Agere Adds to Board

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Agere Systems (NYSE: AGR.A - News, AGR.B - News) today announced that Krish Prabhu, a partner with Morgenthaler Venture, and Richard L. Clemmer, president, CEO and chairman of PurchasePro, would join Agere's board of directors. Clemmer will join the board immediately, while Prabhu will become a board member effective January 1, 2003. Prior to joining Morgenthaler, Prabhu held a number of key positions at Alcatel, including his role as the chief operating officer of Alcatel worldwide and as the CEO of Alcatel USA. Prabhu also previously served as the head of R&D at Rockwell International's Network Systems Transmission Division. In his current position at Morgenthaler, a venture capital and buyout firm based in Menlo Park, Calif., Prabhu focuses on the firm's telecommunications investments. Clemmer's experience includes his tenure at Texas Instruments, where he served as the senior vice president and chief financial officer of the company's Semiconductor Group. In this role, he spearheaded the company's joint ventures with firms like Hewlett-Packard and Hitachi. Clemmer served as the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Quantum Corp before joining PurchasePro in 2001. PurchasePro, which is based in Las Vegas, Nev., provides electronic procurement and strategic sourcing solutions to businesses worldwide. In September, the company announced its intention to sell substantially all its assets to Perfect Commerce Inc. "We are delighted that we are adding to our board two highly regarded executives with strong management experience and solid industry expertise," said John Dickson, president and chief executive officer, Agere Systems. "Krish and Rick have played strategic roles at major public companies and bring more than 20 years of business knowledge to Agere's board. Their unique perspective, particularly Krish's operational insights and Rick's financial background, will be invaluable as we work to grow our business in a dynamic and challenging environment." Agere Systems