FairPoint Selects Cisco To Support Northern New England Broadband Initiative

CHARLOTTE, NC .- FairPoint Communications, a leading provider of communication services to communities across the country, today announced it has selected Cisco as one of the primary solution providers for the company’s proposed New England Internet Protocol (IP) and Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) broadband initiative. The implementation of the IP/MPLS network is a major step in the commitment FairPoint has made to increase broadband availability in the region.

FairPoint and Cisco see the emergence of a global digital networked economy with IP Next Generation Network (IP NGN)-based intelligent information networks that remove the barriers of time, place and media to allow the seamless interaction of people, processes and technology. With this collaboration, FairPoint will have enhanced solutions to meet the needs of customers and their applications. FairPoint will also be able to help companies remake their business models by delivering end-to-end IP-based solutions that can adapt rapidly to support continual business change.

“FairPoint will provide Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont with a state-of-the-art IP-based communications network needed to compete in the new economy,” said Peter Nixon, president of FairPoint. “Cisco’s selection demonstrates our commitment to deploying one of the best technologies available to help stimulate economic growth throughout the region.”

“FairPoint Communications’ IP NGN network, enabled by Cisco, allows businesses and consumers of northern New England to compete more effectively in the new global digital networked economy, which is vital to the continued economic development of the region,” said Kelly Ahuja, vice president and general manager, service provider routing technology group of Cisco. “As a global leader in providing IP-based networking products and services, Cisco has described ways in which IP networking products and services can enable FairPoint to achieve its business and financial goals.”

FairPoint has selected the Cisco Carrier Routing System (CRS-1) as the core platform of its IP/MPLS infrastructure, the Cisco 7600 Series Routers for the IP/MPLS edge and the Cisco 10000 Series Edge Services Router (ESR) for aggregation and termination. The Cisco CRS-1 is designed to help enable continuous system operation, service flexibility and system longevity. The Cisco CRS-1 marks a new era in carrier IP communications by powering the foundation for IP networks today while protecting investments for decades to come.