EarthLink Chooses Tiara Networks Solutions For Multi-Megabit IP Traffic Aggregation.

Business Editors/High-tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 6, 2000

Tiara's Access Concentrators Improve POP Scalability and

Manageability, Deliver Superior Performance for EarthLink Customers

Tiara Networks today announced that EarthLink (Nasdaq:ELNK) has chosen Tiara's 6000 Series POP Access Concentrators to provide multimegabit aggregation of IP traffic at some of its Point of Presence (POP) locations in the southeastern United States.

One of the nation's largest Internet service providers, EarthLink was looking for a way to cost effectively manage and scale its POPs to support a rapidly growing subscriber base, and it chose Tiara's products as the best solution. Tiara's 6000 Series POP Access Concentrators provide service aggregation in an easily manageable and well-supported device, while saving precious rack space for EarthLink.

"Our challenge is to keep up with subscriber growth while keeping our costs under control, and Tiara's access concentrators make it easy to do that," said Chris Anderson, senior network engineer for EarthLink. "These products are easy to configure, easy to manage, and less expensive than any router or switch solution, and they allow us to connect customers more easily. Everyone at EarthLink who put their hands on the Tiara box thought it was vastly superior to any other alternative they had seen."

"Our access concentrators help ISPs bring the Internet quickly to more customers with compact, manageable, and cost-effective solutions," said Dan Palmer, president and CEO of Tiara Networks. "EarthLink's choice of our 6000 Series products is a strong endorsement of our approach to solving a crucial problem for service providers."

"EarthLink's adoption of the 6000 Series adds to Tiara's credibility as a leading provider of scalable access concentrators," said Bill Flanagan, Senior Analyst of The Burton Group. "With its cost-effective aggregation, manageability, and multimegabit provisioning capabilities, Tiara offers unique benefits that make it easier for ISPs to attract, connect, and retain customers. EarthLink is one of the first major ISPs to leverage these benefits as a competitive advantage."

Scalability, Manageability, Service Improvements Drove Decision

Tiara's 6000 Series POP Access Concentrators significantly improve POP scalability by aggregating PPP, MLPPP, FR (frame relay), MFR (multilink frame relay), and Cisco-compatible HDLC connections for up to 128 customers per WAN interface. In addition, the 6000 Series products connect to the network router via 10/100 Ethernet, linking multiple customers to the network over a low-cost connection that saves router ports and allows scalable upgrades to larger network paths.

EarthLink's network administrators can easily manage Tiara 6000 Series POP Access Concentrators via in-band SNMP, Telnet, dial-up modem, or ASCII terminals. A familiar command line interface makes it easy to install the unit, provision customers, and handle maintenance tasks, and configuration templates also speed customer provisioning. The 6000 Series' extensive diagnostic tools include loopback testing, network monitoring, alarms, and statistics. LEDs on the unit show individual T1/T3 line status while front access test jacks provide for fault isolation.

Tiara's service aggregation products also improve Internet access performance for EarthLink's customers. By offloading processor-intensive service aggregation and physical layer WAN functions from routers and switches, Tiara's products supercharge the performance of routers and switches. In addition, all Tiara aggregation products allow ISPs to easily bundle multiple copper lines into multimegabit virtual circuits for higher-bandwidth customer applications where fiber is unavailable or too expensive.

Tiara's customer support organization was another factor in EarthLink's decision to use 6000 Series POP Access Concentrators. "Tiara's support is among the best I've seen from any company," said Anderson. "It's critical to have good support, not just for the testing phase, but for the life of the product, and Tiara has proven its willingness to stand behind its products."

About EarthLink

EarthLink is one of the world's leading Internet service providers, bringing the magic of the Internet to more than 3.46 million individuals and businesses every day. Headquartered in Atlanta, EarthLink provides a full range of innovative access, hosting, and e-commerce solutions to thousands of communities internationally from more than 5,000 points of presence. EarthLink is committed to doing an exceptional job of pleasing its customers, shareholders, and the community by following the company's Core Values and Beliefs. Information about EarthLink and EarthLink Sprint services is available by calling 800/395-8425 and through EarthLink's Web site at www.earthlink.net.

About Tiara Networks

Tiara Networks Incorporated, a Silicon Valley-based networking company, provides broadband access systems that supercharge IP and frame relay networks, enabling new-world networking solutions for both service providers and end users. For additional information, please visit Tiara Networks online at www.tiaranetworks.com.