DULUTH, Minnesota, August 22, 2000- MP Telecom, a subsidiary of Minnesota Power, Inc. (NYSE: MPL), will install a Cisco Powered Network of advanced ATM- and IP-based data services on its fiber-optic network linking 75 percent of Minnesota. ATM stands for Asynchronous Transfer Mode - a telecommunications technology that carries voice, video and data over a single network connection.
MP Telecom's advanced network, which is based on an end-to-end Cisco infrastructure comprised of high-performance, reliable and secure networking solutions, has been designated a Cisco Powered Network. The company's ATM services will be powered by Cisco 8500 ATM switches, Cisco ONS 15454 Optical Transport Platforms, Cisco 7206 routers, Cisco AS5300 universal access servers and Cisco Catalyst 4000 series switches.
As a Cisco Powered Network member, MP Telecom will work with Cisco in joint marketing and technology sharing activities.
"We have been very impressed with MP Telecom and their commitment to develop a state-of-the-art communications network and we look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship through the Cisco Powered Network program," said Kevin Outcalt, senior director of service provider marketing at Cisco. "With the Cisco Powered Network designation, MP Telecom's customers can be confident they are receiving a service built on Cisco's industry-leading network technology."
"Cisco shares our vision that ATM and IP-based networks are the foundation for delivering business solutions to give our customers a strategic competitive advantage," said Walt Prahl, president of MP Telecom. "Our customers benefit by having a flexible network that can grow with their business by combining separate voice, video and data networks into a single network to reduce costs and place quality-of-service controls on the information."
As an indication of the strong demand for these services, MP Telecom's first large contract is with an education consortium in northern Minnesota. This consortium of schools, libraries and nonprofit educational organizations, known as the Northeast Wide Area Network (NEWAN), will be among the first customers of the new MP Telecom ATM services. MP Telecom has successfully collaborated with these Minnesota organizations to migrate existing video distance learning systems, data networks, and voice networks to MP Telecom's ATM network.
MP Telecom is a wholly owned subsidiary of Minnesota Power, Inc., a multi-services company with corporate headquarters in Duluth, Minnesota. Effective September 1, Minnesota Power will begin doing business as ALLETE (NYSE: ALE).
