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Press Contacts:
Jane Dick
Cisco Systems, Inc.
+44 (0)181 756 8267
jdick@cisco.com
Jonas Krensler
Unisource Carrier Services
+41 1 839 33 30
jonas.krensler@unisource-ucs.com
ZURICH, Switzerland -- December 11, 1998 -- Vienna-based Plus Communications is the latest Internet Service Provider (ISP) to sign up for the pan-European IP (1) service launched in September this year by leading 'carrier's carrier' Unisource Carrier Services (UCS). The UCS Internet backbone, based on Cisco high-speed router technology, is available today in 10 European countries.
UCS'IP network offers unprecedented pan-European network speeds. ISP customers benefit from a congestion-free service that brings them increased efficiency, profitability and flexibility.
Vienna-based ISP, Plus Communications went online with UCS's IP service on November 26, 1998. Managing Director at Plus Communications, Peter Sattler, commented: "UCS has set a new industry standard for speed, quality and connectivity with its new IP network. Connection to UCS's IP network means we can offer our customers faster connections and better service.
"Customer support from the UCS team has been outstanding during the technical implementation of the service. They provided us with complete solutions rather than simply selling us a product. UCS understands that customer service makes the 'value-added' difference and gave us the assistance we needed with technical and market implementation."
Comments Peter Lomas, Vice President, Service Provider Operations, EMEA at Cisco Systems: "UCS has built a leading-edge, pan-European network that leverages the benefits of IP to create a 'one-hop' capability across 10 countries. This fast new network technology, based on Cisco infrastructure, will be of major benefit to UCS's new and existing customers and ultimately, to consumers."
'One-hop' capability European consumers are increasingly experiencing delays when using the Internet for e-mail and 'surfing' the Web. With UCS's Internet transit service, ISPs can offer their customers a congestion-free Internet super-highway with high-speed links.
In today's crowded Internet market, small and medium ISPs usually suffer the worst congestion problems since they tend to purchase 'resold' capacity from larger ISPs instead of connecting direct to an Internet backbone. The UCS Internet transit service is designed to appeal to these ISPs in particular since, for the first time, they will benefit from the same 'one-hop' capability as larger ISPs.
UCS is the only IP network provider in Europe offering transport from any Point of Presence (PoP) in Europe in one hop to all ISPs, both large and small.
IP Product Manager, Tom Smith, explained: "Each router is like a roundabout on a motorway. At every roundabout, traffic must stop and be re-routed. It is the multiple roundabouts that slow down connection in competing networks, leading to frustrating congestion and speed problems. The UCS IP network is engineered in a way that gives ISPs a one-hop capability that skips these 'virtual traffic jams', making the network significantly faster, more efficient and reliable."
Making ISPs more competitive UCS President, André Käser, said: "UCS's switched backbone IP network is a cornerstone of our business strategy. It allows UCS to offer ISPs the best available traffic control, flexibility and reaction times vital in today's competitive market. Furthermore, the solution is extremely cost-efficient since we do not charge ISPs for individual leased lines."
Unisource Carrier Services AG, based in Zurich, is a subsidiary of the pan-European telecommunications company, Unisource NV. UCS provides an innovative and cost-competitive portfolio of international telecommunications services and carrier solutions to all segments of the European wholesale market.
The UCS portfolio includes switched voice, Internet transit services and managed bandwidth services. UCS operates one of the largest and fastest commercial ATM networks available to European carriers with 11 PoPs in Europe and North America.
Overall revenues for UCS in 1997 were US$ 193 million. In 1997, UCS transported 294 million minutes for its wholesale customers and 117 million minutes for other companies of the Unisource group. For 1998, UCS is well on-track to carry in excess of 600 million minutes for its wholesale customers alone.
For more information, visit the UCS Web site on http://www.unisource-ucs.com
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco news and information are available at http://www.cisco.com.
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Posted: Fri Mar 5 12:19:04 PST 1999
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