BROADBAND SERVICE PROVIDERS OFFER HOMEPNA HOME NETWORKING.

To meet the growing demand for high-speed Internet sharing and connectivity in the home, leading Internet Service Providers (ISPs), including BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc., EarthLink, SBC Communications Inc., Time Warner Cable and Verizon Online, are offering their broadband customers networking products and services supported by Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA) technology. Using existing home telephone wiring, HomePNA technology enables consumers with multiple PCs to take advantage of a single, high-speed Internet connection to simultaneously check e-mail, browse the Web, share peripherals and stream audio and video content throughout the home, without interfering with standard telephone services.

"In keeping with EarthLink's customer-first philosophy, we wanted to make sure we provided our subscribers with home networking hardware that let our subscribers easily share their Internet connection," said Erika Jolly, EarthLink's vice president of value added services. "One of the reasons we chose 2Wire's HomePortal was that it featured HomePNA, giving our subscribers an alternative networking option."

According to the May 2002 Nielsen/Net Ratings report, more than 25.2 million at-home Web surfers accessed the Internet via cable modem, DSL, or ISDN last month, as compared to 15.9 million individuals in April 2001, which represents a 58 percent increase in high-speed connectivity year-over-year.

And where broadband goes, home networking is likely to follow. Recent research from Parks Associates suggests that more than one half of all U.S. broadband households have some form of home networking solution deployed, a penetration rate more than ten times higher than homes with dial-up. "As new broadband households experience the benefits of high-speed connectivity, they inevitably want to share this connection among multiple devices," said Michael Greeson, senior analyst and director of broadband research for Parks Associates.

"Leading ISPs are recognizing the advantages that home networking can bring to the broadband consumer and are now offering expanded products and services to their customers," said David Thomasson, VP of marketing at CopperGate Communications and chairman of HomePNA's marketing committee. "With reliable HomePNA technology, consumers benefit from an affordable, convenient solution and seamless installation, both critical factors in increasing consumer adoption of home networking."

BellSouth, Earthlink, SBC and Verizon Online currently offer residential gateways based on HomePNA technology to both new and existing DSL high speed Internet access customers. EarthLink is also rolling out HomePNA home networking services for cable modem customers in 39 Time Warner Cable territories nationwide.

Availability

HomePNA phoneline networking technology, combined with the advanced voice and data services of the various ISPs, gives consumers the opportunity to network up to 20 computers and peripherals via a phoneline network to share data and stream high-quality audio and video. For additional information on networking your home using HomePNA technology, contact the respective service providers or the HomePNA website at http://homepna.org.

ISP's currently offering HomePNA phoneline technology include the following:

-- BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.: BellSouth(R) FastAccess(R) HomeNetworking Service uses the 2Wire HomePortal(TM)1000 residential gateway, which integrates a DSL modem, a high-performance router and professional grade firewall in a single unit. Connected to a telephone jack, the device enables the existing telephone wires in a home to serve as the network, eliminating the need for new wiring between rooms. For more information and pricing, visit http://www.fastaccess.com/consumer/blsc_homenetworking.jsp

-- EarthLink: EarthLink Home Networking provides broadband subscribers with co-branded versions of 2Wire's HomePortal(TM)100, HomePortal(TM)100W, HomePortal(TM)1000 and HomePortal(TM)1000W residential gateways and full in-house customer support. EarthLink is offered in 90+ DSL markets and via cable modem in 39 Time Warner Cable markets. In addition, EarthLink will launch cable modem service in Seattle and Boston this year in conjunction with AT&T Broadband. With more than 532,000 high-speed subscribers, EarthLink is one of the leading broadband Internet service providers and offers high-speed Internet access nationally through all three major broadband technologies: cable, DSL and two-way satellite. For more information and pricing visit http://www.earthlink.net/home/broadband/homenetwork/

-- SBC Communications Inc.: SBC markets adapter products and residential gateways through its subsidiaries. For more information and pricing, visit http://www.sbc.com

-- Time Warner Cable: Time Warner Cable offers their subscribers home networking installation, technical support, and security and firewall protection utilizing the Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA) protocol. For more information, call 1-800-418-8848.

-- Verizon Online: With the 2Wire HomePortal residential gateway, consumers can enjoy the benefits of sharing a single high-speed DSL Internet connection among multiple computers and laptops regardless of where they are located in the home. For more information and pricing, visit http://www.verizon.net/pands/dsl/add_ons/home_networking.asp

About the Home Phoneline Networking Alliance

The Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA) is an incorporated, non-profit association of industry-leading companies working together to ensure adoption of a single, unified, phoneline networking industry standard and rapidly bring to market a range of interoperable home networking solutions. Founded in June 1998, HomePNA is led by seven forward-thinking companies (2Wire, Inc., Agere Systems, AT&T, Broadcom, Conexant Systems, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., and Motorola). The Alliance's membership has grown to include cutting-edge companies, spanning the networking, telecommunications, hardware, software and consumer electronics industries.

HomePNA's high-performance and Quality of Service (QoS) ensure reliable content delivery to the end-user. HomePNA delivers 32Mbps of performance over the phoneline, which translates into ten times the performance of a high-speed DSL or cable Internet connection. For more information on HomePNA visit http://homepna.org. To become a member, visit http://homepna.org/join and review the bylaws of HomePNA before completing the online membership application.

For more information, call 415/352-2628 ext. 134.

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