AUCKLAND, New Zealand, December 6, 2000 - Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, today announced it has completed the installation of a 'next generation', Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) infrastructure for Telecom New Zealand to support its fiber optic backbone network.

The multi-million dollar project is the biggest DWDM system installation to date by Cisco Systems in the Asia Pacific region and will be utilized by Telecom New Zealand as its core optical transport platform to significantly increase the speed and amount of data traffic which can be distributed across the network.

Tim Hemingway, Cisco Systems' Managing Director for New Zealand, said the installation "provides Telecom New Zealand with a new generation infrastructure which allows them to scale bandwidth more cost effectively and to meet the growing demand for high speed, intelligent networking both in New Zealand and the Asia Pacific."

Working with Cisco Systems in the DWDM system installation were ConnecTel (outside fiber optic cabling) and Prime Communications Ltd (equipment installation). The project involved the deployment of new Cisco ONS 15801 (DWDM) WaveMux equipment across two physically diverse fiber optic cable routes lining the Telecom New Zealand network from Auckland to Wellington.

The Cisco ONS15801 system was developed across 10 sites over the two key Telecom New Zealand routes - the Western route, from Auckland through Hamilton, New Plymouth, Wanganui and Levin to Wellington covers 787 km while the Eastern route from Auckland through Paeroa, Taupo, Napier and Masterton to Wellington covers 897 km. The 10 sites are supported by 19 Optical Line Amplifiers (OLA's) at intervals of approximately 80 km. This will allow traffic from rural centers to be transmitted much more quickly to the destination, as well as carrying Auckland-Wellington Traffic.

The new system, which is carrying ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode), IP (Internet Protocol) and SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierachy) traffic, interfacing with multiple vendors throughout the North Island, was selected by Telecom New Zealand for long distance, high capacity and core transport applications.

"The new system has increased Telecom New Zealand's network transport capacity from 5 channels at 2.5Gbps on the old T31 system up to a maximum of 60 channels x 10 Gbps," Mr Hemingway said.