Paris, France and Milpitas, Calif. November 12, 2001 - France Telecom (NYSE:FTE), one of the world's largest telecom carriers, operating in more than 75 countries, and the second largest wireless operator in Europe, and Aperto Networks, a leading developer of second generation fixed broadband wireless access (F-BWA) systems, are partnering in technical and market development initiatives.

"Access remains the primary bottleneck in broadband networks, and we view Aperto's unique capabilities for scalable multiservice second-generation fixed broadband wireless access as a very promising solution" emphasized Jean-Jacques Damlamian, Group Executive VP of France Telecom. "This collaboration positions us to aggressively drive joint projects to provide a flexible and rapidly deployable solution -- in countries where the infrastructure or access to it is not adequate or non-existent -- as France Telecom continues to extend its presence globally in the growing broadband access market."

Innovacom, France Telecom's venture capital subsidiary and one of the most profitable venture capital players in Europe, has also made an equity investment in the company. "France Telecom sees Aperto in the vanguard of second-generation F-BWA systems players," said Frederic Veyssiere, Innovacom's Managing Director in the US. "Based on the work already underway between the two companies on multiple fronts, France Telecom has recognized the potential of Aperto's key innovations and is working on trials with the PacketWave™ solution set."

"The collaboration between France Telecom and Aperto is a winning proposition to address the rapidly growing and emerging broadband access markets worldwide," stated Aperto Chairman and CEO, Reza Ahy. "France Telecom is a global leader with R&D, operations, marketing and sales teams of the highest caliber in the world. Aperto's breakthrough technologies, OptimaLink™, ServiceQ™, and RapidBurst™, provide a foundation for scalable service architectures for packet-based broadband access networks for multiple services."

About Aperto Networks
Aperto Networks is a developer of multiservice fixed broadband wireless access systems. The company was founded to provide a breakthrough solution to one of today's critical network bottlenecks - last-mile broadband access. With practical, scalable systems and patent-pending technology that support new wireless builds and complement existing wireline broadband access technology, Aperto addresses service provider needs for rapid network deployment, multiservice scalability, ease of installation and cost-effectiveness. Aperto will dramatically shorten the lengthy provisioning cycles of broadband services by enabling rapid service provisioning across dense urban to suburban locations. Investors in Aperto include Alliance Ventures, Tyco Ventures, Innovacom (France Telecom), DMC Stratex Networks, Oki Electric Industry Company, Mitsubishi International Corporation, Ridgewood Capital, Satwik Ventures and Redwood Ventures. For more information on Aperto Networks, go to www.apertonet.com.

About Innovacom
As the venture capital arm of France Telecom, Innovacom has helped launch early stage telecommunications and information technology start-ups since 1988. With offices in Paris, San Francisco, Stockholm, and Tokyo, Innovacom is an active early-stage investor in Europe, Israel, North America, and Japan. Present and past portfolio companies include Actelis, Atrica, Algety Telecom/Corvis, Business Objects, Cobalt Networks, Cyoptics, Epicentric, Gemplus, Highwave, Intershop, Teem Photonics, and Tumbleweed Communications. For more information on Innovacom, go to www.innovacomvc.com.

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