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Global Crossing Launches IP Converged Platform for UK Rail Community
- Significant investment in IP upgrade of RailNet, including replacement of 140 PBXs.
- New enhanced services available to 65,000 rail users.
- Reinforces Global Crossing's position as a leading supplier to UK rail transportation sector.
London - September 8, 2005 -- Global Crossing (NASDAQ: GLBC) today announced the creation of a next-generation converged services platform for the UK rail industry. This foundation for delivery of IP-based services is a significant investment in the upgrade of RailNet, the dedicated network over which Global Crossing already delivers managed voice services to 65,000 users across the rail community.
RailNet is one of the largest private networks in Europe and is based on a shared infrastructure with a unique, common dial-plan serving the UK rail community. Existing customers include the national infrastructure operator Network Rail, major train and freight operators, and many other companies serving the UK rail industry.
Of the 230 private branch exchanges (PBXs) deployed in its RailNet network, Global Crossing is replacing 140 and upgrading the remainder to be IP-compatible. This converged network will enhance the delivery of fixed voice and secure mobility solutions, and support new services such as enhanced universal messaging, personal numbering and hot-desking facilities. Global Crossing expects to complete most of the upgrade in 2006.
"This significant investment demonstrates Global Crossing's commitment to transform RailNet into a fully converged IP platform that offers the rail community a flexible set of offerings," said Phil Metcalf, managing director of Global Crossing UK. "Our close rapport with the UK rail sector means we have been able to develop RailNet into a strategic asset for the industry. We have exciting plans to launch new applications that take full advantage of the new IP-centric RailNet.
"The positive market reaction to the upgrade of RailNet is reflected by the fact that the majority of our installed base has renewed their managed voice services contracts for a minimum of three years," added Metcalf.
The new IP RailNet platform also integrates fixed and mobile telephony, IP phones, digital and analogue handsets and PC soft phones. RailNet IP telephony will fully interface with Global Crossing's MPLS-based IP VPN service to offer rail users full convergence of voice and data. Global Crossing will preserve certain legacy systems to comply with the safety-critical requirements of communications within the railway-operating environment.
The ongoing infrastructure replacement and upgrade of RailNet will provide users with uniform access to advanced telephony features and new services across the network, from Penzance in Cornwall to Fort William in Scotland.
The new services introduced as part of the RailNet investment program include personal numbering, hot-desking and enhanced universal messaging. These services are designed to increase efficiency of communication and offer more options for the user, both in and out of the office. Personal numbering gives a user five separate diversion profiles, and calls can be routed to internal, external or mobile numbers as well as to voicemail. Hot-desking allows a user to allocate a generic extension number to any host handset on the system by simply entering a personal identification number (PIN). Global Crossing's universal messaging service, Powermail, is a comprehensive service that significantly increases users' flexibility in the way they handle voice and faxes.
While bringing new benefits derived from the flexibility of IP telephony, Global Crossing has also retained traditional features that are particularly appreciated by RailNet users. These include short-code dialing across the entire rail community and the ease with which numbering schemes can be altered to accommodate changes in rail franchising arrangements.
ABOUT GLOBAL CROSSING
Global Crossing (NASDAQ: GLBC) provides telecommunications solutions over the world's first integrated global IP-based network. Its core network connects more than 300 cities and 30 countries worldwide, and delivers services to more than 500 major cities, 50 countries and 6 continents around the globe. The company's global sales and support model matches the network footprint and, like the network, delivers a consistent customer experience worldwide.
Global Crossing IP services are global in scale, linking the world's enterprises, governments and carriers with customers, employees and partners worldwide in a secure environment that is ideally suited for IP-based business applications, allowing e-commerce to thrive. The company offers a full range of managed data and voice products including Global Crossing IP VPN Service, Global Crossing Managed Services and Global Crossing VoIP services, to more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500, as well as 700 carriers, mobile operators and ISPs
Please visit www.globalcrossing.com for more information about Global Crossing.
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Statements made in this press release that state the company's intentions, beliefs, expectations, or predictions for the future are forward-looking statements. These statements contain words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," "will," "seek," or similar expressions. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements, including the conditioning of the company's continued listing on the NASDAQ National Market on its timely filing with the SEC of all periodic reports for all reporting periods ending on or prior to September 30, 2005; the company's history of substantial operating losses and the fact that, in the near term, funds from operations will not satisfy cash requirements; legal and contractual restrictions on the payment of dividends and the inter-company transfer of funds by the company's subsidiaries, including restrictions under the senior secured notes indenture applicable to Global Crossing (UK) Telecommunications Limited ("GCUK"); the likelihood that the prices the company charges for its services will continue to decrease; the company's ability to continue to connect its network to incumbent carriers' networks or maintain Internet peering arrangements on favorable terms; the success of the company's business realignment plan and the realization of anticipated cost savings; the consequences of any inadvertent violation of the company's Network Security Agreement with the U.S. Government; the impact of actual and potential customers' bankruptcies on the company's sales prospects and results of operations; increased competition and pricing pressures resulting from technology advances and regulatory changes; competitive disadvantages relative to competitors with superior resources; the impact on the company's competitiveness of its technology choices; the company's dependence on third parties for many functions; political, legal and other risks due to the company's substantial international operations; risks arising out of the company's material weaknesses in internal controls and possible difficulties and delays in improving such controls; the concentration of GCUK's revenue in a limited number of customers, and the rights of such customers to terminate their contracts or to simply cease purchasing services thereunder; and other risks referenced from time to time in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no duty to update information contained in this press release or in other public disclosures at any time.
CONTACT GLOBAL CROSSING:
Press Contacts
Becky Yeamans
+ 1 973 937 0155
PR@globalcrossing.com
Kendra Langlie
Latin America
+ 1 305 808 5912
LatAmPR@globalcrossing.com
Mish Desmidt
Europe
+ 44 (0) 1256 732 866
EuropePR@globalcrossing.com
Analysts/Investors Contact
Laurinda Pang
+ 1 800 836 0342
glbc@globalcrossing.com
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