Raytheon BBN Technologies

Cambridge, Mass., March 18, 2008 — BBN Technologies, an advanced technology solutions firm, announced today it has been awarded $5.7 million in funding by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the Dynamic Multi-Terabit Core Optical Networks: Architecture, Protocols, Control and Management (CORONET) program. BBN will lead a team that includes RTI International; RENCI; Verizon Federal Network Systems; Photon Futures, LLC; Optoelectronic Consulting, LLC; University of California, Davis; and LabN.

The objective of the CORONET program is to revolutionize the operation, performance, survivability, and security of the United States' global IP-based inter-networking infrastructure through improved network architecture, protocols, and control and management software. As envisioned, the target CORONET optical network will enable ultra-fast service set-up/tear-down and very fast and efficient recovery from multiple network failures. An important goal of the program is to transition the CORONET technology to commercial telecommunications carriers, as well as to Department of Defense and other US government global networks.

CORONET technology will facilitate more rapid configuration of network resources to better react to the dynamically changing global military and commercial communications needs, as well as to events such as localized surges in capacity requirements that result from natural disasters. Furthermore, the significant increase in network capacity that is a key component of the CORONET program is needed to support bandwidth-intensive, network-centric collaborative and distributed computing applications, and to accommodate the continued growth of video services.

Tad Elmer, president and CEO, BBN Technologies, said, "This contract is very gratifying because it gives us the opportunity to develop another first and implement it in a viable network. We are fortunate to have assembled the ideal team to develop the technology and transition it for commercial use."

During the 20-months of Phase 1 of the CORONET program, BBN Technologies will develop the architecture, protocols and algorithms necessary to enable a shift from today's slow-setup-time, static-topology, over-provisioned optical core networks to on-demand, adaptable, high-utilization networks, that are scalable to high capacity at a reasonable cost. To accomplish this, BBN is forging innovations in IP/optical cross-layer traffic processing and capacity management, fast signaling to enable rapid recovery from multiple failures, and a novel open-network-operations stack that will lead to simplified network operation. BBN is also designing up-front for security and survivability requirements in both the data and the management planes.

About BBN Technologies
BBN Technologies solves real problems through the creation and disciplined application of advanced technology. With expertise spanning information security, speech and language processing, networking, distributed systems, and sensing and control systems, BBN scientists and engineers have amassed a substantial collection of innovations and patented solutions. Today, BBN is managing the planning and design of GENI, an advanced network facility spanning the United States; is saving lives in Iraq and Afghanistan with its Boomerang Shooter Detection System; operates the first metro quantum cryptography network; has deployed the first real-time foreign broadcast monitoring system; and is proving the benefits of the world's first stereoscopic digital mammography system in clinical trials. For more information, visit www.bbn.com.