Cisco Announces the World’s Most Compact 40 Gbps-Per-Slot Routing System -- the Four-slot CRS-1

320 Gbps, four-slot CRS-1 shatters price/performance barrier, extends 40 Gbps IP/MPLS core reach for Cisco IP NGN architecture for video and other advanced IP services

SAN JOSE, Calif. - September 5, 2006 - Cisco Systems® today announced an extension to its industry-leading CRS-1 Carrier Routing System, the core of the Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture. The new four-slot version of the CRS-1 provides 320 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) of total switching capacity in the industry’s most compact 40 Gbps-per-slot chassis, enabling deployment at regional Points of Presence (POPs), MSO hub locations and data center peering sites. This enables providers to deploy CRS-1s more broadly and at lower entry cost, allowing rapid deployment and continued expansion of IPTV, digital video and other advanced business and residential IP services. The four-slot CRS-1 joins the 16-slot platform (1.2 terabits-per-second (Tbps)) and the eight-slot platform (640 Gbps), all of which feature cross-slot-compatibility for continued investment protection.

The Cisco IP NGN enables the development and delivery of application- and subscriber-aware services to help providers increase revenue and enhance efficiencies for improved profitability and control of their networks and business.

Sprint has been evaluating the CRS-1 since 2004 and will deploy it beginning in CYQ4 2006. The new four-slot chassis will enable Sprint to deploy 40 Gbps routing more broadly and at a lower cost.

“By creating a smaller form factor for the CRS-1 platform, Cisco is enabling us to lower costs and more efficiently handle the convergence of voice, video, data and mobility services, while still gaining the scalability, reliability and service flexibility that the platform provides,” said Iyad Tarazi, vice president of network development, Sprint. “Deploying the CRS-1 is key to our convergence strategy and Sprint’s focus on the global IP network as a key enabler of mobility services.”

National LambdaRail, Inc. (NLR), a consortium of leading U.S. research universities and private sector technology companies, has been using the CRS-1 for more than a year and is evaluating the new four-slot platform.

“A four-slot configuration of the Cisco CRS-1 Carrier Routing System will enable us to deploy additional 40 Gbps routers, extending and increasing the throughput of our network,” said Tom West, president of National LambdaRail. “This allows us to more effectively allocate our equipment and still enjoy the benefits of scalability, reliability, and service flexibility that the Cisco CRS-1 platform offers.”

Distributed deployment of 40 Gbps routing helps ensure that providers are able to meet the ever-increasing demand for delivery of video services including digital cable, IPTV, video-on-demand (VoD) and high-definition television (HDTV). The Cisco CRS-1 is the industry’s only carrier router offering continuous system operation, and offers unprecedented service flexibility and system longevity. The Cisco CRS-1 is powered by Cisco IOS® XR Software - a unique, self-healing, distributed operating system designed for always-on operation while scaling system capacity up to 92 Tbps.

Publicly announced CRS-1 customers include BT, Cable & Wireless, Comcast, China Telecom (ChinaNet), China Education and Research Network (CERNET), Korea Telecom, the National Institute of Informatics’ SuperSINET research network in Japan, National LambdaRail, MTS Allstream, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center(PSC), SaskTel, Softbank Yahoo! BB, Strato Medien AG, Swisscom, Shanghai Telecom, Telstra and VTR.

The Cisco CRS-1 is the world’s only core routing portfolio to provide the following advanced features:

* 40 Gbps routing in all form factors, supporting scaling from 320 Gbps to 92 Tbps of throughput

* 100 Gbps ready

* Intelligent video distribution with fabric-based IP multicast replication

* Secure Virtualization using Secure Domain Routers (SDRs) to segregate and deliver advanced IP services on a common routing infrastructure to simplify network operations and reduce costs

* 40 Gbps and 10 Gbps Internet Protocol over Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (IPoDWDM) Architecture for enhanced scale and efficiency

* The industry’s highest 10 Gbps Ethernet density, supporting from eight to 9,216 ports on a single system

* Unsurpassed investment protection, with standardized I/O modules and forwarding engines across the entire CRS-1 product family and SPA compatibility with Cisco 12000, 7600 and 7300 platforms

“Extending throughput and capacity that enables high speed premium services like video and IPTV are service providers’ primary objectives,” said Tony Bates, senior vice president and general manager of the Service Provider Routing Technology Group at Cisco. “Cisco developed the four-slot CRS-1 in direct response to requests from our service provider customers, who wanted to be able to deploy the 40 Gbps CRS-1 with a smaller form factor and less capital expenditure per deployment.”

Pricing & Availability

The CRS-1 four-slot single-shelf system will be available in November. The starting system list price is $160,000 USD.

For more information on today’s news, please go to: www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns537/
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