SAN JOSE, Calif. - February 10, 1997 - Telecom Italia, the world'ssixth largest service provider, has selected Cisco Systems' wide areaAsynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) systems as one of the majortechnologies for the foundation of their Italian data infrastructure forbusiness customers.
In the second phase of a three-year telecommunications project, TelecomItalia has purchased and deployed 250 CiscoIGX switches and 50 CiscoAS5200 universal access servers. The new equipment will be added toTelecom Italia's existing national data network, which includes CiscoBPX switches, Cisco 7500 and Cisco 4500 routers. The result will beEurope's largest integrated network for IP, ATM and Frame Relayservices.
The Cisco IGX switches will be located in cities throughout Italy, andwill function as both edge switches feeding the broadband Cisco BPXbackbone and as backbone nodes within Telecom Italia's 250 points ofpresence. The combination of Cisco BPX and IGX switches and Ciscorouters, together with dial access servers including Cisco AS5200s, willenable Telecom Italia to provide a highly flexible and powerfulplatform. The network expansion will complete the transport servicecapabilities of Telecom Italia's Business Division and will extend theircoverage of service Points of Presence for both narrowband and broadbandcustomer needs. This infrastructure has also allowed the development ofa new generation of business application services and offerings, named"Village". These offerings provide a wide range of groupware andweb-based services specifically tailored for intranet applications andoriented to business enterprises and service providers.
Cisco Viewed as One of Telecom Italia's Major Strategic Vendors
Telecom Italia selected Cisco for their next generation network becauseof Cisco's unique ability to act as a strategic vendor. "By choosing anintegrated platform for IP, ATM and Frame Relay services, we are makinga long-term decision about our strategy for data transport andapplication business services. Cisco can act as an important vendor inthis path of evolution," said Giuseppe Tilia, Executive MarketingDirector of Telecom Italia.
Reliability: Proven Track Record
Telecom Italia identified two key business goals of their new ATM andFrame Relay initiative: 1) to select the most reliable and flexible ATM and Frame Relay platform over which to provision all transport services(IP, Frame Relay, ATM and X.25) and 2) to build a multiservice ATMplatform allowing the development of ATM business for broadbandapplications.
"With overwhelming customer demand generating an enormous amount oftraffic on our network, we needed the most reliable ATM and Frame Relayplatform available in order to deliver the highest network performanceat all times. In choosing Cisco's BPX and IGX switches, we expect tohave the flexibility to deploy cost-effective ATM and Frame Relayplatforms with proven track records of delivering the reliability anduptime we require," said Claudio Brosco, Network ArchitectureDevelopment Director at Telecom Italia.
Multiservice Network Capabilities
"The Cisco IGX offers a wide range of user interfaces, ideal for TelecomItalia's unique requirements," said Richard Moley, Senior Vice Presidentof Cisco's Wide Area Networking Business Unit. "With the ability tooffer any-to-any connectivity to the national telecommunications networkfrom anywhere within Italy, Telecom Italia has one of the most flexible ATMnetworks in Europe, which will grow with them as user demand dictates."High Speed Dial Access
Telecom Italia can now offer its customers high-speed Internet accessvia the most successful technologies, among which the Cisco AS5200 dialaccess solution plays an important role. The Cisco AS5200 is designedto accept both analog and digital calls on a single trunk line, enablingall customers to dial in via a single telephone number. WithMultichassis Multilink PPP, an advanced Cisco IOS software feature, theCisco AS5200 can be scaled to simultaneously aggregate the growingnumber of customer calls. The result is a fast, reliable connection tothe Internet."After reviewing products from a host of remote access vendors, we haveembraced the Cisco dial access solution on the basis of the platformperformance results and the value-add of Cisco IOS software," saidDomenico Marocco, Engineering Manager at Telecom Italia. "Together withCisco, we are developing advanced connectivity solutions that willsupport tomorrow's multimedia applications and continue to enhance thelevel of service we bring to our customers."
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