AT&T Improves Backbone of Taiwan’s #1 ISP

AT&T has upgraded the international IP backbone network of Taiwan’s largest ISP, HiNet, a service run by state-run telecommunications carrier Chunghwa Telecom.

The upgrade will increase the bandwidth of HiNet’s backbone from 72 mbps (megabits per second) to 122 mbps–56 times the bandwidth of a T1 circuit – to provide quicker response times and more dependable connections for the ISP’s customers.

HiNet has improved its network architecture to meet the surging demand in Taiwan for Internet service.

According to the Internet Society of Taiwan, the number of online users in Taiwan rose to over 3 million at the end of 1998 with over one million of them logging on last year.

“HiNet has more than 920,000 Internet subscribers and more than 2,000 dedicated customers,” said Kuwei-Pi Hsu, president of Chunghwa Telecom’s Data Communication Business Group.

“By working with AT&T to develop our infrastructure, HiNet will be able to continue to offer our customers an excellent Internet service that keeps pace with their increasing demands,” added Hsu.

Chunghwa Telecom has granted AT&T Solutions, a division of AT&T Asia/Pacific, a three year contract to provide services which include six T1 lines and a T45 in addition to networking equipment, connections to the United States, ongoing training of Chunghwa employees, and network integration.

“AT&T has had a close working relationship with Chunghwa Telecom for many years,” said David Fu, regional managing partner of AT&T Solutions.”We are pleased that our relationship is further strengthened by this contract and that AT&T is taking parting developing Taiwan’s IP capabilities.”

AT&T Solution’s other major clients in Taiwan include ISPs TANet, SeedNet, and various multinational corporations.

Consistent with its goal to be a leading global provider of converging data and voice technology services, AT&T developed a significant present in Asia with regional headquarters in Hong Kong and country offices in Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and three offices in China.

AT&T has two local ISP’s in Asia; AT&T Easylink Services in Hong Kong and AT&T WorldNet in Japan.

“As the Internet increasingly becomes an important part of daily lives, the backing of a strong IP infrastructure is critical,” said JoAnn Patrick-Ezzell, AT&T Asia/Pacific’s president and CEO. “AT&T is delighted to be working with ISPs and carriers across the Asia Pacific to ensure the region is harnessing the tremendous opportunities the Internet offers for business, education and leisure.”