Wind creates Cisco IOS-based mobile signalling network with Cisco Systems IP Transfer Point--ITP and Italtel.

Cisco Systems and Italtel have announced that they have been chosen to provide signalling infrastructure for Italy's integrated telecommunications operator Wind Telecomunicazioni S.p.A. The technology, including Cisco's IP Transfer Point (ITP) solution, which supports both next generation and legacy networks, allows Wind to handle their rapidly growing network traffic at around a third of the cost of a traditional mobile signalling system, following the introduction, in April 2002, of number portability in the Italian mobile market.

Wind believes this use of Internet routing technologies is one of the first of its kind and will ease the integration of new mobile services. Over a period of a year, Wind was able to test its infrastructure exhaustively. Moreover Wind was confident in the reliability and flexibility of Cisco's solution because of its experience using the core routing technology in many other parts of the company business."

The core technology supporting Wind's mobile network is the high performance Cisco 7513 Internet Router running Cisco IOS based ITP software. To build up the new SS7 network, Wind has deployed Cisco's 7513 Series Routers in 12 remote sites in a fully redundant configuration. In addition Cisco's ITP technology enables Wind to completely control the migration of their network. The entire project deployment, implementation and SS7 traffic offload from the STPs to the Cisco IP Transfer Points (ITPs) was completed on July 10th 2002, in less than two months. Cisco's Gold Certified Partner, Italtel, provides on-going implementation and maintenance of the Cisco infrastructure.

Claudio Chiarenza, Vice President Solution Catalogue and Marketing, Italtel said: "Our strategy is based on the capacity to be both partner and advisor of our customer and this project is clear evidence of that. In this scenario, our experience, matured with the main Telecommunication Service Provider, is a distinctive value versus a traditional technology supplier."

Massimo Migliuolo, Vice President of Mobile Sales Worldwide, Cisco Systems said: "This solution demonstrates that Cisco IOS Software is capable of supporting mobile networks based on SS7 every bit as effectively as, and more cost competitively than dedicated technologies which use Signal Switching Points and Signal Transfer Points. We are seeing growing interest in this kind of application from other mobile network operators worldwide, and we are very pleased to have been a part of this development which creates a unique position for Wind."