AT&T has lit the nation's first coast-to-coast network connections over new-generation IP/Multiprotocol Label Switching technology. The new-generation backbone network carries data at 40 Gbps without the need for multiplexing . AT&T has deployed 40 Gbps technology on more than 50,000 wavelength miles of its U.S. IP/MPLS backbone network to date, connecting major U.S. cities with the fastest available transport technology. This includes 18,000 miles of recently enhanced optical ultralong haul routes capable of eventually carrying customer voice and data traffic at speeds up to 100 Gbps with minimized latency. By year's end, more than 40 percent of the IP traffic carried over the company's backbone network will ride on this new-generation platform.

AT&T will continue deploying this advanced network technology and ultimately connect major IP/MPLS network hubs in 25 major U.S. metropolitan areas in the coming months. The new-generation AT&T backbone network carries a full range of IP-based services, including wireless data, business video, data and voice services, private line and wavelength traffic, as well as IP-based residential services and Internet access for AT&T's 13.8 million DSL and AT&T U-verseSM customers.

The deployment of 40 Gbps connectivity is part of an ongoing AT&T initiative to deliver one of the world's most extensive, capable and advanced IP/MPLS networks. The new-generation network connections quadruple the bandwidth of previous 10 Gbps technologies and enable transport over much longer distances without the need for regeneration.

The AT&T 40 Gbps backbone is designed and managed for maximum resiliency in the event of a natural or man-made disruption, including the ability to continue transport in the event of disruption of any single network link or node. In the coming months, the network will be enhanced with diversely homed edge sites, which provide multiple network paths through each network hub, as well as MPLS Fast Reroute technology, which enables service restoration in less than one second.

To support the current network upgrade in the U.S. and planned future upgrades internationally, AT&T has selected the Cisco Carrier Routing System as the core platform for the backbone expansion. The Cisco CRS-1 service flexibility and scalability position AT&T to accommodate increased customer demand for IP-based managed communications services and broadband Internet access for years to come, while maintaining the highest levels of service quality, reliability and security. It is designed for continuous system operation while scaling system capacity up to 92 Terabits per second.