Global Crossing LTD. Lights Up Carrier Class Voice Over IP in Its Production Network

Global Crossing Positions Itself to offer Global Converged Voice, Data and IP Services Using Sonus SoftSwitches and Gateways 

• Global Crossing has lit up its Voice over Internet Protocol backbone with seven VoIP gateway centers in North America now operational.
• The VoIP backbone will extend to Tokyo, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Brussels by year-end.
• Global Crossing expects to integrate all of its voice traffic by the end of 2002.

Hamilton, Bermuda – September 27, 2000 – Global Crossing Ltd. (Nasdaq: GBLX), which is building and operating the world’s most extensive global IP-based fiber optic network, has lit up its Voice over 

Internet Protocol (VoIP) backbone in its domestic production network.  Core VoIP gateway centers are now located in Atlanta; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Kansas City; Rochester, NY and Seattle supporting traditional long distance switched services.  

Global Crossing will complete the first phase of its U.S. VoIP network by the end of 2000, placing core VoIP gateway centers in a minimum of 15 additional cities, allowing Global Crossing to originate and terminate calls on its own core network in the U.S.  The company plans to transfer its voice traffic from the circuit-switched network to the packet-based network by 2002.   Global Crossing is also deploying core VoIP gateway centers internationally and will extend the VoIP backbone to Tokyo, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Brussels by year-end.

“We’re creating a world-class, carrier grade global VoIP network, with the scalability, quality of service and reliability necessary to provide IP networking services,” said Brian Fink, Global Crossing’s senior vice president of Global Product Development.  “This is a key step in our ongoing commitment to deliver new and innovative services to our customers on a worldwide basis with an ultimate goal of providing customers with real-time provisioning capabilities for converged services.”

The transition from the legacy network to Global Crossing’s VoIP network will be seamless.  “The great thing is our customers don’t have to change any of their calling habits or purchase additional equipment,” said Fink.  “We already have customer traffic riding the VoIP backbone for traditional long distance services and we’re just now starting to let people know it. The whole process is transparent to the end user.”

Global Crossing is using Sonus Networks’ (Nasdaq: SONS) comprehensive Packet Telephony suite, including the GSX9000 Open Services Switch, the PSX6000 Softswitch and the SGX2000 SS7 Signaling Gateway throughout its domestic and international VoIP network.  “After extensive evaluation and testing we found the Sonus SoftSwitch is able to scale approximately 25 times more efficiently than other products,” said Fink.  “We’re building our network to be carrier class, with the capability of handling more than three billion minutes of traffic per month.  Sonus is helping us reach that goal.” 

The Sonus solution is the industry's first “any-to-any” voice-over-packet central office switching platform that meets the stringent demands of public carrier networks for interconnectivity, capacity, reliability, scalability and voice quality.  Moreover, Sonus’ voice infrastructure solutions offer a powerful and open platform through which Global Crossing can build new revenue streams through the creation and delivery of new and innovative voice and data services. 

"Global Crossing put a stake in the ground last year as the first carrier to begin the migration to a next-gen voice-over-packet network," commented Hassan Ahmed, president and CEO, Sonus Networks.  "Global Crossing has made its vision a reality with the completion of this first phase network deployment, and we're looking forward to working together to achieve the goal of being first with a global, carrier class, all-IP voice network."

The VoIP platform allows Global Crossing to develop new products within the network and provision those products quickly and cost effectively to service both multinational corporations and carrier customers.  Global Crossing will leverage the VoIP network to enable its OneLinkTM service where customers can send and receive all communications via one logical path.

Global Crossing will continue to rapidly extend its VoIP technology around the world. In 2001, the international footprint will extend into Asia, South and Central America and the Caribbean with continued expansion throughout Europe. The effort is consistent with the company’s mission of completing a truly global network based on NexGen IP by the middle of 2001. Global Crossing expects to integrate all of its voice traffic by the end of 2002.

In 1999, Global Crossing established a development network (“DevNet”) connecting Denver, Detroit and Rochester.  London is also now connected to DevNet. This provides an opportunity for aggressive equipment testing and network validation. DevNet will continue to serve as a testing ground for new equipment and services before they are deployed into the production network. 

About Global Crossing

Global Crossing Ltd. (Nasdaq: GBLX) is building and offering services over the world's most extensive global IP-based fiber optic network, which will have more than 101,000 route miles, serving five continents, 27 countries and more than 200 major cities.  Global Crossing's subsidiary, GlobalCenter Inc., is a leading Internet service company, and its customers own many of the largest and most densely trafficked sites on the Web.  Global Crossing's operations are headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, with principal offices in Los Angeles, California; London, England; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Madison, New Jersey; Rochester, New York; Sunnyvale, California; New York, New York; and Miami, Florida.  Visit Global Crossing at www.globalcrossing.com on the Web.  

About Sonus Networks

Sonus Networks, Inc. is a leading provider of voice infrastructure products for the new public network.  Sonus' solutions enable service providers to deploy an integrated network capable of carrying both voice and data traffic, and to deliver a range of innovative, new services.  The Sonus Open Services Architecture (OSA) and award-winning Packet Telephony suite cut the time-to-market for competitive new service products, allowing carriers and third-party developers to expand marketshare and build important new revenue streams.  Its highly scalable products fully interoperate with and extend the life and utility of today's public network.  Sonus embodies in its management and staff decades of experience in developing carrier-class voice, data and multimedia solutions for implementation in the world's largest networks.  Sonus, founded in 1997, is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts.

Statements made in this press release that state the Company's or management's intentions, beliefs, expectations, or predictions for the future are forward-looking statements.  Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements.  These risks, assumptions and uncertainties include: the ability to complete systems within currently estimated time frames and budgets; the ability to compete effectively in a rapidly evolving and price competitive marketplace; changes in the nature of telecommunications regulation in the United States and other countries; changes in business strategy; the successful integration of newly-acquired businesses; the impact of technological change; and other risks referenced from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.