Alcoa Fujikura Ltd. Acquires Focas Companies from the Cookson Group.

Brentwood, Tenn. and Swindon / London / Alpharetta May 4, 2000 - Alcoa Fujikura Ltd., (AFL) and the Cookson Group announced today that AFL hasagreed to acquire Cookson's Focas Ltd. and Focas Inc. companies, which operate facilities in Alpharetta, GA and Swindon, UK, respectively. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The parties anticipate that the transaction will be completed within one month.

Focas is a manufacturer of fiber optic cables for aerial applications. Primary products are Optical Groundwire, ADSS and Skywrap.

AFL is a leading global manufacturer of Aerial Fiber Optic Systems, supplying Optical Ground Wire (OPT-GW), ADSS fiber optic cables, accessories, and providing EF&I services required to complete a total communication system. The Alpharetta facility will add capacity to serve the growing North American and Latin American markets, while the Swindon plant will provide AFL with the first offshore manufacturing facility to serve Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia.

"With the Focas acquisition, AFL can now offer worldwide customers the most complete line of products and services for placement in aerial environments," said Jody Gallagher, general manager of AFL Aerial Cable Systems.

AFL, one of 25 Alcoa Inc. business units, is a leading global provider of fiber optic products and services to the electric utility, telecommunications, data communications, and broadband industries. AFL is capable of providing full system solutions from long haul to the desktop. AFL is headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn., with several manufacturing locations throughout the U.S. and Mexico. All AFL manufacturing facilities are ISO 9001 certified. For additional information, visit AFL's web site at www.AFLFiber.com.