Cisco Systems Inc.
and General Instrument Corp. Thursday said
they will collaborate with AT&T Corp. in
creating and testing a new Internet Protocol (IP) network.
The high-speed network will enable AT&T to offer services such as data,
voice and video over the hybrid fiber-coax network currently deployed by
AT&T and TCI. AT&T customers will be able to simultaneously watch
television, send
and receive faxes, log on to the Internet and talk on the telephone.
“Cisco’s collaboration with AT&T and GI will result in a new world network
that will fundamentally change the way communications services are
delivered to the consumer market,” said John Chambers, president
and chief executive officer of Cisco Systems.
“By combining broadband Internet, phone and video services over a
single cable line, we are taking a major step towards implementing future
integrated data, voice and video telecommunications on a mass market scale.”
The AT&T broadband network will work by integrating advanced networking and
Voice-over-IP (VoIP) technologies to deliver services while streamlining
operational demands. The network will function by deploying broadband
packet technologies, data, voice and video services delivered through one
integrated high-speed infrastructure, instead of traditional multiple
parallel legacy networks.
The companies said they will conduct a market trial starting in late 1999,
with the goal of providing commercial availability by next year.
The IP backbone will feature the Cisco 12000 Gigabit Switch Router
(GSR), a multi-gigabit, carrier-class, IP backbone router and the Universal
Broadband Router (uBR), a scalable interface between subscriber cable
modems and the backbone data network. The packet telephony gateways would
be based on the Cisco AS5X00, voice-over-IP gateway servers. Cisco and its
cooperating partners plans to provide management, call processing and
provisioning/activation solutions used in the AT&T deployment.
“The HFC IP telephony system being developed by Cisco and GI will establish
the benchmark for integrated broadband service platforms, leading the way
for the industry. We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to
partner with Cisco and AT&T on this groundbreaking project,” said Edward
Breen,
chairman and chief executive officer of General Instrument.
