Florham Park, NJ -- October 18, 2004 -- Advancing its leadership in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, Global Crossing (NASDAQ: GLBC) introduced a new inbound service portfolio plus new global connectivity options, offering carriers a comprehensive VoIP portfolio that delivers on the promise of converging voice, video and data services over a single IP connection.
The new inbound portfolio consists of Global Crossing VoIP DID? -- a new VoIP direct inward dial service -- and a new Global Crossing VoIP Toll Free Transport? service. VoIP DID provides carriers with local origination for nationwide local numbers through a single IP point of interconnection as a cost-effective alternative to traditional toll-free applications. This service eliminates traditional time division multiplexing (TDM), private line and foreign exchange service fees by providing a single IP connection alternative.
Global Crossing VoIP Toll Free Transport provides carriers with interconnection, transport and termination of 800 packet-based voice traffic for calls originating as TDM, thereby eliminating the need for capital-intensive IP to TDM conversion gear. Global Crossing VoIP DID service is generally available now in all major U.S. markets while Global Crossing VoIP Toll Free Transport is available throughout North America.
New enhancements to existing VoIP outbound service enable IP transit, public Internet and fully meshed IP VPN connectivity, which provides carriers with unlimited VoIP DID and VoIP Toll Free connection options to maximize flexibility and control expenses. Global Crossing VoIP Outbound service and the latest enhancements are currently available worldwide with any public Internet connection for termination of traffic to any phone.
"Carriers are demanding cost-effective, highly secure and seamless migration solutions to VoIP, leading to a fully converged IP network of voice, video and data over a single connection," said Anthony Christie, Global Crossing's chief marketing officer. "Our new VoIP inbound offers combined with the enhancements to our VoIP outbound service provide an integrated, well-rounded portfolio that enables our carrier customers to design flexible and efficient service platforms to meet the evolving demands of their end-users."
Broadband telephony providers can leverage Global Crossing's VoIP services to enable IP-based local, long-distance and toll free communications services to residential and business customers. Carriers will also benefit greatly as they eliminate dedicated physical connections and gateways to multiple markets, and connect all markets over a single IP connection, which increases their bandwidth efficiency.
Incoming DID and toll free calls originate as TDM calls and are converted to IP when they reach the Global Crossing voice network, and then are routed directly to the carriers' IP network through a SIP-based IP interconnection. DID numbers can be purchased directly from Global Crossing or can be ported from third party providers to Global Crossing. The most significant VoIP enhancement is providing multiple IP connectivity methods to meet the diverse VoIP needs of key customer market segments, from new entrants to established carriers, regardless of their VoIP network architecture. The new enhancements also enable Global Crossing to offer two distinct routing options for international termination.
Additionally, carriers now have a choice for domestic and international voice traffic termination through uncompressed audio (G.711) for highest quality voice traffic, or compressed audio (G.729a) that increases voice traffic capacity by 60 percent. In addition, Global Crossing is now able to support the international standards for compression with silence suppression (G.729ab). The greater circuit efficiency of G.729 enables small- to mid-size resellers such as IXCs and other service providers target non-compression sensitive applications.
"As the global VoIP market grows, demand for innovative products will increasingly eclipse the simple need for low prices," said Bryan Van Dussen, director of telecommunications strategies at The Yankee Group. "Global Crossing's VoIP portfolio expansion, including its VoIP DID, Toll Free Transport and new global connectivity options, reflects its focus on the customer requirement for effective and innovative VoIP solutions."
According to a recent Yankee Group report, VoIP will have close to one million subscribers by year-end 2004 and will serve 17.5 million U.S. households by year-end 2008, compared to 131,000 at year-end 2003. Global Crossing's Carrier VoIP Services will enable broadband telephony providers to serve this expanding market.
iLocus, another market research organization, also published a recent report on the global VoIP market, citing Global Crossing as the market share leader for the transport of VoIP traffic on a national level in the U.S. and third for international VoIP.
Global Crossing VoIP DID is the latest addition to Global Crossing's wholesale VoIP services portfolio, which launched in September 2003 with the introduction of Global Crossing VoIP OutboundÔ. Global Crossing was an early adopter of VoIP, having deployed its global VoIP platform four years ago. It currently transports up to 2.5 billion minutes per month over the VoIP platform, representing approximately 40 percent of its total voice traffic.
About Global Crossing
Global Crossing (NASDAQ: GLBCE) 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.
