SEOUL, South Korea, -- May 18, 1999 -- Cisco Systems announced today that Thrunet, a leading data communications and service provider in Korea, has adopted an end-to-end Cisco solution to deliver broadband Internet access based on IP over SONET (Synchronous Optical Network).
Thrunet's network backbone will be based on the Cisco 12000 series of Gigabit Switch Routers, with Cisco uBR 7246 Universal Broadband Routers as head-end equipment and Cisco uBR 904/924 cable modems as edge devices on its CATV (cable television) network.
Cisco's uBR900 series cable modem is a plug-and-play product that integrates a full-featured Cisco router with a two-way cable modem based on the industry-wide Data-Over-Cable System Interface Specification (DOCSIS) standard. It delivers a powerful combination of enterprise-class networking and security features with high bandwidth capabilities of at a more cost-effective price than any alternative solution available today.
The Cisco GSR 12000 series is the primary building block in Cisco's optical internetworking strategy. Optical Internetworking provides the New World architecture that service providers require to support ever-increasing data traffic volumes, and enables the deployment of innovative new services. Optical internetworking combines gigabit and terabit internetworking with current and emerging optical technologies and excels at moving data at very high speeds.
Mr. Kim Young-Mo, manager of the Internet Technology team at Thrunet, said: "We chose Cisco's solutions because of their effective price/performance ratio, highly stable routing capabilities and full range of scalable, high-speed Internet products. The Cisco GSR 12008 meets our exponentially growing need for Internet bandwidth, while delivering excellent manageability and high quality service on IP."
By delivering IP (Internet Protocol) packets over an optical infrastructure, Thrunet will be able to deploy a high-speed network architecture at a fraction of the cost of traditional networks.
For subscribers, high access speeds of up to 40 Mbps downstream and 10 Mbps upstream are obtained by simply installing a cable modem connected to Thrunet's Cable TV network. Cable modems are compact, easy-to-install devices that can receive and transmit digital data over the same cable that brings television broadcast transmissions into a cable TV subscriber's home.
To offer Internet access at such unprecedented speeds for its 130,000 subscribers in 1999, Thrunet decided to migrate its existing ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network to an optical framework based on IP over SONET.
Mr. Park Je-Young, deputy manager of Thrunet, said: "Thrunet selected Cisco's solutions to provide enhanced service to subscribers. Cisco's end-to-end solution, ranging from network backbone switch routers to cable modems, meets our needs perfectly and allows Thrunet to offer the fastest, most reliable Internet access possible for our customers."
"The convergence of optical and internetworking technologies will let service providers such as Thrunet build high-speed multimedia networks that are considerably cheaper than traditional TDM telecom networks," said Dr. Hong Sung-won, president of Cisco Systems Korea. "Migration to the New World of integrated voice, video and data networks based on packet architectures is inevitable, and rapid adoption is a matter of survival for companies and service providers. Thrunet has shown true vision by recognizing the advantages of this new infrastructure."
SONET is a standard for using fiber optics for telecommunications transmissions. The global standard equivalent is SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy). SONET is a high-bandwidth standard that will provide broadband optical fiber connections in a point-to-point configuration. SONET's advantages over the copper-based telephone network includes increased network reliability, interconnection between products from different vendors, and a defined architecture that is flexible enough to support new applications and a range of transmissions speeds.
About Thrunet
Thrunet Co. Ltd. is a leased-line service provider that offers super-fast, high-performance telecommunication services in Korea. Thrunet news and information are available at http://www.thrunet.com.
