TOKYO, Japan April 25, 2003 - Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced that, NTT Communications (NTT Com/ HQ: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo/ President and CEO: Masanobu Suzuki) has taken steps to achieve a major improvement in the service reliability of its Arcstar IP-VPN (http://www.ntt.com/ip-vpn/) backbone network by starting to implement MPLS Fast Reroute (FRR), one of Cisco's latest MPLS technologies. FRR is a function that protects users' traffic by instantaneously switching to a preset alternate route when link or node failures occur in the backbone network. This function enables fast rerouting (in several miliseconds) at the same level as SONET/SDH (Synchronous Optical Networking), making it possible to continue use of a service even if network trouble occurs without users of the IP-VPN service detecting the failure.
NTT Com's Arcstar IP-VPN is an MPLS based IP-VPN service that began in August 1999, and presently has the industry's largest share, with approximately 65,000 lines (as of April 2003 : according to NTT Com).
Arcstar IP-VPN has been accepted by a wide range of users as a new type of company WAN service due to its extensive optional services provided as network capability, its flexibility for multiple access lines from the kilobit level to the gigabit level, its competitive price and others. In recent years, there have been growing expectations directed toward the reliability of the services with the expansion of clientele and applications. By using the MPLS FRR function, Arcstar IP-VPN is able to evolve into a service with higher reliability and greater quality, that now is able to answer the expectations and needs of customers using mission critical applications.
Recently, high quality and reliability on a par with leased line services have been required to provide for IP service. NTT Com is always aiming to provide an IP-VPN service that is highly functional, high quality and economical. They consider that Cisco is the best networking partner to achieve this by providing their advanced MPLS solution. The start of the implementation of Fast Reroute has resulted in an ever-increasing-network reliability by newly realizing fast reroute. They are confident that this will allow them to provide a service that will bring even greater satisfaction to their customers and are also engaged in further successive expansion of this capability into the entire backbone network of Arcstar IP-VPN.
Cisco provides an MPLS networking solution that has the most functionality and is also highly recognized within the industry, with over 175 service infrastructure solutions in place throughout the world.
Tony Bates, vice president and general manager, High-End Routing Business Unit, at Cisco Systems says "We are honored to be able to contribute to improving the reliability of NTT Communications' IP-VPN service. MPLS-TE Fast Reroute is currently gaining much attention globally as an advanced technology for increasing the reliability of IP backbones, and NTT Communications' decision to adopt the technology can be considered as extremely significant for the industry as a whole."
With IP networks being used for general purposes and multiple services, a higher level of availability and quality is being required of them. Cisco is actively endeavoring to develop, install and standardize the latest technology in order to achieve this.
For more information on Cisco IOS MPLS, please refer to the following URL:
http://www.cisco.com/japanese/warp/public/3/jp/product/product/ios/mpls/
About NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com)
NTT Com, a Tokyo-based subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, provides long-distance and international services for voice, video and data communication reaching more than 200 countries. NTT Com also provides world-class IP services under the NTT/VERIO brand, as well as managed data, multimedia and additional services under the Arcstar brand. For more information, please visit www.ntt.com
