable MSOs, and mobile operators. For more information about Aethera NetworksTM and its customer solutions, please visit: www.aetheranetworks.com.