ROME, Italy -- November 24, 1998 -- Infostrada, the Italian wireline telephone company controlled by Olivetti, is to install a new data network at a cost of US$35 million over the next 2 - 3 years. The chosen network solution - plus value-added implementation and support services - is being supplied by Cisco Systems, a new partner for Infostrada. The network will be based on IP and Dial-up infrastructure that will enable Infostrada to offer a portfolio of new, value added services for businesses and consumers, with unprecedented scalability and capacity. Cisco's solution includes 40,000 dial ports, via the AS5800 Universal Access Server dial platform, and an entire IP backbone built with Cisco's 7500 family of core routers.
Infostrada has chosen Cisco as its technology partner, while Alcatel will provide system integration to bring the new network into its operation.
Although it is the strongest competitor in the recently liberalised Italian telecommunications marketplace, Infostrada is a relatively young company, which emerged following industry de-regulation earlier this year. The company acknowledges that it required a technology partner with a comprehensive understanding of its enterprise customers' needs: "This is one of the reasons we opted to work with Cisco Systems," explains Ing. Alberto De Petris, CTO of Infostrada. " Cisco's experience of the enterprise marketplace is second to none. We also liked the fact that Cisco can provide an end-to-end solution, both in terms of the technology and network design-and-build."
The quality of Cisco's value-added services was also judged to be superior to its competitors. Commenting on this significant account win, Peter Lomas, Vice President, Service Provider Line of Business at Cisco Systems, said: "Infostrada is a classic example of a New World carrier who believes that time to market and highly differentiated services are key points to succeed in this competitive market. By choosing to build a very solid packet based network, Infostrada can today offer a very broad IP-based services portfolio."
About the AS5800 Universal Access Server
The AS8500 is part of the Cisco AS5X00 family of access servers (AS5200, AS5300, AS5800) which provide carrier class scalability and multiprotocol capabilities for both SPs and enterprises. The Cisco AS5X00 product series supports universal dial access by providing both analog modem and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) support over the same bearer line, and world-wide dial access by providing multiple trunk-line signaling protocols. These high-performance access servers provide unmatched platform throughput for enterprises and SPs that require it. Cisco AS5X00 features include:About Infostrada
Infostrada, a company controlled by Oliman - a joint venture between Olivetti and Mannesman - is Italy's second wireline telephone company with a wide- ranging offer of services for both residential and business users.Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is theworldwide leader in networking for the Internet.Cisco, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the U.S. and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.
