EVEREST BROADBAND DEPLOYS TIARA NETWORKS' EQUIPMENT, ENABLING IP SERVICES OVER ETHERNET IN METRO AREAS.

Tiara Networks, a leading provider of distributed edge networking solutions, has announced the planned nationwide deployment of its multimegabit access routers by Everest Broadband Networks, Inc. Everest is a next-generation provider of metropolitan IP broadband services over Ethernet to commercial buildings. Tiara's equipment is an integral component of Everest's new Metropolitan Ethernet Services Architecture (MESA), which is designed to carry voice, data, video, and best-of-breed applications to the premises of small and medium-sized business customers in Multi-Tenant Unit (MTU) office buildings. Tiara's high-performance bandwidth management and IP Quality of Service (QoS) functionality is a key element in Everest's Liquid Megabit(TM) Service.

Everest currently plans to deploy Tiara's multimegabit access routers in MTU buildings in New York; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Dallas; and Houston. An "Intelligent Services Node" will be deployed in each building to deliver Ethernet services over dark fiber and copper with carrier-grade reliability and QoS, dynamic bandwidth management, multiple levels of security, and IP directory-enabled services. Tiara's multimegabit access routers deliver IP services over Ethernet for both fiber facilities in support of DS3 access and copper facilities to deliver high-bandwidth multilink T1 access.

"As an MTU provider, we need the flexibility and scalability to meet the diverse needs of our client base," said Bill Chen, director of systems integration for Everest. "Using Tiara's equipment, we're able to assign each tenant a different network address or group of addresses and then manage bandwidth on a per-class basis, giving them both guaranteed and burstable bandwidth with dynamic self-provisioning functionality. In addition, the Tiara equipment allows us to offer a mix of broadband applications and services by supporting multiple packet-based access protocols, including IP, frame relay, and virtual LAN (VLAN) networking. It's purpose-built for the MTU market."

"We are very pleased that Everest has selected us as a key supplier for its Metropolitan Ethernet Services Architecture," said Dan Palmer, president and CEO of Tiara Networks. "The engineers of our two companies have worked together closely to define and implement per-class bandwidth assignment and monitoring. Everest understands the importance of flexibility in today's shifting market and has developed the advanced services customers demand."

Tiara Networks' multimegabit access routers deliver scalable bandwidth, performance, security, and QoS in highly reliable, cost-effective platforms for profitable deployment of next-generation, broadband application and services, including multimegabit Internet and data services for MTU buildings.