March 5, 2002 -- DixieNet Communications, a Mississippi-based phone company providing rural customers throughout Mississippi with access to local and long distance telephone and data services, and Metro-Optix announced a multi-million dollar agreement to deploy next-generation CityStream bandwidth managers in DixieNet's fiber-optic network.

Metro-Optix also will provide complete installation, training and related services as part of the contract. Network deployment began in February 2002 in seven local exchanges, with another 10 local exchanges to be added by the end of 2002.

DixieNet Communications, operating 75 phone exchanges serving over 20,000 residential and business customers as of December 2001, provides services including dial-up and high-speed Internet and data access, including DSL, frame relay, and point-to-point connections. Using CityStream, DixieNet Communications will look into adding services such as video conferencing and entertainment video-on-demand.

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