ATLANTA - June 5, 2001 - Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, today announced expansions to three of its next generation Internet routing portfolio of products. The Cisco 12406 Internet Router is the first 1/4-rack system in the industry to support 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps) interfaces. The Cisco 10005 Internet Router delivers scalable IP services in a compact form factor at the provider edge by reducing network operation costs and delivering line rate performance and carrier-class reliability. Cisco also announced new WAN Edge capabilities for the Cisco 7600 Internet Router, the highest performing services-rich edge router in the industry. These new platforms and enhancements extend the value proposition of Cisco's next generation of Internet routers to smaller form factors and higher service densities, thus expanding the deployment opportunities for these products.

The next generation Internet routers are a family of multimillion packets-per-second (pps) IP platforms for creating service-enabled Internets, providing the industry's most highly scalable and operationally efficient Internet routers. The products deliver the highest availability and the greatest level of service for increasing service provider profitability. As part of Cisco's IP+Optical portfolio, this family of next generation Internet routers is optimized for entry level, metro, broadband, WAN edge and backbone configurations. The family consists of the Cisco 7400, 7600, 10000 and 12000 Internet Routers, scaling performance from one million pps to 400 million pps with interface speeds scaling to 10 Gbps.

New additions to the next generation Internet routing portfolio include:

• The Cisco 12406 Internet Router, the newest member of the industry leading Cisco 12000 Series Internet router family, providing 6-slots, support for 10 Gbps OC-192/STM-64 line cards and 120Gbps throughput. The Cisco 12406 offers five times the performance of the nearest competitor and is ideal for applications where a high capacity router is needed but only a limited amount of space and power are available;

• The Cisco 10005, a 5-slot addition to Cisco's groundbreaking 10000 Series Internet router family, delivers the same comprehensive set of IP services at line rate in a smaller form factor.

• High-speed WAN aggregation cards for the Cisco 7600 Internet Router, delivering the industry's highest service-enabled DS3 and OC-3 density in an edge router. The new features are delivered through two high-speed channelized optical service modules (OSMs) available in OC-12 and OC-48 options.

• With its compact and stackable architecture, the new Cisco 7400 Internet Router delivers high performance for application-specific routing deployments in both Service Provider and Enterprise networks. The Cisco 7400 is the industry's highest performance, compact single rack unit router available. (URL for 7400 release)

  Industry analysts agree that customers are eager to deploy high-performance, feature-rich routers that stack and scale for broader service deployment and reduced power consumption. "Small form-factor systems are expected to address a significant portion of the total Internet routing market. This is an important space to watch and Cisco is delivering what customers need to be able to rapidly scale their networks and cut capital and operational costs," said Deb Mielke, principal, Treillage Network Strategies, Inc.

  Cisco 12406 brings the power of 10Gbps beyond the IP Backbone

  Building upon its IP+Optical strategy to deliver 10Gbps OC-192/STM-64 transport speeds across optical and IP platforms (see today's IP+Optical announcement insert URL), the Cisco 12406 Internet Router is the first 1/4-rack system in the industry to support 10Gbps interfaces and delivers the power of carrier-class 10 Gbps networking in the smallest form factor available on the market today. This 10 RU platform features 6 slots and 120 Gbps total capacity and sets a new lower entry price for 10 Gbps routing. Compared to competitive platforms the same size, the Cisco 12406 offers five times the performance of the nearest competitor.

  Built for service providers who want to scale IP networks to core optical speeds and deliver the next generation of IP services anywhere in their network, the 12406 Internet router provides the same benefits as the 12400 family: scalability, capacity, performance, and guaranteed priority packet delivery. The Cisco 12406 Internet router is ideal for applications such as high bandwidth peering in space-constrained co-location facilities and in Internet data centers. The Cisco 12406 continues with Cisco's strategy of protecting customers' investment by supporting 100% of the Cisco 12000 line cards.

  "Cisco's 12406 Internet Router is perfect for Cogent as we not only get the benefit of 10Gbps when we need it, we gain the ability to provide a broader breadth of IP services to our customers, like the popular voice over IP." said Ed Kern, Chief Scientist, Cogent Communications. "Cogent appreciates the overall value in getting more box for the money, with more horsepower and the ability to scale - that's true investment protection."

  To manage the Cisco 12000 series Internet Routers, Cisco is expanding the Cisco 12000 Manager to enable service providers to plan, provision, configure, and monitor network services across the router series. Through an intuitive user interface, the Cisco 12000 Manager eases and accelerates deployment, enables efficient operation of large network environments, and streamlines the provisioning process. The Cisco 12000 Manager provides full fault, configuration, accounting, performance, and security (FCAPS) element management for the Cisco 12000 Internet Router family. Cisco is unique in offering a network element manager to enable service providers to simplify their operations and training, thus reducing their overall operational costs.

  The Cisco 12000 Internet Router series is also being augmented with channelized OC-3/STM-1 line cards for E-1/T-1 access for European and Asian markets. The two-port STM-1/OC-3 Channelized E-1/T-1 Line card provides two optical STM-1/OC-3 ports.

  Cisco 7600 Enhances High-Speed WAN Edge Aggregation Features

  Cisco is also announcing even higher density high-speed WAN (wide area network) edge aggregation features for the Cisco 7600, the highest performance services-rich service provider edge router in the industry. The new features are delivered through two high-speed channelized optical service modules (OSMs) available in OC-12 and OC-48 options. Each channelized OSM offers a choice of two port densities, a 4 and 8-port version for OC-12 and a 1 and 2-port version for OC-48.

  The Cisco 7600's channelized Packet over SONET (POS) interfaces provide industry-leading versatility in terminating a variety of connections, from DS3 up to OC-48. For example, a single 2-port OC-48 channelized services module can terminate up to 96 DS3 connections or 768 connections in a fully populated system. This gives the Cisco 7600 an unmatched ability to meet the increasing bandwidth requirements within even the most demanding service provider networks.

  The increased port density in the Cisco 7600 offers service providers two other important benefits. One, by being able to terminate more connections using a single system, service providers realize operational efficiency and save money on floor/rack space. Two, by being able to deploy, configure, and monitor a smaller number of routers, they also reduce the complexity of managing their networks.

  These new line cards utilize Cisco's patented PXF adaptive network processors. This allows the cards to deliver line rate services without forcing customers to choose between performance and flexibility. New features can be enabled on the cards by upgrading the software, providing an unparalleled level of flexibility and investment protection to service providers.

  "With its new suite of interfaces, the Cisco 7600 meets our high-speed edge aggregation and processing needs on a well-proven, stable, and responsive platform," said Bob Collet, chief technology officer at Velocita, a nationwide broadband networks provider.

  Cisco delivers second member of premier IP edge services aggregation platform

  Cisco's 10000 Series now includes the Cisco 10005 Internet router, designed for a service provider's distributed edge services network. With a smaller form factor, the Cisco 10005 delivers the same comprehensive set of IP services as the Cisco 10008 in a smaller form factor. The Cisco 10005 offers a compact form factor fitting six units per seven-foot rack and is ideal for mid-range edge service applications and larger service providers needing a more compact solution for deployment at various points of presence (POPs).

  The Cisco 10000 series as the first platform to provide integrated IPSec and MPLS VPNs. With the industry's most comprehensive IP VPN solutions, the Cisco 10005 also offers high-density DS-1 aggregation with high availability to accommodate aggressive service level agreements. The Cisco 10000 series delivers the richest PXF-accelerated, line rate IP feature set in the industry, simplifying and consolidating network operations and services at the provider edge.

  About Cisco IP+Optical Solutions

  Cisco is the first company to deliver scalable IP+Optical networking solutions for today's services-driven marketplace. Cisco's IP+Optical strategy builds on Cisco's leadership in IP routing, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), optical networking technology and content/services intelligence. Cisco is uniquely positioned to enable service providers to reduce operational costs and increase service velocity, bringing immediate benefits today while empowering them to deploy a new generation of highly competitive New World services.