EarthLink Contracts to Expand POPs

EarthLink Tuesday
signed a deal with Nortel
Networks to expand the capacity available to Southern California
subscribers.

EarthLink plans to add up to 42,000 more ports of carrier-class Internet
access by the end of 1999. The deployment will expand EarthLink’s Mega POP available bandwidth for the
company’s Southern California subscribers.

EarthLink’s contract with Nortel Networks is the result of Mega POP’s need
to expand scalable Internet capabilities. Nortel’s advanced access switch
is designed to support dial-up access, fax and Voice over IP (VoIP).

“We evaluated the market’s leading next-generation switches and chose
Nortel Networks because of the CVX 1800’s superior density and
performance,” said Steve Dougherty, director of Internet operations at
EarthLink.

“The CVX 1800 offers the highest number of modems of any product
available. We were looking for a robust and stable platform that also fit
easily into our existing network.”

Nortel Networks will deliver a total of 32 CVX 1800 units, providing
EarthLink with additional remote access for the wholesale market by the end
of 1999.

“The density, manageability, and scalability of the CVX
1800 platform provides EarthLink with competitive cost savings, and allows
us to more effectively deploy our personnel and physical resources in
support of our membership,” Dougherty said.

Designed for central office and major ISP POP platforms, the Nortel CVX
1800 is an 18-slot access switch that aggregates high-volume dial-up for
transport over the Internet. A single Nortel CVX 1800 handles up to 1,344
modems/ISDN calls per chassis.