Global Crossing Demonstrates Open System with IP Routers and OC-192 WDM - Pirelli Cables and Systems' WaveMux HDWDM multiplexer - Company Business and Marketing

Cambridge Telcom Report, Nov 15, 1999

Global Crossing Ltd., which is building and operating the world's most advanced global IP-based fiber optic network, has announced that is has completed the first phase of a multi-vendor IP over OC-192 field trial using Pirelli's WaveMux Hyper-Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (HDWDM) fiber optic transmission system. Global Crossing is the first carrier to deploy IP over OC-192 in a real- world environment, passing production IP traffic between Chicago and Cleveland on an optical transmission network of 10 Gbps (gigabits per second). Global Crossing expects to deploy permanent production IP over OC-192 in the first quarter of 2000.

Global Crossing's IP over OC-192 architecture provides an open systems interface for passing optical signals, allowing SONET and optical transport customers to easily integrate with the North American Crossing network.

"Our ability to 'plug and play' equipment from various vendors into our worldwide communications network is a key issue for us," explained Alan Hannan, Senior Director of IP Architecture and Engineering at Global Crossing. "This field trial demonstrates that we can easily interconnect our North American Crossing WDM network with various WDM, SONET and IP router vendors."

This successful trial uses multiple equipment vendors and represents the first open system application of OC-192 over WDM. Global Crossing has deployed the WaveMux HDWDM system from Pirelli Optical Systems to provide WDM transport in the United States. The WaveMux is installed and currently carrying both OC-48 and OC-192 SONET traffic on North American Crossing network. Offering unparalleled scalability, the WaveMux provides an open system DWDM architecture that enables Global Crossing to connect a variety of equipment directly to the optical layer.

"Using the open system approach, Global Crossing has a variety of options to select from," stated Giuseppe Morchio, chairman and CEO of Pirelli Cables and Systems. "The WaveMux system is designed for a wide variety of protocols and bit rates integrated into a single optical communications solution."

Global Crossing Ltd. (Nasdaq: GBLX) is building and offering services over the world's first global fiber optic network with 92,700 announced route miles, serving five continents, 24 countries and more than 170 major cities. The Global Crossing Network and its telecommunications and Internet product offerings will be available to over 80% of the world's international communications traffic. Global Crossing hosts more than 300 of the top Internet brands in its Global Centers. Among the brands are some of the largest and most densely trafficked sites on the Web, including Yahoo!, The Motley Fool, Ziff Davis, MP3.com and eToys. Through its Global Marine Systems subsidiary, Global Crossing also owns the largest fleet of cable laying and maintenance vessels in the world and currently services more than a third of the world's undersea cable miles. Global Crossing is included in both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100. Global Crossing's operations are headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, with executive offices in Los Angeles, California, Morristown, New Jersey, and Rochester, New York. For more information, visit www.globalcrossing.com.

Pirelli Cables and Systems is a global manufacturer of communications and power cables and systems. With approximately 20,000 employees, 67 plants, Research and Development centers in Italy, Germany, the United States, France, Great Britain and Brazil, and total sales of more than $4.5 billion, Pirelli ranks among the world leaders. The company is increasingly focusing its R&D and manufacturing resources and competencies on leading edge technologies based on optical fibers and photonics for communications networks and superconductivity for power transmission. FMI: www.pirelli.com/cables.>

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