Cisco's wireless solutions help provide an education that transcends the traditional constraints of time and place

Muscat, Oman, December 7th, 2004 - Oman's Ministry of Education today announced it has deployed a world-leading, wireless solution from Cisco Systems across more than 200 schools in the Sultanate. The deployment was achieved over a matter of five months, helping provide 100, 000 expected students and other users with wireless, high-speed access to the Internet and e-learning applications.

The Ministry's wireless approach to networking removed the need for costly cabling and disruptive construction work. Wireless has also allowed students increased mobility within classrooms and has enhanced the schools' ability to teach sciences and other laboratory-based curriculum.

Khalid Bin Sulaiman Al-Siyabi, IT Director of Oman's Ministry of Education, said: "This collaboration is helping us to achieve our ambitions and deliver on our promise to Oman's youth. They are the future of our country and have a great responsibility to ensure its ongoing industrial and economical strength. Through collaboration with Cisco we have been able to rapidly establish the foundations on which to deliver training and education which will empower our children and allow them to realise their full potential."

These kinds of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) solutions help provide an education that transcends the traditional constraints of time and place..

"IT, the Internet and education are so closely entwined that it is hard for schools to offer even a basic service to its pupils if it does not have some form of connectivity infrastructure in place. We are pleased to have been asked to provide this service which we hope will enrich the lives of many people in the Sultanate," said Ghazi Atallah, General Manager, Cisco Systems Middle East.

The deployment took five months to complete, of which three months were required for testing. Over 20 engineers from Cisco, the Ministry of Education and Cisco's Channel Partner Oman Computer Services, took part in the project.  The Ministry is now in the process of adding Cisco's wireless solutions to its own buildings providing easy access to central information stores from conference and meeting rooms.

The solution includes Cisco Aironet 1200 Series Access Points and Linksys WMP546 Wireless PCI Network Cards, which offer 11 and 54Mbps connectivity and optimizes secure encryption for improved security. For more information, please visit www.cisco.com/me

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Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, this year celebrates 20 years of commitment to technology innovation, industry leadership and corporate social responsibility. Information on Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in Europe is supplied by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.

For further information on Cisco Systems, please contact:
Yousef Khalili                                                                                    Noura Gwanny
Cisco Systems Middle East                                                                  MS&L PR
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© Press Release 2004