SAN JOSE, Calif., June 6, 2011 – Cisco announced today that NTT Plala has deployed the Cisco Aggregation Services Router 9000 Series (ASR 9000)  for its Internet access service.  This will allow NTT Plala to build a secure wideband Internet service infrastructure while reducing energy consumption.

Cisco will also host a global public webcast Tuesday, June 7 at 10 a.m. PDT/ 1 p.m. EDT to discuss significant developments in its service provider technology portfolio.  To register, please visit the event registration page.  

Editor's note:Prior to the public webcast, Cisco will host an interactive event for media and industry analysts involving executives from Cisco and leading global service providers.  For more information, media and analysts should contact #NACiscoSPinf@text100.com. 

Additionally, Cisco will be holding a related TechTalk for shareholders and financial analysts at 2 p.m. PDT. The event can be accessed at http://investor.cisco.com/.

Today, it is imperative for Internet service providers to respond to the growth in Internet traffic brought about by the spread of video-sharing sites and on-demand video viewing services, as well as the expanding business use of cloud-based applications.  Service providers also need to address the issue of Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) address exhaustion, prepare their networks to meet IPv6 requirements, and offering attractive services to acquire new subscriptions. 

Moreover, the environment surrounding Internet service providers is drastically changing, as they need to respond to concerns about energy supply.  Under such circumstances, NTT Plala has employed the Cisco ASR 9000 Series to enhance the efficiency of its network equipment and enable the company to promptly respond to changes in the business environment.

NTT Plala expects the following benefits through its ASR 9000 deployments:

1.      Establishment of a scalable Internet platform

The Cisco ASR 9000 is highly scalable and, in the future, will serve as a 100 Gigabit Ethernet platform and help service ISPs protect their investments over the long term and reduce CAPEX (capital expenditure).  It also supports carrier-grade IPv6 functions to enable future service expansion.

2.      Reduction of energy consumption

A modular power system implemented in the Cisco ASR 9000 supplies the minimum energy required by the system, thus reducing operating expense by lowering power consumption per transfer rate.

3.      Enhancement ofsecurity service

Using Cisco SCE (Service Control Engine) as a DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) product that controls bandwidth and applications, NTT Plala is currently offering "Net Barrier Basic" value-added service that enables the provision of a safe and secure broadband environment.  From now on, the company can establish an infrastructure that further enhances consumer security service that offerssafe and secure Internet environmentby combining the Cisco ASR 9000 and Cisco SCE.

"Deploying Cisco ASR 9000, companies can get a highly scalable platform that allows them to offer enhanced security service," said Katsumi Nagata, Board Director, General Manager of NTT Plala.  "The environment surrounding ISPs is getting highly complex.  Companies are facing many challenges including the need to respond to increasing video traffic and reduce power consumption.  Cisco ASR 9000 offers solutions to each of these challenges."

Cisco will continue helping customers reduce CAPEX and OPEX, and building next-generation service platforms to offer advanced Internet service.

About NTT Plala Inc.

NTT Plala Inc. is a part of NTT group and offers the "Plala" personal Internet service, "BUSINESS Plala" for the enterprise, and "Hikari TV" video-delivery service.  The "Plala" service has 2.52 million broadband subscribersamong a total of about 3.1 million subscribersas of the end of March 2011.  NTT Plala focuses on offering a variety of cost-effective service plans.  In FY2010, it won various awards including being ranked first in J.D. Power Asia Pacific's Japan High-Speed Internet Service Provider Customer Satisfaction Studyfor the fifth consecutive year since 2006.  It also wonfirst in MM Research Institute's ISP service quality rating overall ranking and first in the security category of RBBTODAY's 2010 Broadband Awards.

See the following website for the corporate profile and other details on NTT Plala.
http://www.nttplala.com/

Visit the following website to find more about the Plala service:

http://www.plala.or.jp

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