SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Redback Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: RBAK), a leading provider of next-generation broadband networking equipment, today announced immediate availability of the NetOp™ Policy Manager, a policy and service management software solution for broadband networks based on the proven, industry standard RADIUS protocol. In keeping with Redback’s vision of enabling service providers to build profitable User Intelligent Networks™, the NetOp Policy Manager leverages the strengths of Redback’s SMS™ and SmartEdge® platforms to help service providers quickly deploy a wide range of revenue generating IP services in a cost-effective manner. The NetOp Policy Manager is designed to work over residential and business broadband access technologies including DSL, Wi-Fi, Cable, Leased Lines, ATM/Frame Relay and Ethernet.

“Nearly half of the 30 million DSL lines in the world at the end of 2002 were managed by Redback platforms and we continue to hold a strong leadership position in the broadband market,” said Shailesh Shukla, vice president of marketing and business development at Redback Networks. “Redback’s NetOp Policy Manager enables our installed base of customers to drive new revenue streams, increase subscriber penetration, reduce provisioning costs and improve customer retention though the delivery of new services over existing network infrastructure. The product is designed to automate the delivery of a variety of new services - from simple tiered bandwidth services and URL filtering for parental control to complex video and Wi-Fi services.”

“We selected Redback’s NetOp Policy Manager as it primarily uses RADIUS for both AAA functions as well as delivery of IP services, eliminating the need for new protocols to be introduced in the network and reducing complexity in the process, ” said Mehmet Toros, vice president of Turk Telecom. “ In addition, the NetOp Policy Manager can seamlessly integrate with our existing RADIUS configuration, making it easier to introduce new services that help gain incremental revenue.”

Enables IP Services to Increase Service Penetration and Subscriber Base

Redback’s NetOp Policy Manager becomes a strategic tool for service providers to achieve their business objectives of increasing subscriber penetration, reducing provisioning costs, generating additional revenues through new services and improving customer retention. The NetOp Policy Manager can be easily inserted into an existing or new network comprised of Redback’s SMS family of Subscriber Management Systems and SmartEdge family of Routers and Service Gateways.

Examples of new services enabled by the NetOp Policy Manager are as follows:

A number of additional services can be created by using the NetOp Policy Manager in conjunction with a range of service enabling capabilities on the Redback platforms such as user authentication, filtering, multicast, metering and queuing. NetOp Policy Manager also enables a wholesale business model allowing the ISP (Internet Service Provider) or the ASP (Application Service Provider) to lever dynamic policy management for service delivery while continuing to use wholesale connectivity to the subscriber.

Extensible Architecture Eases Service Provisioning

Redback’s NetOp Policy Manager architecture is built around the following three core components:

All three components of the NetOp Policy Manager architecture work together to deliver an automated method for creating, provisioning and enforcing subscriber policy for new services. For example, a broadband subscriber can use a web portal to login, sign up for a service, or change an existing service. When a change is made, the web portal delivers a service order to Redback’s NetOp Policy Manager, which in turn authenticates the subscriber and implements the order by provisioning the appropriate policies across Redback’s platforms including the SMS™ platform of subscriber management systems and the SmartEdge® Router and Service Gateway platforms. All components have well-defined Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), enabling easy integration and customization.

Multiple Licensing Options

Redback is the first supplier in the industry to offer service providers multiple licensing options for this type of software. The NetOp Policy Manager product can be licensed as a run-time software with feature enhancements based on a feature roadmap, or the entire source code can be licensed which allows service providers the ultimate flexibility to customize the product.

"Ability to generate additional revenue streams through existing network infrastructure, including widely deployed RADIUS platforms, is crucial to improve telecom service provider economics," said Mark Bieberich, Senior Analyst at the Yankee Group. "Redback's NetOp Policy Manager, designed with this philosophy in mind, can become a key enabler of new services, unlocking the potential of broadband and creating a differentiator for Redback."

Redback Networks Inc.