Hitachi Turns Up First OC-192 Metro Ring to Link Global IP Network - Company Business and Marketing

Cambridge Telcom Report, March 13, 2000

Hitachi Telecom (USA), Inc., Monday announced that its AMN 5192 SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) equipment has been deployed in a New York City metro ring by Global Crossing (NASDAQ: GBLX).

The New York application is the first metro ring configuration at the OC-192 (10 gigabits per second) SONET rate to interface directly to a global IP network including North America, South and Central America, Europe, and Asia. Serving customers in New York's financial district and other area businesses, the New York ring traffic mix will include OC-48c traffic to and from Global Crossing's London - New York submarine link and the company's North American Crossing Network.

The four-fiber BLSR (bi-directional Line Switched Ring) configuration includes nodes in New York City and Newark, New Jersey. Global Crossing is the world's first carrier to provide IP connectivity via an optical wavelength link, and seamlessly merges terrestrial and submarine networks for concurrent applications such as Web hosting, content distribution, high-speed Internet, and video on demand.

"Many of our customers, particularly in the New York financial district, demand the high reliability offered by a SONET four-fiber BLSR configuration" stated Russ Shipley, vice president of network services for Global Crossing North America. "Our New York customers now have seamless, ultra high bandwidth connectivity to Global Crossing's network."

"With tributary capabilities from OC-48 down to OC-3, Hitachi's OC-192 product is ideally suited for metro applications such as this one in New York," stated Don Boriskie, Hitachi vice president, sales. "The concentration of financial institutions and corporate headquarters in New York makes the use of four-fiber BLSR very attractive."

Global Crossing's New York metro ring is supported by Hitachi's AMN 5192 SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) 4-fiber BLSR (bi-directional line switched ring) equipment. This Hitachi equipment also provides the 10 Gb/s fiber optic "pipeline" that carries the traffic on the coast-to-coast North American Crossing network.

Hitachi's next generation AMN 5192 transport system is designed to address a full range of applications from long haul transmission to metropolitan rings. The system supports growth from 10 Gbps and beyond through Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing. Hitachi's products are managed by a common element management system, streamlining the support issues in the increasingly complex network. The four-fiber bi-directional line switched ring configuration provides protection against transport network outages due to a fiber cut or failure at one node. In the event of such a failure, traffic is automatically reversed in direction around the ring within milliseconds. Four-fiber BLSR is generally favored over two-fiber BLSR because of its relative higher capacity and increased reliability offered by the larger number of fibers.

Global Crossing Ltd. (Nasdaq: GBLX) is building, and offering services over, the world's first global fiber optic network with 97,200 announced route miles, serving five continents, 24 countries and more than 200 major cities. The Global Crossing Network and its telecommunications and Internet product offerings will be available to more than 80% of the world's international communications traffic. Global Crossing hosts more than 300 of the top Internet brands at its web hosting division, GlobalCenter. 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. Global Crossing's operations are headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, with principal offices in Los Angeles, California; London, England; Morristown, New Jersey; Rochester, New York; and Miami, Florida. Visit Global Crossing at www.globalcrossing.com on the Web.

Hitachi Telecom (USA), Inc., a subsidiary of Hitachi America, Ltd., develops, manufactures and markets telecommunications equipment for the U.S. market. The company offers ultra high speed optical networking equipment such as SONET and DWDM systems, as well as customer premises products such as PBXs. For more information on Hitachi Telecom (USA), Inc., please visit the company's website at www.hitel.com.

Hitachi America, Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., markets and manufactures a broad range of electronics, computer systems and products, consumer electronics and semiconductors, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout North America. FMI: http://www.hitachi.com.

Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading global electronics companies, with fiscal 1998 (ended March 31, 1999) consolidated sales of 7,977 billion yen ($65.9 billion(a)). The company manufactures and markets a wide range of products, including computers, semiconductors, consumer products and power and industrial equipment. For more information on Hitachi, Ltd., please visit Hitachi's Website at http://www.hitachi.co.jp. (a) At an exchange rate of 121 yen to the dollar.