FLAG to cover 100 countries through UK firm

New Delhi, Sept 18 (UNI) Anil Ambani-owned FLAG Telecom Group Ltd (FLAG) which operates the world's largest undersea private cable system, today signed a five-year agreement with a UK-based Vanco, the pioneering global Virtual Network Operator (VNO).

This agreement will result in considerable enhancement of FLAG's VPN access across areas where it is not present currently.

Vanco will also benefit by access to FLAG's global service capability across India and the West Asia.

FLAG President Punit Garg said, ''Vanco provides significant enhancement to our already extensive cable network, fulfilling the reach that our customers are looking for. This agreement provides FLAG and its customers access to a further 81 countries allowing us to extend our network to over 100 countries across the globe.'' MPLS or Multi-Protocol Label Switching gives network operators a great deal of flexibility to divert and route traffic around link failures, congestion, and bottlenecks that further enhance the high levels of service standards currently offered by FLAG especially connecting developing markets like India and the West Asia to the developed markets.

Explaining the strategic value of the tie-up, Vanco Chief Executive Allen Timpany said, ''There is a great deal of synergy in our businesses. Vanco is fast becoming the definitive partner for Asset Based Carriers (ABC) like FLAG Telecom, who are looking to extend their physical networks and offer their customers global solutions.'' The subsidiary of Reliance Communications Ltd, owns and operates the world's largest private undersea cable system spanning 65,000 route kilometres and four continents.

It offers a focused range of products, including Managed Bandwidth, IP VPN, IP Transit, Global Ethernet and Co-location services.

Vanco does not own telecom assets and therefore has the freedom to source infrastructure from the most suitable Asset Based Carriers (ABCs) on a global basis.

It provides enterprise clients, directly or through partners, with cost-effective, optimised and fully managed network solutions.

Carriers can also extend their off-net reach by accessing, through Vanco, other carrier networks around the world.

UNI