SAN JOSE, Calif. -- June 17, 1997 -- The Beijing Telecommunications Administration (BTA) hasselected Cisco Systems' StrataCom(R) Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switches for the city'sfirst metropolitan-area network (MAN). The new multimillion-dollar ATM network will carry muchof Beijing's Internet, corporate and intragovernmental data traffic. In addition toconsolidating the capital's existing X.25 and low-speed data traffic, the network will provideFrame Relay services and citywide, high-speed data connectivity.
National access will be made possible through links to the Ministry of Posts andTelecommunications' (MPT) countrywide Frame Relay network. Under terms of the contract, Ciscowill supply StrataCom BPX(R)/AXIS(TM) and IGX(TM) ATM switches for a closed-loop broadbandbackbone that encircles the city. Forty-two Cisco IGX switches will feed the network andprovide access at speeds ranging from 64 kbps to 2 Mbps.
"Beijing is the information hub for the whole of China," says Gong Bin, deputy chief engineerof Beijing Telecommunications Administration. "Because of its strategic role, it was essentialthat we equip the city with a comprehensive data system delivering high throughput and aconsistent level of service. ATM technology from Cisco will greatly improve existing networkperformance and spur the development of further data services in the Beijing area."
Rapidly growing usage of the Internet and intranets was a key driver behind the BTA's decisionto upgrade its data communications capability and increase the available bandwidth. Beijing ishome to many government ministries that are heavy users of the Internet and intranet networks. One such body, China's State Education Commission, operates the China Educational ResearchNetwork (CERNET), a national network used to link all of the country's universities to theInternet. Through CERNET, millions of students and teachers send and receive electronic mailand download information from around the world.
The highly scalable BPX/AXIS and IGX switches utilize advanced cell-switching technology thatallows BTA to migrate to higher-speed ATM technology as data traffic demands dictate. "Thecombination of Cisco BPX/AXIS and IGX switches will enable BTA to provide a highly flexible andpowerful platform for data delivery," said Gary Scarborough, Cisco's marketing director forGreater China.
Cisco Systems is the leading technology company behind China's largest computer networks. Earlier this month, Cisco won a contract to supply equipment for China Financial Network, a national data network that links banks and financial institutions in nearly 200 cities. Rankedas one of the largest Frame Relay networks in the country, the prestigious project was Cisco'sbiggest to date in China. Cisco's other major customers in the Peoples' Republic of Chinainclude ChinaNet, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, State Administration forExchange Control (SAEC), Shanghai's Stock Exchange and Xinhua News Agency.
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