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                                               Filed by MRV Communications, Inc.
                                                            Pursuant to Rule 425
                                                Under the Securities Act of 1933
                                                      Registration No. 333-44536
                                                     Commission File No. 0-25678
                                                 Subject Company: Luminent, Inc.
                                                   Commission File No. 000-31393




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


                            MRV AND LUMINENT ANNOUNCE
            EXCHANGE RATIO FOR PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED SHORT-FORM MERGER

Chatsworth, California - October 8, 2001 - MRV Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:
MRVC) and Luminent, Inc. (NASDAQ: LMNE) jointly announced today that MRV has
established the exchange ratio to effect the previously announced short-form
merger of Luminent, its 92.3% owned subsidiary. Each outstanding share of
Luminent common stock (except for shares presently held by MRV and shares held
by Luminent stockholders who perfect their statutory appraisal rights under
Delaware law) will be converted in the merger, entitling each such Luminent
stockholder to 0.43 of a share of MRV common stock. MRV will therefore issue up
to 5,160,000 shares of its common stock to the stockholders of Luminent. The
merger is still subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions including
regulatory approvals.

ABOUT MRV COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

MRV Communications, Inc. is a world-class leader in network infrastructure
systems and optical components. The company has leveraged its early leadership
in fiber optic technology into a portfolio of well-focused operating entities.
Accordingly, MRV formed a balanced portfolio of independent business units such
as Luminent, Optical Access, iTouch Communications, Cescomm and NBase-Xyplex. In
addition, MRV helped create and manage several cutting edge start-up companies
including Zaffire, Charlotte's Networks, Zuma Networks, RedC Optical Networks,
Optical Crossing and All Optical. Visit MRV's web site at http://www.mrv.com.

ABOUT LUMINENT

Luminent designs, manufactures and sells a comprehensive line of single mode
active and passive fiber optic components for high-capacity data transmission in
the metropolitan and access markets. Network equipment manufacturers rely on
Luminent to provide technical depth, responsive customer service and volume
manufacturing to meet the increasing requirements for transmission capacity and
speed between nationwide telecommunications networks and end-users. For more
information, visit www.luminentinc.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING AND CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS:

Statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking
statements" and are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. The accuracy of these statements may be impacted by a number of
business risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected or anticipated, including: the Company's
reliance on a small number of key customers, the Company's expectation that it
will incur net losses for the foreseeable future, the long sales cycles for the
Company's products, the risks the Company faces due to its international sales
and operations, the Company's limited operating history, the Company's reliance
on the development of the optical networking market, macroeconomic factors,
including the current domestic and worldwide economic downturn and economic,
political and military uncertainties associated with and resulting from the
September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon, the need to manage the Company's growth effectively, the Company's
success at developing and introducing new products, competition, the Company's
success at increasing market awareness of the Company and its products, the
Company's success at eliminating product defects prior to installation in large,
complex systems, the Company's lack of long-term contracts with its customers,
the Company's reliance on key personnel, the effect of possible future
acquisitions, the Company's ability to procure necessary resources, the
Company's ability to forecast component and material requirements, the Company's
ability to increase sales volumes, reduce costs and introduce higher margin
products, the Company's dependence on single and limited source suppliers, the
qualification of the Company's manufacturing lines and products, the ability to
cost effectively enforce the Company's intellectual property rights, the
Company's ability to acquire licenses for third-party technology, the Company's
ability to fund its growth and development, MRV Communications' current control
of the Company and potential conflicts of interest, the planned merger or other
alternatives of MRV and the

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Company, and other risks outlined in the Company's SEC filings including the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000 and
the Company's Quarterly Report for the three months ended June 30, 2001 and
March 31, 2001, and the Company's Form S-1 filed on August 8, 2001. The Company
undertakes no obligation to update this forward-looking information.


CONTACT: MRV Communications Inc.
Diana Hayden, 818/886-6782, Investor Relations
diana@mrv.com

MRV Communications, Inc.
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