National TV Broadcaster Unifies Communications Across Russia

MOSCOW - June 10, 2008 - Cisco today announced that TRK Petersburg, Russia's national TV broadcaster, has deployed Cisco® Unified Communications to improve data delivery and accelerate its TV-program production process. The upgrade of legacy network infrastructure supports TRK's plans to expand Channel Five broadcasting nationwide by providing audio and video conferencing capabilities. It also helps TRK to deliver high-definition (HD) video content to customers over the high-performance broadband data network.

The network upgrade has allowed TRK Petersburg to increase efficiency across all business units as well as dramatically simplify and accelerate its broadcast content creation. TRK Petersburg is now able to support all Channel Five studios and deliver HDTV signals via the new 10-gigabit network. For example, field correspondents are now able to transfer videos directly onto storage servers or to program studios, which speeds up content creation. Internal communication with regional branch offices has also been improved by IP-based video conferencing between offices.

Orange System, a St. Petersburg based systems integrator and IT infrastructure provider, was selected to implement the upgrade using a Cisco Unified Communications solution. The core network, based on the Cisco Catalyst® 6500 Series Switches, has a ring topology and features integrated virtual private network (VPN) functions with automatic encryption and decryption to help ensure highly secure data transfer. Orange System is a Cisco Registered Partner in Russia.

Andrei Zuzenko, head of information systems and development department for TRK Petersburg - Channel Five, said: "Provision of a high level of data security in the network without additional specialized equipment was a very important factor when choosing Cisco."

Alexei Perevyazkin, Cisco regional manager for northwest Russia, said: "TRK Petersburg is benefiting from increased business efficiency across branch offices using Unified Communications and has reduced upgrade costs by taking advantage of Cisco's trade-in scheme. Orange System was able to employ the flexibility of Cisco's trade-in program to upgrade the network quickly and easily."

Cisco Unified Communications supports enhanced business productivity and facilitates agility by creating a collaborative workspace encompassing a combination of applications, devices, networks and operating systems. When combined with the industry-leading services and the performance of Cisco switching platforms, TRK will be able to maximize network value significantly and use the collaborative technology that Unified Communications provides. Oleg Gavrikov, project manager for Orange System, said: "It was important for us to build a network that would simplify data capture from all Russian regions and significantly reduce the time needed for TV program production. We chose Cisco's next-generation Unified Communications solution for this project as it satisfied all the requirements and created a solid technological foundation for development in the future."

About TRK Petersburg - Channel Five

At present, Petersburg - Channel Five is available in 91 cities of 72 regions of the Russian Federation at a territory with a population exceeding 53 million people. Channel Five broadcasts to all Russian large cities with over a million dwellers, including Moscow. Moreover, it is available at 58 cities with a population of more than 200 people. Its newly created regional network includes 11 open studios and 26 correspondents' hubs. For more information, please, refer to www.5-tv.ru.