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Global Crossing's Unparalleled IP Network Performance Enables New Guarantees on Converged IP Services FLORHAM PARK, N.J., Nov. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Global Crossing today announced new Service Level Agreements (SLAs), assuring uninterrupted, end-to-end service around the world for customers. These new, higher performance parameters for Global Crossing's industry-leading, converged IP services, IP VPN, Voice over IP (VoIP) and IP video, build on the company's leadership in customer satisfaction and network performance guarantees.Global Crossing's upgraded SLAs offer customers industry-leading guarantees for its converged IP services provisioned over the premium Class of Service (CoS), including: * End-to-end availability of 99.999 percent, compared to the previous guarantee 99.9 percent. * Packet delivery of 99.999 percent, compared to the previous guarantee of 99.9 percent. * Jitter of 5 milliseconds (ms), compared to the previous guarantee of 15 ms. * A new service guarantee ensures that service performance issues trigger availability guarantees and reparations. * A new performance guarantee equates service degradation with unavailability, and offers reparations to customers experiencing severe latency, jitter or packet delivery issues. The new SLAs leverage the exceptional performance of Global Crossing's IP network, which has been operating at 99.999 percent packet delivery and availability, and less than 5 ms of jitter during 2004. Routing is optimized across the network through the use of Multi Protocol Label Switching traffic engineering (MPLS-te), enabling IP convergence and real-time applications including VoIP and IP video. "The scope and level of service guarantees under SLAs are increasingly becoming a point of service provider differentiation," stated Brian Washburn, senior analyst at Current Analysis. "Global Crossing's enhancements to its SLAs for IP VPN, VoIP, IP video and IP access services strengthen its value proposition, leveraging the performance of its IP network to deliver SLA metrics that are among the industry's leading on a global scale, such as 5 ms jitter plus service availability and packet delivery at 99.999 percent." By offering such stringent guarantees on a global basis, Global Crossing is supporting its customers' transition to a converged environment. Businesses around the world are deploying real-time applications such as supply chain replenishment, customer relations management, and multi-media collaboration, which require high-performance networks with high packet delivery and very low jitter to avoid distortion leading to "popping" or "cracking" sounds on VoIP telephone calls or uneven, jerky movements on IP videoconferences. "Time-sensitive applications are affected by any service degradation, not just outages," added Mr. Christie. "We're confident enough about the performance of our network to offer customers a service and performance guarantee that provides greater reparations or penalty-free service cancellation in the unlikely event of extensive or multiple service-impacting issues. This is a critical step in making customers comfortable with the transition to a converged IP service platform." Global Crossing has firmly established its leadership role in the VoIP arena with a robust set of fully interoperable solutions for enterprise and carrier customers, detailed in previous announcements. The company currently runs up to 2.5 billion minutes per month over its private, global VoIP platform, deployed four years ago. Global Crossing's IP video leverages the company's IP VPN to deliver real- time videoconferencing over a private, secure, global platform. Customers utilizing Global Crossing's IP video service benefit from a fully integrated and interactive environment, which accelerates decision-making, reduces travel and operational expenses, and facilitates team rapport efficiently and cost- effectively. Global Crossing's iVideoconferencing service has been recognized as "Best New Videoconferencing Service of 2004" by Frost & Sullivan. Global Crossing is committed to delivering efficient, scalable IP services to its customers while supporting their transition to a converged environment. Global Crossing's converged IP network, connecting more than 500 cities in more than 50 countries on 6 continents and operating at 99.999 percent availability, enables customers to fully experience the benefits of IP. Global Crossing's IP knowledge center, found at http://www.ipknowledgecenter.com/, further details the features and benefits of IP convergence. ABOUT GLOBAL CROSSING Global Crossing 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 http://www.globalcrossing.com/ for more information about Global Crossing. 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; the ability of the company to arrange the necessary financing to fund its liquidity requirements including any debt financing by GCUK or secured through the company's working capital; 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; 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 Contact Catherine Berthier + 1 646-862-8514 [email protected] Analysts/Investors Contact Laurinda Pang + 1 800-836-0342 [email protected] Global Crossing CONTACT: Press - Catherine Berthier, +1-646-862-8514, [email protected], or Analysts/Investors - Laurinda Pang, or+1-800-836-0342 [email protected], both of Global Crossing Web site: http://www.globalcrossing.com/http://www.ipknowledgecenter.com/ |