FPL FiberNet today announced the signing of an agreement to provide dark fiber for Sphera Optical Networks, Inc. in South Florida. The company will supply multiple strands of dark fiber in the metro Miami ring.

Harold Grossnickle, Chairman and CEO of Sphera Optical Networks, Inc., said, "Sphera is now positioned for virtually unlimited network growth in the South Florida market due to FPL FiberNet's ability to deliver high quality, dark fiber with the fastest transmission speeds available as well as their presence in major carrier condos."

Dark fiber is unused fiber through which no light or signals are passing. Companies purchasing dark fiber must deploy their own electronics and signal equipment in order to "light the fiber" and make it usable on their network.

FPL FiberNet, headquartered in Miami, operates a 2,300-mile-long fiber optic network linking the major cities within Florida. FPL FiberNet has installed 120 miles of fiber cable in metropolitan Miami and by year-end 2001 will have completed similar intra-city networks in the largest metropolitan areas -- encompassing more than 150 municipalities --- in the state.

"We are pleased to offer our customer, Sphera Optical Networks, innovative solutions for their growing needs in South Florida. We look forward to serving them in the future at additional sites," said Larry Spear, vice president of sales and marketing for FPL FiberNet.

ABOUT SPHERA

Sphera Optical Networks, headquartered in New York City, is a first-to- market, all-optical, metropolitan network infrastructure provider of high capacity bandwidth using the latest DWDM technology. Providing customers with high capacity bandwidth on demand, Sphera sets a new industry standard for performance and efficiency by creating an environment of reduced provisioning intervals, expanded network reach, protocol independence, reliability and advanced network management capabilities for carriers, ISPs, ASPs and worldwide service providers. For additional information, visit the Sphera web site http://www.spheranetworks.com/.

ABOUT FPL FIBERNET

FPL FiberNet is a leading provider of world-class fiber-optic network solutions in Florida. The company provides connectivity to major telecom centers in the state, including leading carrier hotels, network access point (NAP) initiatives, international cable-heads and large central offices. FPL FiberNet provides dark fiber and bandwidth on its fiber-optic network in most metropolitan cities throughout Florida. Through multiple interconnection and partnership agreements, the network spans 8,600 miles throughout the Southeast. The company has recently completed fiber-optic networks in Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa as part of an aggressive schedule to bring metro networks to major cities throughout Florida.

FPL FiberNet, LLC, is the telecommunications subsidiary of FPL Group, Inc., , one of the nation's largest providers of electricity- related services with annual revenues of more than $7 billion. Florida Power & Light Company, with approximately 3.9 million customer accounts in Florida, is FPL Group's principal subsidiary.

FPL Energy, LLC, is FPL Group's energy-generating subsidiary and a leader in producing electricity from clean and renewable fuels. Additional information about FPL FiberNet is available on the Internet at http://www.fplfibernet.com/.

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SOURCE: FPL FiberNet, LLC