MapInfo to Provide Fiber Network Planning and Analysis Data

Business Wire, Oct 14, 2002

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

TROY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 14, 2002

Companies Can Leverage GeoTel(TM) Data Sets for Expanding Networks and

Real Estate Planning, Improved Competitive Analysis and Faster

Roll-out of New Services

MapInfo Corporation (Nasdaq: MAPS) today announced it will augment its suite of industry-leading location-intelligence solutions with GeoTel(TM)'s comprehensive fiber data sets, giving customers the premier solution for determining the optimal infrastructure to support new services in a selected area. Organizations in the communications, real estate and economic development and urban planning industries, as well as consulting and business intelligence firms, can use communications infrastructure data to drive insightful business decisions.

GeoTel's sophisticated fiber data sets for the locations of colocation facilities, Internet exchanges, carrier networks and metro fiber routes, coupled with MapInfo's communications offerings, let users easily visualize their entire network and other carriers' assets, see current areas of market penetration and view competitive threats. With the infrastructure data, organizations outside the communications industry can determine where to locate new buildings, the potential for economic development in a specific area and the extent of communications services currently available in a particular geography.

Carriers need to achieve greater productivity from their existing network assets while cost-effectively provisioning for new services and anticipating competitive pressures. With GeoTel fiber data sets and MapInfo's location-intelligence solutions, communications companies can pinpoint where to expand network coverage, such as areas with strong demand for high-speed services, and reduce the total cost of customer acquisition by determining the ideal infrastructure requirements to reach those customers. For instance, with GeoTel's data, carriers can perform critical "last mile" analysis, quickly calculating the distance required to provide high-speed services to the most profitable new customers and using this information to decide whether to extend their existing infrastructure or lease bandwidth from another carrier.

"As communications companies roll out new services that leverage their high-speed fiber networks, their top priorities are minimizing customer acquisition costs for high-bandwidth services and addressing competitive threats," said Lonnie Floyd, strategic industry director for the communications sector, MapInfo. "Now providers can more effectively and quickly plan new networks, optimize the use of their current infrastructure and offer the most profitable high-speed phone, video and data services to their customers."

GeoTel data sets now available through the relationship with MapInfo offer unique insights into the assets of carriers, including:

-- Central business district fiber routes from multiple service providers

-- Carrier fiber points of presence (POPs)

-- Interconnect facilities such as MAEs, NAPs and undersea cable landing stations

-- Carrier-neutral colocation and data centers

-- Wireless/cell tower locations and owners

-- Top 60 carriers' national networks

All of GeoTel's data sets are geo-referenced and can be layered on digital street maps, digital elevation models, aerial photography and 3D imagery.

"As the industry leader in location intelligence, MapInfo brings an unprecedented ease of use and sophistication to the challenges of network planning and service provisioning," said David L. Drazen, CEO, GeoTel. "Through this relationship, carriers finally have a complete solution that empowers them to visualize and analyze their networks in a broader context that combines both competitive insights and customer demographics."

Pricing and Availability

GeoTel(TM) Analyst Bundle will be available from MapInfo in October 2002. For more detailed product information including a free sample and user manual, please visit www.mapinfo.com/fiber. For pricing information, please call 800-327-8627.

About GeoTel

GeoTel is a telecommunications research and geographic information system mapping firm. A leading provider of telecommunications geography, GeoTel delivers researched telecommunications infrastructure data coupled with high performance desktop geographic information systems in a scalable, layered client/server environment. GeoTel digitally maps e-infrastructure by combining intelligent spatial telecommunications databases with relational database management systems. Data Sets include Carrier fiber Points of presence (POPs), Wireless/cell towers, Internet Exchanges (MAEs-NAPS), carrier neutral colocation facilities-data centers, Carrier Networks, and central business district fiber routes from multiple service providers. GeoTel is located online at www.geo-tel.com.

About MapInfo

MapInfo Corporation is a global software company that integrates software, data and services to help customers realize greater value from location-based information and drive more insightful decisions. MapInfo solutions are available in 20 languages through a network of strategic partners and distribution channels in 60 countries. Headquartered in Troy, NY, MapInfo Corporation is on the World Wide Web at www.mapinfo.com.