Cable & Wireless Optus today announced the availability of a single global IP network with the opening of the Southern Cross Cable Network.

Optus customers will now be able to directly access global.net, the world's largest global IP network. This will enable direct connection with the world's major business centres instead of traversing a number of networks, as is the case with all Australian network operators today.

Chris Anderson, Chief Executive of Cable & Wireless Optus said that access to this global network was best suited for multinational corporations, application service providers (ASPs), content providers, carriers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

"Our business customers are increasingly demanding improved performance and quality for their global communications. With global.net, we can now offer Australian businesses increased speed and the same guaranteed quality of service that their US counterparts receive - the highest service level guarantees in the industry."

"No other carrier can offer this combination of performance and quality in Australia," he said.

Graham Wallace, Chief Executive of Cable and Wireless plc said that Optus will seamlessly link with Cable & Wireless companies across the world to provide instant access to the world's largest global IP Network.

"The Australian leg of our global network (global.net) is now complete. Optus customers will enjoy direct, managed, congestion-free and dedicated access to the Cable & Wireless global internet backbone - the world's largest single Autonomous System (AS 3561)," he said.

The Cable & Wireless backbone is a single logical IP network operating at speeds of up to 9.6 Gbit/s. It delivers congestion free routing with full redundancy. The network will offer a single AS hop to all major USA backbone networks as well as many in Europe and Asia.

More than 2000 ISPs in the USA and customers in more than 80 countries use and rely on the network, which carries over 30 per cent of the world's IP traffic. In Australia, Optus carries more than 40 per cent of all internet backbone traffic providing internet connectivity to more than one million users.

For more information:
Linda Collard
Cable & Wireless Optus
Phone: 02 9342 5045