MUNICH, Germany, June 5, 2006 - Cisco Systems announced today that the Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt will be equipped with a completely new network infrastructure from Cisco to provide data, Internet Protocol (IP) telephony and wireless services. In cooperation with Cisco Gold Certified Partner, T-Systems GmbH, the system installation was completed within four weeks so that Stadion Frankfurt Management GmbH (SFM), the operating company, was able to use the stadium as of May 26, 2006.

In this major upgrade project, the existing local area network (LAN), telephone system and wireless LAN (WLAN) has been updated and replaced with an end-to-end IP-based Cisco Unified Communications system. The new network infrastructure is designed to meet the high demands that the operating company has specified and is fully operational.

High availability is maximised

The single network now supports all data, wireless access and telephone services and can be easily and cost-effectively managed from a central location. The fully redundant network architecture is designed to maximise system availability, increasing stadium operators' confidence that the admission turnstiles and the central monitoring systems at the entrances will work reliably at all times.

A Cisco Unified CallManager system with Cisco IP phones will provide voice communications throughout the Commerzbank-Arena, in the offices, VIP lounges as well as the press boxes. The Cisco network has quality of service capabilities to prioritize traffic from real-time applications, such as Voice over IP, to help ensure that the voice quality of phone calls is maintained irrespective of the volume of data traffic passing through the network.

The open architecture of the network simplifies the integration of third-party applications so that it provides SFM with a flexible, scalable foundation to support integrated voice and data applications in the future.

Secure verification of admission tickets with WLAN and PDAs

As customer satisfaction is a top priority for SFM, advanced wireless and mobile technologies are used at the box offices to simplify ticketing and help prevent fraud. Tickets can be purchased online from workstations connected to the Commerzbank-Arena systems to allow customers to enter at turnstiles which are spread across the stadium. Throughout the Commerzbank-Arena, wireless hotspots with high levels of security connect mobile ticket readers based on ruggedised personal digital assistant (PDA) technology. This infrastructure helps event organizers to detect any irregularities and also supports access control to the VIP area.

Ruggedised PDA devices are also used with an innovative cashless payment system at the Commerzbank-Arena called "PayClever". The PDAs synchronize with retail server systems via Cisco hotspots to process cashless payments, with high security. The powerful, scalable WLAN infrastructure will support SFM's plans to expand the Commerzbank-Arena as a premier business and event center as well as a world-class sports stadium venue.

End-to-end solution

"Together with our partner, T-Systems, we will, in record time, present the Commerzbank-Arena operating company with a highly available and innovative network infrastructure with high levels of security designed to allow the seamless integration of all future services," declared Michael Ganser, general manager and vice president, Cisco Systems Germany. "SFM will benefit from Cisco's end-to-end solution through reduced operating costs on a long-term basis and a single contact for any support-related questions."

Future applications that are planned for integration on the network include video surveillance, building automation and interactive services, such as video-on-demand.

About the Commerzbank-Arena

The Commerzbank-Arena is operated by Stadion Frankfurt Management GmbH (SFM), a subsidiary of HSG Technischer Service GmbH, a facility manager located in Neu-Isenburg, and SPORTFIVE GmbH & Co. KG, a company that markets sports rights in Hamburg. The stadium is used primarily by the Eintracht Frankfurt soccer league and the Frankfurt Galaxy American football team. A wide variety of business events are also staged in the VIP areas of the Arena. The stadium, which is one of the venues for this year's World Cup in soccer, is able to seat a crowd of approximately 50,000.