BBN demonstrates pilot RSVP protocol network; WBN delivers specialized content via BBN's RSVP network.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 1996-- BBN Corporation, one of the nation's largest Internet service providers, today announced the creation of a pilot network based on Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) technology. BBN built the pilot network with Worldwide Broadcasting Network (WBN), a newly-formed media company, that will deliver multimedia programming to major corporations and financial institutions using ProVision, BBN's pilot RSVP network. BBN and WBN will publicly demonstrate the network at Fall Internet World '96, December 11 - 13, in New York.

BBN's pilot network provides "bandwidth on-demand" using Cisco IOS(TM) software's multimedia features such as RSVP, IP Multicast and smart queuing to allocate and conserve bandwidth to broadcast WBN's specialized content to desktops across the Internet. RSVP allows the network to "prioritize" bandwidth to provide broadcast-quality video and audio over the Internet. IP Multicast is an IETF standard that enables efficient data delivery from one sender to multiple receivers, by allowing many destinations to share a single source data stream. This pilot network follows BBN's beta RSVP demonstration earlier this year at Networld+Interop in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The American Stock Exchange and Banque Paribas, a global financial institution, are the first pilot sites to receive WBN content beginning this month. WBN multimedia content incorporates broadcast-quality video and audio coupled with interactive features such as live and stored video, text and graphics. The content is customized for individual subscribers and "narrowcast" over the Internet directly to corporate intranets for distribution to desktop PCs. Scheduled programming will include expert business and financial analysis, professional development modules and newscasts.

"WBN fuses television and the Internet, arguably this century's most influential technologies. This convergence presents tremendous opportunities," says Ali S. Kazeroonian, Ph.D., President, Worldwide Broadcasting Network. "By partnering with technology leaders like BBN Planet, WBN will deliver true interactivity and facilitate collaboration in a way never before possible. We believe it will change the way organizations access, process and use information."

"We are pleased to partner with WBN to deliver their unique content over BBN's ProVision network," said Paul R. Gudonis, President of BBN Planet. "BBN Planet is building on our experience and this pilot service to foster broad adoption of these technologies. BBN is teamed with other technology leaders such as Cisco Systems and Intel Corporation to implement advanced protocols such as RSVP and IP Multicast to enable Internet bandwidth reservations for virtually any application that requires predictable data delivery over the Internet."

ProVision Technology Partners

The BBN ProVision pilot network uses Cisco Systems' routers and software. The RSVP software, which Cisco Systems shipped in version 11.2 of Cisco IOS in October 1996, along with other network Quality of Service (QoS) features such as smart queuing, enable BBN to multicast WBN's content to subscribers' desktops.

Intel Corporation teamed with Cisco and BBN to build the April RSVP beta demonstration. "We can see BBN Planet's ProVision pilot with WBN's application as a significant effort that will lead businesses to use networked multimedia," said D. Craig Kinnie, Vice President and Co-General Manager of Intel's Internet and Communications group. "We look forward to working with BBN Planet to deploy and test IP Multicast, RSVP and Real Time Protocol (RTP) in this network."

Worldwide Broadcasting Company (WBN) is a privately held broadcasting network that uses leading-edge technology based on open standards to deliver industry-specific, interactive news and information and training programs via the Internet and intranets. Founded in 1996, the company is engaged in program production and acquisition, research and development, marketing, sales and service from its Cambridge, Massachusetts headquarters. The company has a news bureau, studio and production facility in New York City. For more information, please see WBN's Web site at http://www.wbnet.com .

BBN is a leading provider of Internet services for businesses and organizations. BBN, through its BBN Planet division, provides companies of all sizes with reliable Internet access services, remote access services, network security, Web site development and hosting, international connectivity and electronic commerce and system integration services to effectively use the Internet for business. BBN Planet had revenues of $73 million and BBN Corporation posted revenue of $234 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1996. For more information, please visit BBN's World Wide Web site at http://www.bbn.com .

CONTACT: Vaughn Harring

BBN Planet

[phone]

[e-mail]