For Immediate Release
September 10, 2002

Siemon's 66 Block Passes Anixter's Level 6 Criteria

Performance tested to meet 100 mbps Ethernet

Watertown, CT — The Siemon Company, a world leader in structured cabling and connectivity, is pleased to announce that its S66M1-50 connecting block has been tested and certified to meet Anixter's Level 6 performance criteria. Siemon takes great pride in designing superior quality products that perform higher than the TIA and ISO/IEC standards require. This testing once again demonstrates how Siemon's products "Go Beyond". Originally introduced for voice applications, the S66M1-50 block was redesigned by Siemon in the 1990s to perform beyond category 5e levels, enabling its use with advanced networking applications such as 1000BASE-T.

Anixter, the world's leading distributor of communications products and wire and cable, recently informed The Siemon Company of the successful test results to 150 MHz and the inclusion of the S66M1-50 block in its Level 6 product classification. Anixter's Levels program addresses the increasing demands on the physical layer of networks. By providing performance criteria that exceeds industry standards, Levels-approved products provide additional headroom. This qualification ensures that products, such as The Siemon Company's S66M1-50 block, will perform flawlessly in today's networks and provide the bandwidth needed for new networking technologies.

As Andy Jimenez, Director of Testing at Anixter explained, "In order to be Levels approved, a manufacturer's product is pulled randomly from Anixter's inventory and tested in our state-of-the-art Levels Lab. The Siemon's S66M1-50 connecting block passed as a Level 6 approved product, meaning that it meets Anixter's data grade performance criteria for 100 Mb/s Ethernet and 155 Mb/s ATM."

"Long respected for its solid, installer friendly design and reliable connections, the 66 block was widely believed to be suitable for voice-only connections," commented John Siemon, VP of Engineering at The Siemon Company. "In the '90s, we recognized this limitation and redesigned the block. Because of our patented 'low-cap' clip profile and staggered pair spacing, Siemon is the only company to offer an M1-50 block that meets category 5e requirements and Anixter Level 6. This certification of an existing product to new performance standards exemplifies our commitment to designs that anticipate requirements for emerging technologies. The Bell Labs' engineers who developed the original '66 block measured signals in kilohertz. Who would have guessed that it would eventually be enhanced to support networking applications that go five orders of magnitude higher?"

Acceptance of the S66M1-50 as an Anixter Level 6 product is another reason why Siemon is viewed by cabling professionals as their best investment in IT infrastructure.

For more information on Siemon's 66 blocks and other cabling products, visit www.siemon.com. For more information on Anixter's Levels Program, visit www.anixter.com.

About Siemon
Established in 1903, Siemon is an industry leader specializing in the manufacture and innovation of high quality, high-performance network cabling solutions. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA Siemon has global offices and partners throughout the world. Siemon offers the most comprehensive suite of copper (unshielded and shielded twisted-pair) and fibre cabling systems available. With over 400 active patents specific to structured cabling, Siemon Labs invests heavily in R&D and development of industry standards, underlining the company's long-term commitment to its customers and the industry.

Siemon’s Australian head office is located in Allambie Heights, Sydney, with offices also located in Brisbane and Melbourne.

For more information about this press release, please contact:
Alana Patton
The Siemon Company
Marketing Communications Executive
Tel : (02) 8977 7500