AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, July 18, 2002, Cisco Systems today announced that it has been selected by Tiscali BV, the Dutch arm of the leading Italian Internet Services Provider (ISP), to provide equipment for a new MPLS-based network across the Netherlands as part of a strategy to further increase the penetration of dial-up, broadband, and voice services to business and consumer users in the Dutch market. Getronics, which is providing integration services to Tiscali across Europe, will provide Cisco technology to Tiscali BV for this project.
The deployment of the network forms part of Tiscali's corporate drive to be the leading ISP in Europe. It will allow the provider to deliver existing services more efficiently and provide offerings, ranging from dial-up solutions through to broadband DSL and fixed connections for both voice and data services, to its consumer and corporate customers.
"We are already a major provider of Internet services to consumers in the Netherlands and want to extend our reach in the business community," said Joop van Kammen, CTO for Tiscali Benelux. "We chose Cisco because we were confident of their strengths, both at a business and a technical level, in providing the infrastructure that could deliver an improved performance, scale, and the value-added service portfolio needed to penetrate this important market."
Tiscali will deploy Cisco 12400 Internet Routers and Catalyst® 6509 switches to build out the core and distribution layer of its Dutch network, and will use multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) to streamline traffic flows between seven points of presence. Access will be controlled by a combination of an existing Cisco DSL infrastructure and Cisco AS5850 Universal Gateways for a range of broadband and dial access methods. With these network enhancements, Tiscali will now be able to offer public switched telephone network (PSTN) access to national and international broadband voice services thanks to a Cisco PGW 2200 PSTN Gateway, which provides a carrier-grade Signalling System 7 (SS7) interconnection to the national carrier.
"We have strong links with Tiscali throughout Europe and our infrastructure and expertise will help them drive broadband access and voice services in the Netherlands," said Paul Gainham, EMEA broadband access product manager for Cisco Systems. "We recognized from the outset that Tiscali did not just need a complete infrastructure solution, but also a supplier that would meet their key business requirements of reducing capital and operational expenses and helping them see a rapid return on investment."
