July 14, 2003

Aruba Wireless Networks Wins Best of Show in Tokyo, Named Wi-Fi Hotspot Contributor for N+I PARIS 2003 Network

SAN JOSE, CA – July 14, 2003 – Aruba Wireless Networks today announced that its modular wireless LAN switching system took Best of Show honors winning the Grand Prize in the Wireless and Mobile category at the NetWorld+Interop exhibition in Tokyo. The Company also said it has been selected by Medialive International (formerly Key3Media) as the Wi-Fi Hotspot Connectivity contributor for its upcoming NetWorld+Interop Paris conference and exhibition, November 19-21 at the Porte de Versailles Exposition Center.

Best of Show in Tokyo

The Aruba 5000 beat out four other finalists in the Wireless and Mobile category to take the Grand Prize at NetWorld+Interop’s Tokyo 2003 Best of Show competition. The Aruba 5000 is the first WLAN switching system to win Best of Show at a NetWorld+Interop event.

According to the judges, the Aruba 5000 represented a “profound new breakthrough product and technology that, for the first time, truly brings wired and wireless networks together.” Key criteria in their decision to award the Aruba 5000 with the Grand Prize was its ability to provide superior centralized management, automated deployment capabilities and high performance multi-layered security.

Lighting Up Paris

Aruba’s WLAN switching system will be used to provide 802.11a, 802.11g (54 Mbps) as well as 802.11b (11 Mbps) coverage to all NetWorld+Interop Paris attendees. The Aruba 5000 modular WLAN switching system will be deployed in NetWorld+Interop’s central Network Operations Center (NOC) providing indirect control of Aruba 50 access points and air monitors connected through layer 2/3 switches installed around the exposition center.

According to organizers, Aruba’s WLAN switching system was selected because of the ability to easily deploy the equipment without requiring direct connection of access points to the WLAN switch or additional appliances or logical network re-configuration. Another key decision criteria was Aruba’s advanced RF management and automatic deployment capabilities that provide NetWorld+Interop Paris organizers state-of-the-art control and security.

Advanced RF management tools within Aruba’s WLAN switch will allow NetWorld+Interop Paris engineers to better and more quickly deploy and calibrate the NetWorld+Interop wireless infrastructure in order to provide optimized coverage for attendees. NetWorld+Interop Paris organizers will also be able to leverage the Aruba Wi-Fi Switching System to provide different levels of security and access to various groups (eg. engineers versus attendees) as they roam around the show floor.

“NetWorld+Interop Paris remains one of the largest European showcases for leading edge network products and technologies,” said Francois Colombaro, technical director of InteropNet Paris. “Proving wildly successful at our NetWorld+Interop in Las Vegas, Wi-Fi switching gives us the ability to remotely react to changes in the wireless environment in real-time and to ensure the highest level of user performance.”

The NetWorld+Interop Paris exhibition and conference runs November 19-21 and is expected to attract more than 40,000 attendees throughout Europe. In March, Aruba was named the Official Wireless Provider for the U.S. NetWorld+Interop exhibition in Las Vegas.

-30-