iBEAM Broadcastingô Announces Massive Increase In Its Streaming Media ""Edge"" Network

iBEAM Broadcasting has announced that it has developed strategic partnerships with more than 60 leading Access Providers, bringing its high-performance distributed network within reach of the over 100 million Internet users globally. Among the partners joining the iBEAM alliance are Access Providers and/or Co-location Providers include Covad Communications, an iBEAM investor, and AGIS, AboveNet Communications, AT&T, Cable & Wireless, Exodus, Flashcom, Inc., High Speed Access Corp, Level3, NorthPoint, Rhythms Netconnections, Inc., TeleGlobe and Verio. iBEAMô has a unique network architecture designed to deliver high quality streaming media to hundreds of thousands of simultaneous Internet users. To enable this, it partners with leading ISPs who agree to install iBEAMís proprietary MaxCasterô servers into their data centers and local POPs. These POPs are connected to the iBEAM Broadcasting Head-end by satellite downlinks, which receive live streams from audio and video Webcasts over iBEAMís satellite infrastructure. By leveraging the economies of scale associated with satellite, iBEAM makes Webcasting an affordable enterprise for content providers, and enables more than 300,000 simultaneous streams - three times more than any other network. This architecture also scales much faster and more reliably than other terrestrial networks, supporting massive surges in demand. Other patent-pending streaming technologies further enhance iBEAMís offering by guaranteeing stream quality and reliability. Where the iBEAM satellite cannot be deployed, iBEAM uses terrestrial transport to provide full coverage to all Internet users. This hybrid architecture also provides redundant distribution further enhancing iBEAMís ability to deliver on its promise of 100 percent stream availability. ""We are excited that so many of the worldís best ISPs have understood the iBEAM value proposition and chosen to partner with us,"" said Peter Desnoes, President and CEO of iBEAM Broadcasting. ""These partnerships greatly increase iBEAMís footprint, while enabling these top ISPs to offer their customers the best quality streaming services available on the Internet."" The iBEAM solution adds particular value to broadband ISPs, since traditional Internet delivery of broadband streams is often problematic. ""iBEAMís distributed streaming media network allows Covad users to experience the full power of their broadband connections. When a stream is served from an iBEAM MaxCaster in a Covad hub, the end user experience is maximized,"" said Robert Davenport, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development for Covad. ""We are pleased to offer our Internet and other network service provider partners access to iBEAM's broadcast network,"" said Whitey Bluestein, Chief Development Officer of NorthPoint Communications, a national competitive local exchange carrier offering DSL-based high-speed Internet access in 28 major markets. ""NorthPoint's goal is to make broadband connectivity affordable for more businesses and consumers and to offer them a local network capable of supporting the delivery of high-quality streaming media and other content. NorthPoint's alliance with iBEAM is an important part of this strategy."" Most Internet streams pass over as many as 20 router hops, with each router hop causing increased degradation of the stream. With iBEAM in the local POP, users are typically only one or two router hops away, resulting in iBEAMís guaranteed stream quality. ""iBEAM's unique content distribution architecture, combined with Rhythms' end-to-end DSL-based managed network, helps us overcome existing Internet traffic congestion so that we can deliver high-quality, live and streaming video content over an affordable broadband connection,"" said Robert Kelley, Director of Innovation at Rhythms. The iBEAM Alliance Program is ramping up fast. ISPs who join the iBEAM alliance benefit from iBEAMís high quality, low-cost streaming distribution, delivered at no charge to the ISP. iBEAM Alliance ISPs are also eligible to participate in a variety of joint marketing and content promotion activities with iBEAM. Finally, ISPs that join the iBEAM Alliance are eligible to re-sell iBEAMís advanced streaming delivery on a wholesale, ISP branded basis. About iBEAM Broadcasting Corporation iBEAM Broadcasting, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, has created a distributed network infrastructure to deliver CD-quality audio and broadcast quality video on the Internet. The iBEAM architecture has the scalability required to support mass audiences, as well as the economic advantages of point-to-multipoint broadcasting. Founded by data communications, television and telecommunications professionals in 1998, iBEAM Broadcasting Corporation's mission is to provide a key infrastructure component in a new era in rich multimedia Internet applications for the mass market. iBEAM Broadcasting Corporation offers a significant advantage in both price and performance compared to existing Internet delivery solutions.For more information about iBEAM Broadcasting Corporation's Webcast Distribution services, contact Angela Jones at the company at 645 Almanor Avenue, Suite 100, Sunnyvale, CA 94086, telephone 408 523 1600.