New Infrastructure to Provide ISP and Business Customers with a One-Stop Shop for Value-Added New World Services
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- May 10, 1999 -- ICG Packet Switch Technologies (formerly Netcom), a wholly-owned subsidiary of ICG Communications (NASDAQ: ICGX), announced today that it has deployed an IP+ATM network backbone from Cisco Systems. The new infrastructure delivers carrier-class reliability and quality of service (QoS) capabilities, which enables ICG to meet growing customer demand for highly available, value-added data and voice services. ICG offers its ISP and business customers a wide range of voice and data services, including Frame Relay, ATM, IP, and voice over IP (VoIP) services. The new IP+ATM network is based on Cisco MGX 8850 and Cisco BPX. 8650 wide-area switches. The award-winning MGX 8850 enables ICG to roll out IP services based on the Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) standard with unprecedented time to market. The Cisco IP+ATM network also includes the Cisco BPX 8650 wide-area MPLS switch--the first ATM WAN switch in production with a carrier-class implementation of MPLS.
MGX High-Density Frame Relay Provides a Competitive Edge in the New Networking World
"To stay competitive, we have to do everything right," says Mike Kallet, senior vice president and general manager of ICG PST. "We conducted an exhaustive search for a carrier-class platform that will help us do just that-reliably deliver value-added services as our dynamic market evolves. It's asking a lot, but Cisco delivered what we asked for. With the Cisco MGX 8850, Cisco is exceeding our expectations."In this first phase of deployment, ICG is installing up to 50 Cisco MGX 8850 and BPX 8650 wide-area switches to build a robust, fault-tolerant IP+ATM backbone. The MPLS-compliant switches provide end-to-end QoS support for IP and ATM traffic. These platforms also provide high scalability, enabling ICG to keep up with subscriber demand and to leverage emerging opportunities-such as demand for virtual private networks and managed services-without continuous infrastructure investment. Cisco's MGX 8850 wide-area switch integrates Cisco IOS. software IP capabilities and carrier-class ATM in a single platform. The MGX 8850 platform aggregates ICG's IP and Frame Relay traffic for the BPX switches, enabling ICG to run IP and Frame Relay at port speeds ranging from 64 kbps to T3 (45 Mbps), and ATM services over a single, integrated network.
"The MGX 8850 represents the high density and high availability solution we need for our volume Frame Relay deployment," says Kallet. "In addition, Cisco's strong support and proven track record of reliability were key to our decision to replace the previous backbone with the MGX 8850 platform."
ICG's VoIP network is built upon the proven Cisco 7206 series router and AS5300 universal access servers for dial capabilities and VoIP services. In production since September 1998, the VoIP network delivers toll-quality voice services to customers in 200 cities across the United States. This service will now take advantage of the high-speed IP+ATM backbone to deliver IP voice and data services with the required QoS via MPLS.
"ICG represents an excellent example of a New-World service provider," says Kevin Kennedy, senior vice president of the Service Provider Line of Business at Cisco Systems. "With Cisco's IP+ATM platforms, the MGX and BPX, ICG's portfolio of quality data, VoIP, IP, and value-added services represent the leading edge of tomorrow's telecommunication capabilities."
About ICG Communications
With headquarters in Englewood, Colo., ICG Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICGX) is a competitive telecommunications provider of high-quality, integrated communications solutions. ICG offers local, long distance and enhanced telephony, and data communications to small and medium-sized businesses; high-speed data network capabilities and services to Internet service providers throughout the U.S.; and international satellite voice and data services.Cisco Systems
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