SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Riverstone Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:RSTNE) today announced that it is partnering with NTT-ME Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation (NTT EAST), to deliver 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE) solutions to Japan's leading telecommunications carriers and largest enterprises.

"The demand for carrier class infrastructures that support an ever growing number of applications and services is driving the Japanese market, forcing service providers and enterprises alike to upgrade their networks," said Shuji Arima, senior vice president and senior executive manager at Global Solution Headquarters of NTT-ME. "With the addition of Riverstone's XGS switches to our ME Global WAVE line, we now offer a best-in-class solution that increases capacity while maintaining the highest level of network reliability."

NTT-ME is a leading distributor and integrator of networking solutions in Japan. Under the terms of the agreement, NTT-ME will provide Riverstone's XGS Layer 3 switches, ES switches and RS routers to Japanese service provider and enterprise customers that are deploying carrier class network infrastructures. NTT-ME will sell the Riverstone products as part of its ME Global WAVE product line and will provide deployment and service support.

"NTT-ME is one of Japan's largest integrators and counts as its customers both carriers and large enterprises," said James Harold, Riverstone's vice president of channels. "Their market penetration and Riverstone's technology are powerful allies in a market that demands 10 Gig technology."

Designed for high performance networking environments, Riverstone's XGS switches couple 10 Gigabit capacity with the intelligent bandwidth required for emerging applications and services. NTT-ME will also distribute Riverstone's RS family of routers as a complement to the XGS switches. Leveraging the interface diversity of the RS family and the capacity of the XGS family, NTT-ME can provide its customers with a solution for any network.

According to the International Trade Administration's ExportIT Japan report, wireline telecommunications equipment purchases in Japan are primarily driven by the replacement of current voice-based networks and the expansion of existing data networks. Specifically, the report states that the demand for Layer 3 switches is increasing as carriers accelerate the deployment of Ethernet technology in metropolitan networks.

Riverstone Networks Inc.

NTT East Corp.