Riverstone Routers Selected by Eight Cities in China for Major Metropolitan Network Upgrades

Business Wire, Feb 10, 2003

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 2003

Metropolitan area networking pioneer Riverstone Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:RSTN) today announced that eight cities and districts in central China are deploying Riverstone's family of RS routers and multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) technology in significant upgrades to their metropolitan networks. Riverstone's metropolitan solutions provide the foundation for each city's network and enable the delivery of advanced video and data services as outlined by the Digital Broadcasting Expert Group of China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT).

"The upgrade of China's extensive cable networks to support broadband applications is an industrious undertaking that, by enabling the delivery of IP-based services, offers providers substantial revenue-generating potential," said Howard Lee, Riverstone's general manager for Asia Pacific. "Upon the completion of network upgrades like the ones being deployed by these eight cities, China's more than 90 million cable subscribers will have both broadband access and advanced video and date services that fully utilize that access."

Aggregating traffic from each city's access cable network, Riverstone's RS 8600, RS 8000 and RS 3000 routers enable the delivery of advanced services to residents, businesses and mission critical networking environments. With Riverstone's advanced MPLS technology, the cities can maximize their bandwidth to offer time or latency-sensitive services, such as video conferencing, voice and real-time audio and video streaming.

Jingmen, located in Hubei Province, is deploying Riverstone's RS 8600 and RS 3000 routers in a metropolitan ring to bring public and private network access to more than three million people in the five counties and cities under its administration. Leveraging Riverstone's advanced MPLS technology, the city can monitor, manage and assign user access to the network and deliver tiered bandwidth, virtual private network (VPN) and other data services to its businesses and residents.

Located in Chongqing municipality, China's largest municipality and home to more than 30 million people, Hechuan is deploying Riverstone's RS 8600 and RS 3000 routers to build an MPLS-enabled network that brings streaming video and data services to the city's 1.5 million residents. For mission critical government and corporate network environments, Riverstone's MPLS technology enhances the network with bandwidth prioritization features, enabling the city to reliably deliver VPN services.

Additionally in Chongqing municipality, Nanchuan, the Wanzhou district and Dianjiang county are deploying Riverstone's RS 8600 and RS 3000 routers to bring Internet access, advanced data and video-on-demand capabilities to their citywide networks. In Hubei province, Huangshi, Zhongxiang and the Yiling district are deploying Riverstone's RS 8000 routers to enhance their networks with VPN capabilities.

According to SARFT, who maintains regulatory control over broadcasting, China has more than 90 million cable subscribers. SARFT recently unveiled a plan to roll out a massive digital cable TV network that requires 30 provincial capital cities and 5 additional cities to completely digitize their cable TV networks and digitally upgrade their set-top boxes within three years.

Supernet, one of Riverstone's partners in China, will provide network integration and technical support for the deployment.

About Riverstone Networks

Riverstone Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:RSTN) provides solutions for metropolitan area networks, enabling carriers to convert raw bandwidth into profitable services. In more than 50 countries, carriers operating many of the world's largest metropolitan area networks depend on Riverstone to create and reliably deliver profitable services over legacy and next-generation infrastructures. Worldwide, Riverstone routers are the trusted choice of telecommunications carriers. For more information, please visit Riverstone's web site at www.riverstonenet.com.

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements as to market growth, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include the risks detailed from time to time in Riverstone Networks' SEC reports, including its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended August 31, 2002. Riverstone Networks disclaims any intent or obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements.

Riverstone Networks is a trademark of Riverstone Networks, Inc. All other trademarks, service marks, and trade names belong to their respective owners.