Cisco ServiceMesh Delivers Industry’s First End-to-End Outdoor Wireless Solution for Municipal Wi-Fi Networks

Integrated Architecture Lets Service Providers Quickly Deploy Wide Variety of Public, Municipal Services

SAN JOSE, Calif., November 14, 2006 - Cisco® today announced Cisco ServiceMesh, the industry’s first integrated, end-to-end outdoor wireless solution designed for service providers who are deploying citywide municipal Wi-Fi networks. Building on the Cisco Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture, the Cisco ServiceMesh design is a fully integrated outdoor wireless solution that enables service providers to quickly deploy a variety of value-added, revenue-generating services via a single network infrastructure. By using ServiceMesh, service providers of all types and sizes can bring “The Connected Life” to subscribers by providing the content that they want at home, at work or on the move.

Cisco’s new ServiceMesh is a comprehensive wireless broadband system that combines Aironet® 1500 Series Lightweight Outdoor Mesh Access Points (APs), Wireless Services Modules (WiSM) and Cisco Wireless Control System software (WCS) with the Cisco Intelligent Services Gateway (ISG), the Cisco Service Control Engine (SCE), and the Cisco Carrier Routing System (CRS-1). This combination makes possible multiple applications, including those for police, fire and emergency services, as well as those for city operations, such as remote access to city applications, automated meter reading, and permits verification and compliance.

“Cities everywhere are recognizing the numerous benefits of municipal Wi-Fi that go beyond simple Internet access,” said Roberta Wiggins, research fellow with the Yankee Group. “These metro wireless networks can streamline city operations, attract new businesses and citizens to a city, and enable cost-effective applications that improve productivity and reduce costs. The catch is finding an integrated solution that is easy to deploy and manage, utilizes a flexible, open standards-based architecture and enables multiple services and revenue streams to be deployed on a single architecture. Cisco’s ServiceMesh is designed to give service providers end-to-end support in meeting the various needs of municipalities - and their users.”

According to the Wireless Internet Institute (W2i), more than 1,000 local governments around the globe plan to deploy metro-scale wireless networks. Service providers can address this opportunity by helping municipalities deploy wireless broadband networks based on mesh technology, but they need manageable, easy-to-deploy, outdoor wireless mesh solutions that can speed their time to market, while keeping operational costs to a minimum.

Cisco ServiceMesh Solution is a validated and proven solution for delivering pervasive wireless access and network services required for these municipal networks. The network convergence layer of the Cisco IP NGN architecture enables convergence of disparate, service-specific networks to a single, more efficient and flexible IP/Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)-based infrastructure. With the Cisco IP NGN, providers can deliver services more efficiently and effectively and provide the means to support tomorrow’s bandwidth-intensive residential and business services.

Cisco ServiceMesh - Bringing Benefits to Cities and Service Providers Alike

The unique design of Cisco ServiceMesh lets service providers rapidly deploy and monetize value-added services for cities. In turn, these cities can improve productivity and economic growth, while streamlining their operations with the wide variety of applications enabled by new, municipal Wi-Fi networks.

Key benefits of these networks include:

* Manageability: With a single management framework that covers access points to application, ServiceMesh lets service provider quickly set up municipal Wi-Fi networks that incorporate thousands of devices and meet the needs of millions of users. Self-configuring access points with centralized management speed deployment time and simplify management, lowering operational expenditures.

* Scalability: ServiceMesh allows providers and the cities they serve to scale their networks, as the number of users increases.

* Flexibility: The same, flexible, open-standards based architecture of ServiceMesh can be used to deliver multiple services and, therefore, multiple revenue streams.

“Cisco ServiceMesh is the clear choice that unifies access, planning tools, subscriber management, OSS support, mobility VPN services, bandwidth management, subscriber devices, network infrastructure and other applications under one comprehensive umbrella,” said Stu Wilson, vice president of Atria Networks. “To provide high-quality citywide mesh services, a city needs a complete solution - not just access points cobbled together. With a complete solution from Cisco, interoperability and other technical issues evaporate, giving cities a reliable and trustworthy network for their constituents.”

Cisco ServiceMesh - Enabling Wireless as a City Utility

With the right solution, cities can quickly begin relying on their municipal wireless networks as they would any other city utility. The numerous applications made possible by these networks can help cities to bridge digital divides, attract new business and improve economic growth, and streamline internal operations to improve city employees’ productivity and reduce costs. Some of the applications enabled by Cisco’s ServiceMesh include:

* Internet service and private-label indoor Internet: Cities can manage Internet service directly to business and residents or can wholesale to multiple Internet service providers or other businesses, such as hotels.

* Municipality services: Cities can establish Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to allow remote workers to access the network and a variety of applications from any location.

* Public safety: Police, fire and other emergency services workers can use Voice over IP, remote video capture and other applications.

* City operations and infrastructure: New applications like Automatic Meter Reading can simplify operations and reduce costs.

“Service providers are one of the keys to unlocking the burgeoning outdoor wireless market,” said Alan Cohen, senior director of mobility solutions, Cisco. “With Cisco ServiceMesh, cities can confidently turn to their local service providers to deploy a comprehensive solution that provides unparalleled reliability, scalability and proven performance.”

More information about Cisco ServiceMesh is available at: www.cisco.com/go/servicemesh.
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Molly Q. Ford

Cisco Systems, Inc.

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