CISCO INTRODUCES IP DSL SWITCHING ACROSS CISCO 6000 DSL FAMILY.

Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO), the leader in networking for the Internet, announced the addition of IP DSL switching capabilities across the entire carrier-class Cisco 6000 DSL family. Adding IP capabilities to the platform enables service providers to deliver a broader, richer set of value-added service offerings, reduce operating expenses, and increase the manageability, service performance and cost effectiveness of their DSL network.

With the addition of IP services to the Cisco 6000 product family, Cisco is introducing a new category of product called IP DSL Switches. The entire family of existing Cisco 6000 DSL products can be upgraded with IP DSL switching capabilities to create a more powerful and scalable network, ensuring continuous investment protection for service providers deploying Cisco DSL products now and in the future.

The Cisco 6000 IP DSL Switch family provides solutions that deliver a new caliber of premium, IP-based, managed data, voice and video capabilities to service providers. Powered by Cisco IOS software, the products enable service providers to differentiate themselves competitively and increase customer loyalty and revenue by delivering the industry's broadest, most feature-rich set of managed IP+ATM multi-service applications on a single platform. The IP DSL Switch family enables service providers to deliver MPLS-based virtual private networks (VPNs), secure firewalls, multicast video, webcaching, and voice services for both business and consumer entertainment applications.

The Cisco 6000 IP DSL Switch family supports multi-DSL technologies including ADSL, SDSL, G.shdsl and IDSL from a single platform. Products in the family are fully compliant with Network Equipment Building System (NEBS), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI), and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) carrier-class network element standards.