SAN JOSE, Calif., February 28, 2001 - Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, announced today that Avista Communications, a leading integrated communications provider (ICP) of facilities-based telecommunications solutions in the western United States, has selected the Cisco ONS 15327 Metro Edge Optical Transport to deploy on the company's local and regional fiber optic network.

Avista Communications, an affiliate of Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA), is investing in leading edge technology to provide next generation communications infrastructure and services, such as highest quality telephone service, voice messaging, data transport and Internet access, which are key to the vitality of the businesses and communities it serves. By using the new Cisco ONS 15327 optical metropolitan transport platform, Avista Communications will more efficiently deliver high-speed data and Internet access to multi-tenant buildings and clusters of buildings, leveraging the existing infrastructure to increase revenue and maximize resources. The use of the Cisco IP+Optical platform will also permit Avista Communications to more cost-effectively serve customers demanding higher bandwidth, such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and quickly deliver enhanced services to a new set of customers previously out of its network's reach.

"Our business customers are increasingly asking for bundled, integrated voice, data and Internet access services, which we can now deliver more cost-effectively over one transport mechanism with the compelling combination of Cisco optical products," said Ken Brown, Vice President of Technology and Operations with Avista Communications. "Deploying the new metro platform will allow Avista Communications to scale our current network infrastructure to reach new customers at a relatively low cost, thus improving market share and enhancing economic vitality in our smaller local markets."

"Avista Communications' has differentiated their service offerings in the rapidly developing metro IP+Optical arena," said Terry Brown, Vice President and General Manager for the Optical Transport Business Unit at Cisco. "With the deployment of the evolutionary ONS 15327, Avista Communications will be opening the window to new markets in the metro edge, to deliver the highest quality of service and the benefits of radical economics. By delivering outstanding local customer service and carrier class network reliability, Avista Communications will provide its business customers with the high speed services they require while improving the communications within the local communities they serve."

The addition of the ONS 15327 enhances the relationship between Cisco Systems and Avista Communications, which earned the Cisco Powered Network designation in 2000. Avista Communications' membership in the Cisco Powered Network program demonstrates its ability to provide industry-leading technology solutions and services that are based largely on Cisco solutions. A benefit of the program for Avista Communications is their participation in joint marketing and technology sharing with Cisco. This relationship is helping to create a New World communications infrastructure that will enable business communities to reap the benefits of leading-edge optical technologies.