Cisco announces that Free (Iliad Group), has doubled the capacity of its Cisco-based IP Next-Generation Network in a drive to enhance the quality of experience for its more than 2.5 million subscribers. Less than a year after installing the first Cisco CRS-1 carrier routing systems, Free has doubled the capacity of its core network by upgrading its full 16-slot CRS-1 systems, with a potential capacity of up to 1.2 terabits per second, to a multi-chassis configuration offering a capacity of up to 2.5 Tbps. The operation was completed without any interruption to subscriber services.

With the recent announcements of TV Perso Freebox, Free's innovative user-created TV channel service, and Free Home Video, a subscription-based on-demand service for movies and TV series, as well as the rollout of a nationwide fiber-to-the-home network, Free is expecting IP traffic requirements to continue to double every 18 months.

Thierry Drilhon, managing director of Cisco France and vice president of Cisco Europe, added: "At a time when service providers like Free are experiencing exponential growth in IP traffic, there is zero tolerance to any process that impacts network performance. With the successful in-service core network upgrade at Free and the recent excellent results from the European tests of the Cisco end-to-end IPTV solutions, the CRS-1 carrier routing system's multicast performance capabilities and high availability continue to prove its value to major operators throughout the world."

The Cisco end-to-end IPTV and triple-play solution was recently analyzed in an independent test at the European Advanced Networking Test Center focusing on the network service requirements of broadcast TV and video-on-demand applications. The test covered four main areas: the massive scalability of broadcast TV and VOD services; QOS (quality of service) in an integrated business and residential customer network with real-time video, voice and data service; high availability with sub-second failover time for all of the services; and user experience of video services under high network load and packet loss on the first mile. A full copy of the report is available from Cisco at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns610/networking_solutions_solution_category.html.