6Wind And Snapgear Enter Into A Strategic Partnership To Develop A New Generation Of IPv6 / IPv4 CPEs

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – March 11, 2002 – 6WIND, a leading company in IPv6 technology has partnered with SnapGear Inc. to develop a new generation of Customer Premises Equipment based upon Snapgear’s SecureEdge platform and supporting the next generation of Internet protocols.

IP version 6 (IPv6) is a new version of the Internet Protocol, designed as a successor to the current IP version 4 (IPv4). IPv6 specifies 128-bit long addresses compared to the 32-bit long IPv4 ones. IPv6 solves the IPv4 exhaustion issue in regions such as Asia which get only a few IPv4 addresses. It enables peer-to-peer applications which were inhibited by the client-server model enforced by NAT (Network Address Translation). IPv6 also provides essential improvements such as plug and play capabilities, routing table optimisation, flow labeling capability to manage QoS, built-in security features and enhanced mobility protocols.

SnapGear Inc. are experienced at designing and manufacturing secure, Internet-enabled appliances for major corporates and telecommunications companies through their OEM programs. Miles Gillham, VP Marketing for SnapGear Inc. said: “We’ve been able to help many of our customers in different vertical markets due to the flexibility of our platform. Most importantly our standard stateful firewalling and VPN protocols mean that the solutions are inherently secure. Our partnership with 6WIND draws upon our core competency in Internet and embedded technology coupled with high-performance purpose-built hardware to do the job.”

The 6WIND access devices implement QoS, security, multicast, mobility and routing for IPv4 and IPv6 as well as IPv4 to IPv6 transition mechanisms to provide enterprises, ISPs and operators with the right solution to migrate to IPv6 and to deliver IPv6-based innovative services. Eric Carm?¨s, Chief Operating Officer for 6WIND said “We chose SnapGear to extend our present range of CPE because they know how to build intelligent and cost-effective Internet appliances. The versatility of the SecureEdge hardware platform means that we will be able to quickly design access devices fulfilling 6WIND customers’ requirements. Without having to worry about the risk of new product design we can focus on the development of our core IPv4 / IPv6 technology.”

6WIND and SnapGear Inc. expect to release specific product details and shipping dates shortly.

About SnapGear, Inc.

SnapGear Inc produce the popular SnapGear VPN Routers along with SecureEdge custom design solutions. SnapGear Inc has produced turnkey development, design, and even manufacturing and fulfillment services for numerous multi-national companies. SnapGear solutions are characterised by affordability, tight integration, and design ingenuity. Recent examples include a sport/racing control terminal, an advanced VPN gateway router, and a USB/PCMCIA platform for wireless and peripheral connection.

For more information on SnapGear please visit http://www.snapgear.com

For more information on SecureEdge reference designs and services please visit http://www.secureedge.net

About 6WIND

6WIND specializes in the development of IP access devices and focuses on the new generation of IP protocols including IPv4 / IPv6 dual stack implementation, IPv4 / IPv6 routing,IPv4 / IPv6 QoS management, IPv4 / IPv6 security management, IPv6 mobility and IPv4 to IPv6 migration protocols. 6WIND is a founding member of the IPv6 Forum.

For more information about 6WIND please visit http://www.6wind.com

SnapGear and SecureEdge are registered trademarks of SnapGear Inc. All other products, services, companies and publications are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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