Airspan Communications Named One of Top 100 Companies of the Electronic Economy by Red Herring

London, June 2nd, 1999 - Airspan Communications, a leading provider of Wireless Local Loop (WLL) equipment and services, today announced it has been selected as one of the top 50 private companies as part of the Red Herring 100, the magazine’s annual list of the top private and public technology companies in the industry. Red Herring is a San Francisco-based business magazine for the technology marketplace.

Featured in the June 1999 Digital Universe issue, the Red Herring 100 honours those companies that have defined new standards, forged the most influential new business models, and developed disruptive technologies that will fundamentally change the way business gets done.

“To be selected as one of the Top 100 companies two years in a row is a great tribute to Airspan's employees and products, and the initiatives we have put in place to make affordable high-performance WLL available to more customers around the world,” said Eric Stonestrom, Airspan’s president and CEO. “It’s an honour to be acknowledged by our peers as a leader in WLL offerings.”

Airspan has grown rapidly since its inception in February 1998 as a spin-off of DSC Communications. Its comprehensive portfolio of CDMA-based wireless access products for voice and IP favourably positions the company in a market predicted to attain a level of some $10 billion within a few years.

Jason Pontin, editor of Red Herring said, “We hold technology companies to an entirely different set of standards. Standards that prove to us that they are innovators, agents of change, and leaders truly affecting the construction of the digital economy. We see that the emerging networked economy is one that requires vision, innovation, and proven expertise, and we think our list encapsulates the companies that have put these qualities to work.”

How they Ranked

In order to accurately represent the technology industry and its key players, the Red Herring editors divided the industry according to its various sectors — giving more weight to those sectors that they felt most essential in building tomorrow’s digital universe. Using a system of metrical and subjective comparisons, the list highlights companies in the following markets: communications equipment, communications services, wireless equipment and services, software, systems manufacturers, consumer computing, media, electronic commerce, and biotechnology.

In choosing its companies, the Red Herring looked at criteria from vision, management, and innovative business strategies to the track record of the company’s venture capitalists, its marketing techniques and the strength of its partnerships — all of which impact the companies’ abilities to affect change in the new economy.

About Airspan Communications

Airspan Communications Ltd, is a leading supplier of high reliability, full service wireless connectivity solutions for telecommunications service providers throughout the world. Airspan was formed as a result of the divestment by DSC Communications of its wireless fixed access business in 1998. Airspan’s WLL products are deployed in over 22 countries worldwide, and are today generating revenue for many leading telecommunication operators. The company is headquartered in Uxbridge, UK. More information on the company can be found at http://www.airspan.com

About Red Herring Communications, Inc.

Red Herring Communications, a privately held San Francisco-based media company, meets the specialized information needs of strategic business decision makers. Red Herring, the monthly business magazine for technology, focuses on trends in technology and the companies driving them. Red Herring's high-level industry conferences, such as the Venture Market series and NDA, bring the trends to life and showcase the emerging companies behind the innovations. Red Herring Online provides business professionals and personal investors with technology daily news, analysis, and in-depth company profiles.

A complete list of the1999 Red Herring 100 Companies is available in the June issue of Red Herring and can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.redherring.com

For further information contact:

Airspan Communications:
Stephen Mallinson,
Senior Director, Marketing
Tel: +44 1895 467 165
Fax: +44 1895 467 152
smallins@airspan.com


Miller/Shandwick Technologies:
Alexandra Masurel or Michele Daly
Tel: +44 171 240 8666
Fax: +44 171 240 8668
amasurel@miller.shandwick.com
mdaly@miller.shandwick.com


Red Herring:
Holly Fisher at Alexander Ogilvy (PR agents for Red Herring)
Tel: (+ 415) 923-1660 ext. 123
hfisher@alexanderogilvy.com