Cisco Systems announced continued momentum on its leadership with service providers around the world in delivery of video/IPTV services over its IP Next Generation Network (IP NGN) reference architecture.

Cisco has unmatched video/IPTV networking deployment experience, with platforms and technologies that enable scaling to millions of subscribers quickly and easily and with a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) than others. Cisco's approach enables providers to improve the subscriber experience and increase average revenue-per-subscriber (ARPU) by offering enhanced viewing options, improved security and proven reliability. This is based on improved service control, intelligence within the aggregation layer and scalability at the network core. The Cisco IP NGN architecture gives providers an open platform for service differentiation, allowing them to move beyond video/IPTV to develop and deliver a variety of integrated media services in the connected home.

"Cisco provides service providers with extensive experience in delivering video/IPTV and IP-based rich media services through a broad technology solution," said Mark Bieberich, Director, Communications Network Infrastructure, Yankee Group. "By addressing fundamental challenges in carrier IP networks and the connected home and combining proven routing, bandwidth management and service control offerings, Cisco IP NGN gives service providers the solutions required to guarantee end user quality-of-experience."

Video/IPTV requirements vary greatly depending on whether the service is a managed video application such as broadcast IPTV, an interactive communications service such as video conferencing or third-party content detection and management. Cisco offers an open, standards-based approach to video/IPTV deployment with multiple middleware vendors, headend platforms, conditional access devices, video servers and IP set-top boxes.

"Cisco's leadership in video deployments over IP can be attributed to continuously enabling providers to grow subscriber bases, increase revenues and reduce churn," said Mike Volpi, senior vice president and general manager of Routing and Service Provider Technology, Cisco. "We do this by enabling three layers of convergence -- network convergence, which saves providers money; service convergence, which binds networks and applications together; and application convergence, which helps them drive revenue. Only IP next generation networks that encompass all three can truly drive growth of advanced services, including video."

Cisco continues innovating to achieve its IP NGN vision with a number of video/IPTV-focused solutions and milestones:

Network Convergence

At the Network Convergence Layer of the IP NGN, Cisco video/IPTV deployments provide unparalleled linkages among the network, middleware and video/IPTV applications through the Carrier Routing System (CRS-1), the XR 12000 and 7600 Series routers, the Cisco Catalyst(R) switch family and optical networking equipment including the industry-leading Cisco ONS15454 multiservice provisioning/transport platform (MSPP/MSTP) and the Cisco ONS15600 multiservice switching platform (MSSP).

Cisco today announced general availability of the 8-port 1 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) shared port adapter (SPA) for the CRS-1, offering the industry's highest QoS-enabled GE port density. The CRS-1 now offers continuous scaling of up to 768 ports per rack and up to 55,296 ports per system. With high-density Ethernet aggregation and the industry's only multi-stage multicast, CRS-1 is designed to connect the super headend, video headend and video serving office (VSO) in national and metro networks.

Recent enhancements to the Cisco 7600 Series routing portfolio, ideally suited for distributed video and aggregation applications in national and metro networks, underscore leadership in working with service providers to build out scalable video/IPTV services. These include:

• Optimization of network utilization with Dynamic Multicast -- Minimizes providers' bandwidth needs for a larger number of live TV channels.
• TCO reduction with video/IPTV-optimized Asymmetric Networking -- Enables providers to deploy only the network bandwidth needed in each direction to support video services.
• Enhanced security with Source-specific Multicast (SSM) -- Designed to prevent distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
• Carrier-class video operation with Broadcast Source Redundancy -- Enables load sharing among live TV broadcast sources with dynamic failover.

Service Convergence

At the Service Convergence Layer of the IP NGN, Cisco continues to strengthen its ability to enhance end-user quality-of-experience (QoE) with service control intelligence in the Service Exchange Framework (SEF). The open SEF tightly integrates the network and application layers with middleware vendors, headend platforms, conditional access devices, video servers and IP set-top boxes.

• Intelligent service and bandwidth control with Cisco Broadband Policy Manager -- Provides universal subscriber access and automates policy control operations with business rules to deliver services. It is an open platform which seamlessly integrates Cisco products with OSS/BSS and multi-vendor networks.
• Preserve quality-of-experience (QoE) with Video Admission Control in Cisco 7600 Series routers -- Maintains high-quality end-user experience in oversubscribed networks by dynamically determining when network-wide resources can support a video session.
• Detect and manage authorized or unauthorized third-party video content over broadband -- Deep packet inspection and application classification enabled by the Cisco Service Control Engine enables providers to offer multi-tiered, application-and-subscriber-aware services.
• Content virtualization -- The Cisco Content Engine provides intelligent content and asset distribution across access-independent networks.
• Presence-based video communications -- The Cisco Call Session Control Platform (CSCP) enables broadband providers to offer a range of session initiation protocol (SIP)-enabled video soft clients and phones for services such as video instant messaging.

Application Convergence

At the Application Convergence Layer of the IP NGN, Linksys(R), a Division of Cisco Systems, continues to drive consumer benefits for the connected home across four key areas: networked entertainment, basic networking, communication and security/monitoring. The connected home represents a growing opportunity to leverage gateway technology across cable, wireline or wireless access technologies, while increasing providers' total addressable market. Linksys is continuing to expand the IP NGN offering with:

• Agreement to acquire KiSS Technology, a leading technology provider for networked entertainment devices whose product portfolio includes home video products such as networked DVD players and networked DVD recorders. KiSS's technology platform also has the capability to extend to other consumer electronics products and will help Linksys continue to develop a unique, networked entertainment product suite for the connected home. For more information: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2005/corp_072205.html

Global Deployments

Cisco continues to see widespread adoption of its video/IPTV-focused IP NGN solutions, with reference customers spanning the globe:

• SOFTBANK BB Corporation (JAPAN) -- Expanding its Cisco IP NGN architecture to enable nationwide expansion of advanced video services including broadband program broadcasting and video-on-demand (VOD). The nationwide expansion will be completed in October. See separate release issued today for more information.
• Video Networks Limited (UK) -- Deploying a Cisco IP NGN to accelerate the national roll-out of its HomeChoice video, voice and Internet (triple-play) services over digital subscriber line (DSL) broadband. Extending the reach of HomeChoice services from 2.4 million homes in 2005 to 10 million homes nationwide by 2010. For more information: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2005/prod_071205c.html
• neuf telecom (France) -- Using Cisco technology for network extension and expansion to support the most ambitious local loop unbundling program in Europe and to facilitate the delivery of new triple-play services over ADSL to residential customers. In November 2004, the company launched neuf TV, a digital-quality TV-over-DSL service offering more than 70 channels. The carrier had a total of 700,000 ADSL users from its retail and wholesale operations at the end of 2004. For more information: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2005/prod_012705.html
• Telewest (UK) -- Expecting to deliver TV-on-demand to more than 1 million customers by early 2006, converging four networks for voice, video, broadband and business data onto a single platform using the Cisco IP NGN reference architecture. For more information: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2005/prod_061505.html
• SureWest Communications (USA) -- Enhancing its video/IPTV services over a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network with the Cisco IP NGN reference architecture. Currently delivers more than 250 video and music channels to its subscribers, with both 10 and 20 megabit-per-second (mbps) options for Internet service and voice. See separate release issued today for more information.
• China TieTong (formerly China Railcom) -- With 1.2 million broadband users as of June 2005, China TieTong is in the process of expanding the scope of its voice, video and data (triple-play) service offerings from 129 cities to 250 with the Cisco IP NGN reference architecture. For more information: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/global/asiapac/news/2005/pr_06-28.html (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

For more information about Cisco in video/IPTV, please visit the Cisco web site at www.cisco.com/go/ipngnnew.