HYDERABAD, India – April 18, 2002 – Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, today announced that it has successfully connected 18 citizen utility centres for the "eSeva" project, an e-governance project initiated by the Andhra Pradesh government. The project seeks to redefine citizen services by allowing them to make various forms of payments and facilitates information and B2C (business-to-consumer) services from a single location using state-of-the-art technologies.

The citizens can either avail these services by walking into one of the 18 centres across the twin cities or leverage the Internet from their homes. The online payments are facilitated through payment gateways as a result of tie-ups with several banks. The utility services that are covered under this scheme include bills - Water, Electricity, Telephone, Municipal Taxes, Certificates - Birth/Death Registration, Passport Applications, Permits/Licenses, Transport Department Services, Reservation, Internet and B2C services.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Phani Kumar, Project Director, eSeva said: "The State of Andhra Pradesh is synonymous with Information Technology and the eSeva project is reflective of our commitment to citizen care. Being pioneers it was important to ensure that the project delivered on its promise to our citizens for which a robust and reliable backend was imperative. And Cisco with its clear focus on customer care and end to end solutions was an obvious partner of choice."

"Cisco is honored to partner with the state government in the eSeva project. Participation in this project gives us an opportunity to extend the reach of the Internet as it changes the way people work, live, play and learn," said B Ashok, VP India, Cisco Systems.

eSeva is based on a 3-tier network architecture. The transactions are done on a real-time basis. The servers of different departments are connected to the data centre, which in turn is connected to the various eSeva centres. Leased lines, with back-up ISDN lines, connect the departmental servers to the eSeva data centre. Transactions done in the eSeva centres are recorded directly on the server of the department concerned.

At the core of the eSeva network are Cisco 3600 series routers, connecting the 18 eSeva centres to the various government departments. Within the centres sit local area networks powered by Cisco Catalyst 1900 series switches. The government departments are linked to the eSeva centres via Cisco 1720 routers.

About eSeva

eSeva is an e-governance concept. Its operations will initially cover the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secundrabad. The Government plans to extend eSeva centres in the surrounding municipalities in Ranga Reddy district and 56 corporations, Selection Grade, Special Grade, Grade I municipalities spread across the state. A separate version of eSeva projects will serve the rural areas.

About Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco news and information are available at www.cisco.com.

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