Avici Introduces Industry's Smallest Scalable Router and New Line Cards with Leading Port Density.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

N. BILLERICA, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 11, 2002

Avici Systems Inc.(NASDAQ:AVCI):

Avici's New QSR, Quarter-rack Scalable Router

Delivers 99.999% Availability, In-Service Scalability,

and Leading Performance for POP Simplification

Avici Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: AVCI), the specialist in reliable and scalable routing solutions for the Internet, today announced the immediate availability of new hardware and software products enabling carriers to dramatically improve the reliability, performance and cost structure of their IP networks.

Avici's new QSR(TM) is the industry's smallest footprint scalable router. Occupying only a quarter-rack, the QSR can scale from 160Gbps in a single chassis up to four chassis with 760Gbps capacity in a single 7' rack.

Avici also introduced a new generation of line cards today, which double the port density of its routing platforms. These new line cards - a 1 port OC192c, a 1 port 10Gb Ethernet and 4p OC48c -- deliver industry leading port density with 40 OC192c interfaces and 160 OC48c interfaces per 7' rack. Avici's distributed architecture ensures that these line cards are fully compatible with all of the Avici platforms - the TSR(R), SSR(TM) and newly announced QSR-- offering customers 100% investment protection.

"Every carrier looking to upgrade their core IP network today is looking for routers that deliver scalability and improved reliability," said Rosalyn Roseboro, Program Director for Switching and Routing with RHK. "Products offering scalability and non-stop routing in a compact footprint, such as Avici's QSR, will be attractive to a wide range of carriers."

Also announced today is availability of Avici's IPriori(TM) 5.0 software, which includes Avici's NSR(TM) non-stop routing technology. NSR technology protects carrier networks against hardware and software failures of the route controller without packet loss, reordering or impact on neighboring routers--providing 99.999% availability in a single router. This allows carriers to offer value added services and strict service level agreements across their IP infrastructure to drive profitability. Avici's new state-of-the-art NSR route controller also delivers industry leading convergence and the highest protocol scaling, supporting 3 million BGP routes.

"Avici has established a significant reliability advantage with NSR technology," said Kevin Mitchell, Directing Analyst with Infonetics Research. "Our research in the carrier market has indicated a very high-level of interest and demand for fail-safe control planes. This will be an essential feature for the next-generation of core routers. The promise of eliminating physical router redundancy in the core and subsequent capital and operational cost savings is an important driver for investment."

"Avici introduced the market to scalable and reliable carrier-class routing," said Steve Kaufman, president and CEO of Avici Systems. "With the QSR and our new higher density line cards, we are enabling more carrier customers to take advantage of Avici's routing platforms to improve POP economics and deliver highly reliable services to their customers. "

About Avici Systems

Avici Systems Inc., headquartered in North Billerica, Mass., is a leading provider of purpose-built carrier-class routing solutions for the Internet. Avici's family of routers is designed to meet carrier requirements for the highest scalability, reliability and network availability, while lowering the total cost of building and operating their networks. The company's routing systems provide new IP solutions to some of the world's leading service providers. For more information, please visit us at www.avici.com. Avici, TSR, SSR, QSR, NSR, and IPriori are trademarks of Avici Systems Inc.

This release contains information about Avici's future expectations, plans, and prospects that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. When used in this press release, the words "will be" and other similar expressions are intended to identify such forward looking statements.

Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, market acceptance of Avici products, services and enhancements, customer purchasing patterns and commitments, development of the market place, product development and enhancement, intensity of competition of other vendors, technological changes and other risks set forth in Avici's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information contact: