GTE R&D; Unit Joins Security Research Allianc

BBN Technologies R&D; Experts Collaborate with Industry Leaders in Premier Security Alliance

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - BBN Technologies, a research and development unit of GTE, announced today that it has joined the Security Research Alliance, the world's premier commercially funded vendor-neutral organization whose members are involved in security research. BBNT joins Network Associates (Nasdaq: NETA), Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO), Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU), Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: SUNW), and GTE Government Systems in their work to advance the visibility and future of information security technology for the IT community. This announcement comes as the Alliance prepares to host its first annual "Crystal Ball Symposium," to be held in San Jose, California on April 20 in conjunction with the Internet Security Conference.

"BBN Technologies has been a leader in data network security since it developed the first packet network encryption device in the 1970's." said Ed Starr, Senior Vice President and General Manager of BBN Technologies. " Our network security R&D; continues to provide GTE with a strong competitive advantage. The Alliance will enable us to share and expand this security research and expertise. We look forward to increasing our role in the future of security research as an active participant of the Alliance."

The Security Research Alliance was established in January of this year as a means for leading information security vendors to work toward shared objectives. BBNT and other members hope to increase the level of dialogue on advanced security research projects and findings with the end-user IT community; to share ideas and disseminate information on advanced security research through regular peer review meetings; and to collaborate on research projects in an effort to increase the chances that innovations are transferred into widely available commercial security products. The Alliance is chaired by a representative from one of the member organizations on a rotating basis, with Terry Benzel, vice president of research at Network Associates' NAI Labs, acting as the first year chairperson.

"The Security Research Alliance is pleased to welcome BBN Technologies," said Terry Benzel, chairwoman of the Alliance. "With its association with GTE's Internet services provider, GTE Internetworking, BBNT brings to the SRA a new angle with its knowledge of the continuously evolving security demands inherent in the Internet environment. The Alliance will definitely benefit from this unique insight."

As part of its educational charter, the Alliance is hosting its first Crystal Ball Symposium next month, with registration open to the public.

The symposium will be a full-day event, featuring presentations by world-renowned researchers from the six member organizations. A keynote speech will be delivered by a representative from the U.S. Government's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the organization which funded development of the Internet in the 1970s and which continues to chart the course for many of the government's most demanding advanced security research projects. The symposium will be held on Tuesday, April 20 in conjunction with the Internet Security Conference in San Jose, California. To register for the event, call 1-800-798-2928 or visit the web at http://www.securityresearch.com/events.htm.

The Security Research Alliance is a vendor-neutral organization of leading technology vendors, each of whom have significant investments in the area of advanced security research. Charter members of the Alliance are Network Associates, Cisco Systems, Lucent Technologies and Sun Microsystems. For more information on the Security Research Alliance, visit http://www.securityresearch.com.

About GTE

BBN Technologies is a unit of GTE Corporation that conducts research and development in advanced network applications and technologies, converged telecommunications, federal network systems, e-commerce security, and technical business planning. BBNT has been an active and influential participant in the Internet security and protocol standards arena, as well as in other security-relevant standards bodies.

With revenues of more than $25 billion in 1998, GTE is a leading telecommunications provider with one of the broadest arrays of services in the industry. In the U.S., GTE provides local service in 28 states and wireless service in 17 states; nationwide long-distance service and internetworking services ranging from dial-up Internet access for residential and small business consumers to Web-based applications for Fortune 500 companies; as well as video service in selected markets. Outside the U.S., the company serves more than nine million customers. More information about GTE Corp. can be found on the Internet at http://www.gte.com.

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