Multikabel Significantly Reduces Broadband Delivery Costs, Turns Up 50,000 Subscribers With BigBand Networks' Modular CMTS Solution.

Dutch Operator's Fast-Growing Deployment Migrates 50,000 Subscribers, Illustrates Economics of Modular CMTS 

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- BigBand Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:BBND) today announced an expansion of its groundbreaking deployment of modular cable termination system (M-CMTS) with Multikabel in the Netherlands. The Dutch operator's rollout -- which BigBand believes was the first commercial deployment of M-CMTS based on the CableLabs([R]) specification -- now serves more than 50,000 subscribers.

"The economic benefits of BigBand's M-CMTS solution are substantial. BigBand's solution has allowed us to roll out high-speed Internet services at a significantly lower cost than would've been incurred by a rollout with integrated CMTS from other vendors," said Stefan van Dijk, manager at Multikabel. "Without M-CMTS we simply didn't see how expanding bandwidth would be economically viable."

BigBand's M-CMTS solution enables functions of the CMTS hardware to be modularized, and can significantly drive down the cost to cable operators of delivering data services. With dramatically lower cost to increase bandwidth, cable operators can raise speeds on existing services and offer new premium services to attract new customers and retain existing subscribers. BigBand's commercially-available M-CMTS solution can lower the equipment cost of increasing broadband speeds by as much as 75 percent.

"We believe M-CMTS' substantial economic benefits give it the potential to be the most disruptive cable data development since the adoption of DOCSIS([R])itself," said John Holobinko, vice president and manager of BigBand's cable IP business unit. "Cable operators see accelerating demand for downstream bandwidth and higher downstream data speeds. The economics of M-CMTS can enable operators to offer higher data speeds at the same prices they incur to deliver today's services, which can improve data service penetration and bandwidth efficiency. Simultaneously, with BigBand's M-CMTS solution, operators can offer new 100 megabit-per-second (Mbps) services today on DOCSIS 3.0 channel bonding modems, without waiting for new cards or new software.

Multikabel has begun to leverage BigBand's support for DOCSIS 3.0 downstream channel bonding, which is designed to give the operator the option of offering subscribers data speeds of 100 Mbps. Unlike CMTS products that support proprietary wideband channel bonding techniques meant to operate only with specific modems from a single vendor, BigBand's Cuda([R]) supports both DOCSIS 3.0 downstream channel bonding modems and DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0 modems on the same channels, and can increase bandwidth delivered over the widely-available DOCSIS 2.0, 1.1 and 1.0 modems to 25 Mbps or more.

BigBand Networks' M-CMTS solution has been commercially deployed in Europe and Asia and is involved in operator trials in the U.S. For additional information about BigBand's M-CMTS, please visit http://www.bigbandnet.com/index.php/sol_mcmts.html.

About BigBand Networks

BigBand Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:BBND) provides broadband service providers with innovative network solutions designed to make it easier to move, manage and monetize video. These solutions are based on BigBand's video-networking platforms that are built to enable efficient and reliable delivery of video, voice and data across a wide range of services, including digital TV, high definition TV, addressable advertising, video-on-demand, interactive TV, Internet TV, video telephony, high-speed Internet and voice-over-IP. BigBand Networks' customers include more than 100 service providers -- including six of the ten largest service providers in the U.S. -- and leading cable and telco service providers in North America, Asia, Europe and Latin America. BigBand Networks is based in Redwood City, Calif., with offices worldwide. For additional information about the company, please call +1.650.995.5000, email [e-mail] or visit www.bigbandnet.com.

Cuda and all other BigBand Networks brand and product names are service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of BigBand Networks, Inc. in the United States and other countries. DOCSIS and CableLabs are trademarks of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

This release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined under the U.S. Federal Securities Laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is subject to the safe harbors created by such laws. Forward-looking statements may relate to, but are not limited to the functionality of BigBand's M-CMTS solution, and the potential benefits to be derived by customers from the solution. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations that involve a number of uncertainties and risks that may cause actual events or results to differ materially. Factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially include, among others, the following: rapid technological change that can adversely affect the demand for BigBand's products, shifts in customer demand, shifts in strategic relationships, delays in BigBand's ability to deliver its products and services, or announcements by competitors. These and other risks may be detailed from time to time in BigBand's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which may be obtained from www.sec.gov. BigBand Networks is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information contained in our website is not incorporated by reference in, or made part of this press release.