News Release

Cox Business Services Hospitality Network Delivers Internet Access to Park Place Hotel Properties with Cisco Building Broadband Solution

20,000 Hotel Rooms Throughout U.S. to be Wired for High- Speed Internet Access
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Jan 23, 2002

SAN JOSE, Calif., January 23, 2002 - Cox Business Services Hospitality Network (CBSHN)1 has selected Cisco's comprehensive Building Broadband solution for delivery of high-speed connectivity to Park Place Entertainment properties across the country.

The new broadband services will deliver high-speed Internet access and email for guests who desire to be connected for business or entertainment purposes. Cisco broadband access solutions will be installed in more than 20,000 Park Place Entertainment hotel rooms nationwide, including rooms at Bally's, Caesars, Paris, Flamingo, and Hilton casino resorts in Nevada, New Jersey and Indiana. The network rollout is expected to be complete in 18 months.

In addition to Internet access, the new Cisco network provides the infrastructure to enable additional services such as IP Telephony, content delivery, and automated environmental management, to be deployed in the future.

"We selected Cisco because it gives us the flexibility to deploy in any building using a complete solution from a single vendor," said Larry Thompson, director of engineering and technology, CBSHN. "The Cisco solution gives us the ability to offer high-speed access over coaxial, Ethernet or telephone wiring, or even wireless networking if we choose, and integrates easily into our existing infrastructure without incurring large expenses."

Cox Selects Cisco Building Broadband Solution for Adaptability to Existing Infrastructures and Ease of Management

Deploying Cisco Building Broadband solutions is a natural extension to Cox Business Services Hospitality Network's market leadership in pay-per-view and interactive services for the hotel, entertainment and gaming markets. Cox needed the flexibility to support data networking over either coaxial cable or Category 5 wiring, and wanted to enable plug-and-play guest access, regardless of how individual laptop computers or PDAs were configured. Guests without laptop computers will still be able to check email and access the Internet using the TV monitor and an in-room wireless keyboard.

The end-to-end Cisco Building Broadband solution delivers all the elements required for broadband in multi-unit buildings:

  • Best-in-class networking infrastructure - including the industry's widest range of Ethernet-based products: Long-Reach Ethernet, wireless Ethernet, Fast/Gigabit Ethernet and Cable
  • Cisco Building Broadband Service Manager (BBSM) Version 5.1 -This service-creation platform enables service providers and property owners to create, market and operate broadband access services. BBSM provides plug-and-play access, customizable portals and support for multiple authentication and billing options. New enhancements include RADIUS accounting support; back-up, restore and content push capabilities; and the ability to seamlessly move across wired or wireless environments for true mobility.
  • Cisco Long Reach Ethernet-The Cisco Long-Reach Ethernet (LRE) broadband networking solution is the industry's first end-to-end product line for delivering 5-15 Mbps performance over existing Category 1/2/3 wiring. With Ethernet-like performance that reaches up to 5,000 feet, LRE enables simultaneous voice, video and data applications such as high-speed Internet access, video streaming and IP telephony.
  • Cisco uBR-7100 Universal Broadband Router-Cisco's industry leading compact Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) router delivers 27-38 Mbps downstream performance over existing cable TV coaxial wiring up to 100 miles. The CableLabs-qualified CMTS router interoperates with a wide range of commodity DOCSIS standard-based cable modems to offer a flexible, cost-effective data, voice and video solution for cable operators, multi-dwelling (MDU) and multi-tenant (MTU) service providers, and hotel or apartment property owners.

The Cisco Building Broadband Solution that CBSHN has selected for Park Place hotel properties includes Cisco Long-Reach Ethernet, BBSM software platform and the Cisco uBR-7100 Universal Broadband Router to provide revenue-generating services to individual hotel rooms. The integrated solution offers Cox an easy-to-configure, standards-based solution that easily adapts to existing property infrastructure.

High-speed Internet access is becoming a necessity for hotel properties needing to differentiate their premiere status. For example, the American Automobile Association's (AAA) Lodging Requirements and Diamond Rating Guidelines for 2002 stipulate that high-speed Internet is one of the expectations for a 4 or 5 Diamond rating on a hospitality property. One of the major forces driving the need for premiere hotel properties to support high-speed Internet access is the rapidly growing Virtual Private Network (VPN)-enabled mobile worker customer base. A recent Infonetics study estimates that though only 30 percent of mobile workers were using VPNs in 2001, 71 percent will be using them by the end of 2003.

Park Place selected Cox Business Services and Hospitality Network to deploy the Cisco solution because of CBSHN's expertise in the hospitality and gaming market, and to maximize time-to-market opportunities. "The Cisco Building Broadband solution will enable Park Place Entertainment to attract additional high-end professional business travelers and provide additional cutting-edge services going forward," said Brian Ruh, executive director of technology, Park Place Entertainment. "We have found deployment of the Cisco equipment to be very smooth, and the services easy to use for our guests."

Building Broadband Solution Adds to Extensive Cisco-Based Park Place Network

Park Place's new Cisco Broadband Solution builds on an extensive Cisco optical-based network that is already deployed and links over 13 hospitality locations nationwide. The Park Place network features three fiber optic metropolitan area networks (MANs) in Mississippi, Atlantic City and Las Vegas, which are interconnected via AT&T ATM services.

The Cisco Catalyst 6509 switch serves as the core of the Park Place Network, supported by Cisco Catalyst 3524 stackable 10/100 Gigabit Ethernet switches and Cisco 3600 and 2600 Series modular, multiservice routers in its wide-area network (WAN). Park Place's deployment also includes the Cisco ONS 15454 Metro Optical Transport Platform to support its MANs, which enables voice, video and data services on one cost-effective platform.

9 Cox Business Services, LLC and Hospitality Network, Inc., affiliates of Cox Communications, have joined efforts in Southern Nevada for certain commercial ventures (collectively CBSHN).

About Cox Business Services and Hospitality Network

Cox Business Services, LLC is the commercial broadband affiliate of Cox Communications, Inc., (NYSE:COX), providing full-service, facilities-based telecommunications solutions to home offices; small, medium and large-sized businesses; school districts; and hospitality, government and military properties in cities across the nation. Hospitality Network, Inc. is the hospitality and entertainment affiliate of Cox Communications, Inc. offering in-room services including video on-demand movies, free-to-guest programming channels, guest interactive services such as folio review and check-in, Internet access through the guest room television and high-speed Internet access for laptops and in-room appliances. Hospitality Network is also the largest provider of electronic in-room entertainment for the hotel-casino industry.

About Park Place Entertainment

Park Place Entertainment is the world's largest gaming company and owns, manages or has an interest in 28 gaming properties operating under the Caesars, Bally's, Paris, Flamingo, Grand Casinos and Hilton brand names with a total of 2 million square feet of gaming space, over 28,000 hotel rooms and approximately 60,000 employees worldwide.

Additional information on Park Place Entertainment can be accessed through the Company's 24-hour investor relations service. Individuals may call toll-free 1-877-PPE-NYSE (877-773-6973) or visit www.parkplace.com to obtain the latest Company news and stock price information, or to request information by email, fax or postal mail delivery.