SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Metropolitan area networking pioneer Riverstone Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:RSTN) today expanded its comprehensive multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) portfolio with the introduction of an MPLS packet over SONET/SDH (POS) solution. The recognized leader in metro MPLS over Gigabit Ethernet with more than 5,000 ports shipped, Riverstone now brings the benefits of its advanced MPLS technology to SONET/SDH, enabling metro-to-metro VPN services over any network. "Service provider networks are an amalgam of ATM, SONET/SDH, and Ethernet," said Ed Chang, vice president of product marketing and management at Riverstone. "To maximize their infrastructure investments and increase revenue, providers need technology that works over their entire network to deliver the services their customers demand. Working in concert with its MPLS Draft Martini implementation, Riverstone's MPLS POS solution enables service providers to extend VPN services from legacy to next-generation networks, delivering a continuous VPN solution over any network." According to a February 2002 report from Infonetics Research, 44 percent of polled enterprises requested VPN services. Fifty-eight percent expect to have VPN services by 2004. With the wide variety of network infrastructures currently deployed in the metropolitan area network, VPN services must extend beyond the LAN with support of ATM, Ethernet, and SONET/SDH networks. Riverstone's MPLS POS technology is the final piece of this VPN-services-over-any-network puzzle. Riverstone Networks Inc.