- More Information on Cisco ATM Solutions
- More Information on Cisco StrataCom ATM BPX Service Node Switches
WASHINGTON, DC (February 5, 1997) -- SITA and EQUANT, which jointlyown and operate the world's largest private international communicationsnetwork, today announced the signing of a multi-year agreement withCisco Systems for carrier-class Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)switches as part of a major program to increase the capacity and speedof its global backbone network.
The contract is open-ended, providing a framework for the purchase ofmultiple Cisco BPX ATM switches over the next three years forinstallation at network points of presence worldwide. As part of theagreement, the companies already have ordered eight Cisco BPX ATMswitches for testing and deployment this year at key network locationsin North America.
At a press briefing at ComNet '97 in Washington, DC, EQUANT NetworkServices International Corporation Chief Financial Officer Doug Gilstrapsaid, "We believe Cisco, through their StrataCom acquisition, offersmarket-leading high-speed switches for wide area networks. We'reconfident their ATM technology will deliver consistent quality andreliability in our global network and further enhance our ability todeliver affordable high-speed multimedia and other services to EQUANTand SITA customers."
The network already uses other Cisco products, including LANinterconnect, access routers and PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) dialservers. The decision to use Cisco ATM technology was the result of an18-month review that included sending Requests for Proposal (RFPs) to 11leading technology companies, which were measured against rigorousnetwork criteria for high-quality technical and operational management.
In a prepared statement, SITA Globetel Joint Venture Managing DirectorJean-Pierre Gaudard said, "ATM is strategic to the evolution of ourbackbone network. It will help us manage dramatic growth in trafficvolume -- which is doubling every nine months -- by ensuring highlyefficient bandwidth utilization and fair sharing of network resources.This translates into competitive advantage for us and real cost savingsfor our customers."
The network, which spans 225 countries and territories, delivers a broadrange of data and voice services to a fast growing base of customers inkey industry sectors -- hotels and hospitality, trade andtransportation, financial services and energy -- served by EQUANT(formerly Scitor) and to the international air transport communityserved by SITA. The network has been recognized for the quality highspeed services it provides.
Deployment of the Cisco BPX ATM switches and efforts to upgrade thebackbone network to T3/E3 on high volume routes will get underway nextmonth in North America. The ATM switches will be interconnected at T3/E3rates, with higher speeds planned as demand dictates. These activitieswill occur first in North America because of the wide availability of T3circuits and the need for bandwidth to accommodate traffic fromSabreNet, which American Airlines outsourced to SITA in 1996, as well asother major customer projects under implementation by SITA and EQUANT.
ATM switch deployment and infrastructure upgrades are expected to beginin 1998 in other geographic regions, and by 1999 the total capacity ofthe global backbone network will be in the gigabit range. Thismulti-million dollar investment will enhance the ability of the networkto accommodate the tremendous demand from customers for affordable highspeed services.
SITA
SITA, founded in 1949, is an international company owned by the world'sair transport industry, providing an extensive range oftelecommunications and information processing services to over 600organizations. Company news, product and service information areavailable at SITA's World Wide Web site http://www.sita.int.
EQUANT
Founded in 1991 to market value-added global voice and data networkservices to multinational companies, EQUANT is based in Atlanta withregional sales companies in Atlanta, London and Singapore. For moreinformation, please see the EQUANT website at http://www.equant.com.
SITA and EQUANT
SITA and EQUANT, in a joint venture, own and operate the world's largesttelecommunications network, which covers over 225 countries andterritories and has more than 120,000 user connections worldwide. Thenetwork offers a broad range of voice and data solutions tomultinationals in a variety of industries, with local support availablefrom over 150 help desks around the world. As a single global network,services are fully managed end-to-end. These services are offered on anunrivaled international scale and include X.25 and Frame Relay,messaging, Global Voice Services, Business Intranet and InternetSolutions, and high performance remote dial access services.
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. News andinformation are available at http://www.cisco.com.
Cisco IOS and Cisco Systems are trademarks, and Cisco and theCisco logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. All othertrademarks, service marks, registered trademarks or registered servicemarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respectiveowners.
