LIMITED POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR
SECTION 16 REPORTING OBLIGATIONS

KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints each of John F. McGrath, Jr, Frank Slattery, and Ruth Vogelsang, signing singly, the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:

(1) prepare, execute, and file, for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the undersigned's capacity as an officer and/or director of Network Equipment Technologies, Inc. (the "Company"), Forms 3, 4, and 5 in accordance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder;

(2) seek or obtain, as the undersigned's representative and on the undersigned's behalf, information on transactions in the Company's securities from any third party, including brokers, employee benefit plan administrators and trustees, and the undersigned hereby authorizes any such person to release any such information to the undersigned and approves and ratifies any such release of information; and

(3) perform any and all other acts which in the discretion of such attorney-in-fact are necessary or desirable for and on behalf of the undersigned in connection with the foregoing.

The undersigned acknowledges that:  (a) this Power of Attorney authorizes, but does not require, such attorney-in-fact to act in their discretion on information provided to such attorney-in-fact without independent verification of such information; and (b) this Power of Attorney does not relieve the undersigned from personal responsibility for compliance with the reporting requirements of Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

The undersigned hereby gives and grants the foregoing attorney-in-fact full power and authority as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or could do if present, hereby ratifying all that such attorney-in-fact of, for and on behalf of the undersigned, shall lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue of this Limited Power of Attorney.

This Limited Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing delivered to such attorney-in-fact.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney to be executed as of this 27th day of October, 2004.

/s/ PETER SOMMERER