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MTN Addresses Customer Demand for Mobile Services by Upgrading Network to Help Deliver Voice, Data and Video with Mobility


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MTN Selects Cisco to Support ’Quad-Play’ Services Over a Single Converged Network and Help Provide Business and Social Benefits in South Africa

3GSM, BARCELONA, Spain and JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - February 13, 2007 - Cisco today announced that it has been working with MTN to address the needs of more than 33 million South African subscribers and their demands for sophisticated mobile services and applications. This includes delivering advanced multimedia mobile services, such as mobile TV, to improve customer satisfaction and experience. Cisco has worked with MTN, helping it to deliver voice, data and video services to its mobile subscribers over a single IP Next Generation network. This helps reduce network complexity and management costs.

“Launching a comprehensive content platform is critical for our operations in Africa and the Middle East. With the ability to deliver voice, video and data to our customers over a single network we are really helping customers leapfrog the digital divide where they will not need a laptop to connect to the internet - they can get it all on the mobile device,” said Karel Pienaar, Chief Technology Information Officer, MTN Group.

Many countries in the emerging markets are undergoing a transition from slow growth and limited connectivity to hyper-growth. In some instances this results in leapfrogging legacy technology and surpassing the infrastructure in more developed countries. Cisco and MTN are working closely across Africa and the Middle East to engage with countries, businesses and individual citizens alike to help provide the socio-economic transformation that many strive for.

“Today, customers want a significant amount of data services available to them via their mobile phones. Traditionally, we had a number of complex disparate networks delivering services to our customers, which were extremely expensive to manage,” continued Pienaar. “We estimate that if we had not deployed a Cisco platform we would have had to increase our infrastructure 10-fold in the core network just to carry all the different services to meet customer needs.”

MTN will deliver a suite of data, voice and video services over a highly available and scalable IP Next-Generation Network, the core of which is based on the Cisco CRS-1 routing system. The CRS-1 helps MTN to eliminate the complexity and costs associated with managing numerous disparate networks running separate services and will maintain the highest level of network availability. The Cisco CRS-1 will also help MTN to evolve its network to deliver the next generation of mobile IP services, such as mobile TV.

“Using an IP network as the platform will help MTN to deploy new services to customers quickly with minimal risk and capital investment” said Massimo Migliuolo, vice president for service provider in Cisco’s emerging markets theatre. “In addition to delivering multimedia services to mobile phone users, a single, converged IP Next Generation Network will help MTN establish itself as a broadband provider, delivering wireless Internet services to the home, and to small and medium-sized businesses.”

More information on Cisco’s Carrier Routing System can be found at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5763/index.html
About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a multinational telecommunications group, operating in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange under the share code: “MTN”. As at 30 September 2006, MTN recorded more than 34 million subscribers across its operations, including those of the newly acquired Investcom LLC. MTN Irancell launched commercial operations in the Islamic Republic of Iran on 21 October 2006. The MTN Group also operates in Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia. The acquisition of Investcom adds the following countries of operation to MTN’s portfolio - Afghanistan, Benin, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Liberia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
About Cisco Systems

Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in Europe is supplied by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.

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