Global Crossing's Continued Decommissioning of Legacy Switches Delivers Improved Converged IP Services
- Four new network hubs transfer from legacy TDM switches to VoIP switches.
- Deployment demonstrates Global Crossing's long-term commitment to the efficiencies of VoIP technology.
- Global Crossing's Sonus-based VoIP network is fully interoperable with its legacy switches, providing a seamless path towards a fully converged IP network.
Florham Park, NJ - March 9, 2005- As one of the first providers to replace a legacy switch in the core of its network with a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) switch last year, Global Crossing (NASDAQ: GLBC) announced today that it is continuing to decommission legacy switches in four additional cities throughout its multi-protocol label-switching (MPLS) network. This project is expected to create increased network efficiencies and enhance the seamless delivery of converged IP services.
"By taking these bold steps and shifting from legacy equipment to reliable, next-generation VoIP switches throughout our network, we're cementing our position at the forefront of the telecommunications industry," said John Legere, Global Crossing's chief executive officer. "As we move more of our traffic onto our VoIP network, we can further enhance our customers' experience while supporting continued growth in VoIP traffic."
Global Crossing began the decommissioning project last year as VoIP traffic traversing its private backbone grew to 2.3 billion minutes each month. In the fourth quarter of 2004, VoIP traffic represented almost 49 percent of the company's total voice traffic. Global Crossing's VoIP network is fully interoperable with its time-division multiplexing (TDM) backbone and enables carriers and enterprises to gradually transition to a fully converged all-IP network environment over a single connection.
The company's first TDM switch was decommissioned in Chicago last year and replaced with Sonus VoIP switches. Since then, the company has decommissioned switches in its San Francisco hub and moved the traffic to VoIP switches in Sacramento. It will do the same with switches in Los Angeles, Boston and Newark in the first half of this year.
"The TDM to VOIP traffic migration program is directly aligned with our over-arching goals of collapsing all services onto our IP backbone, simplifying our voice network architecture, improving network reliability and asset utilization, as well as reclaiming POP space and power," said Dan Enright, Global Crossing's executive vice president, operations. "With a more efficient network, we are better able to deliver converged IP services while seamlessly integrating both TDM and IP customers in a VoIP environment, without the need for a customer to invest in expensive new network infrastructure and equipment."
An early adopter of VoIP, Global Crossing was one of the first providers to deploy a global VoIP platform more than four years ago. Global Crossing built its VoIP network with infrastructure solutions from Sonus Networks. Using Global Crossing's private IP network, customers experience the quality, reliability and security that is not available from public Internet sources.
"Global Crossing is one of the most advanced providers in the steady migration to VoIP," said Hassan Ahmed, CEO and chairman, Sonus Networks. "We are proud to have worked with Global Crossing in helping them develop one of the world's largest operating VoIP networks and we look forward to continuing our successful relationship for years to come."
Today, Global Crossing's Carrier VoIP Service, introduced in September 2003, provides carrier IP interconnection, transport and call completion of packet-based voice traffic over Global Crossing's integrated IP and TDM platforms. Carrier VoIP services have been expanded to include Carrier VoIP Toll Free Transport™ and Carrier VoIP DID™.
Global Crossing also offers enterprises a comprehensive Global Crossing Enterprise VoIP™ portfolio, introduced last year, which includes Global Crossing VoIP On-Net Transport™, Global Crossing VoIP Outbound™ and Global Crossing VoIP Toll-Free™ services. The company recently expanded this portfolio with the addition of Global Crossing VoIP LDS™ (local digital service). VoIP LDS allows enterprises to extend their local presence to more than 46 major business centers across the US.
Global Crossing VoIP customers can call around the globe, utilizing Global Crossing's service network connecting 500 cities in 50 countries on 6 continents. Security is ensured since the VoIP traffic traverses the private MPLS-based IP backbone, with additional firewall protection provided by the session border controllers, connecting the VoIP platform to our customers, extending voice services natively over IP. All VoIP services are available as part of Global Crossing's Converged IP Services offer over a single connection, enabling Internet Access, IP Video, and IP VPN services to share the same connection with VoIP for maximum efficiency.
For more details on the benefits of IP convergence, visit Global Crossing's IP knowledge center at www.ipknowledgecenter.com.
About Global Crossing
Global Crossing (NASDAQ: GLBC) provides telecommunications solutions over the world's first integrated global IP-based network. Its core network connects more than 300 cities and 30 countries worldwide, and delivers services to more than 500 major cities, 50 countries and 6 continents around the globe. The company's global sales and support model matches the network footprint and, like the network, delivers a consistent customer experience worldwide.
Global Crossing IP services are global in scale, linking the world's enterprises, governments and carriers with customers, employees and partners worldwide in a secure environment that is ideally suited for IP-based business applications, allowing e-commerce to thrive. The company offers a full range of managed data and voice products including Global Crossing IP VPN Service, Global Crossing Managed Services and Global Crossing VoIP services, to more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500, as well as 700 carriers, mobile operators and ISPs.
Please visit www.globalcrossing.com for more information about Global Crossing.
About Sonus Networks
Sonus Networks, Inc. is a leading provider of voice over IP (VoIP) infrastructure solutions for wireline and wireless service providers. With its Open Services ArchitectureTM (OSA), Sonus delivers end-to-end solutions addressing a full range of carrier applications, including trunking and tandem switching, residential and business access, network border switching and enhanced services. Sonus' voice infrastructure solutions, including media gateways, softswitches and network management systems, are deployed in service provider networks worldwide. Sonus, founded in 1997, is headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Additional information on Sonus is available at http://www.sonusnet.com.
Statements made in this press release that state Global Crossing's intentions, beliefs, expectations, or predictions for the future are forward-looking statements. These statements contain words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," "will," "seek," or similar expressions. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements, including the conditioning of the company's continued listing on the NASDAQ National Market on its timely filing with the SEC of all periodic reports for all reporting periods ending on or prior to September 30, 2005; the company's history of substantial operating losses and the fact that, in the near term, funds from operations will not satisfy cash requirements; the ability of the company to arrange the necessary financing to fund its liquidity requirements including through a working capital facility; legal and contractual restrictions on the payment of dividends and the inter-company transfer of funds by the company's subsidiaries, including restrictions under the senior secured notes indenture applicable to the company's primary operating subsidiary in the UK; the likelihood that the prices the company charges for its services will continue to decrease; the company's ability to continue to connect its network to incumbent carriers' networks or maintain Internet peering arrangements on favorable terms; the success of the company's business realignment plan and the realization of anticipated cost savings; the consequences of any inadvertent violation of the company's Network Security Agreement with the U.S. Government; the impact of actual and potential customers' bankruptcies on the company's sales prospects and results of operations; increased competition and pricing pressures resulting from technology advances and regulatory changes; competitive disadvantages relative to competitors with superior resources; the impact on the company's competitiveness of its technology choices; the company's dependence on third parties for many functions; political, legal and other risks due to the company's substantial international operations; and other risks referenced from time to time in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no duty to update information contained in this press release or in other public disclosures at any time.
Contact Global Crossing
Press Contacts
Tom Topalian
+ 1 973-937-0154
PR@globalcrossing.com
Kendra Langlie
+ 1 305-808-5912
LatAmPR@globalcrossing.com
Mish Desmidt
Europe
+ 44 (0) 7771-668438
EuropePR@globalcrossing.com
Analysts/Investors Contact
Laurinda Pang
+ 1 800-836-0342
glbc@globalcrossing.com
