Tellabs, Riverstone Set Broadband Gear Partnership

Tellabs (TLAB Quote) is expected to announce Wednesday that it has formed a partnership with Riverstone Networks to develop and sell broadband-access equipment for cable systems.

Tellabs is contributing an undisclosed amount of financing, and Riverstone, a unit of Cabletron Systems (CS Quote), will be contributing equipment to the deal.

Riverstone filed an S-1 registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission in September and says the IPO is still on schedule. The Tellabs alliance will help bring Riverstone's router and switching equipment to the market more quickly, and presumably give the company a bigger revenue base and customer list to point to as its shares debut. ...