Fastway Ushers In Cable Digitization with Next-Generation Cisco Set-Top Boxes

HDTV, Video On Demand Among New Services To Be Available To Consumers

NEW DELHI, India, February 13, 2012 – Cisco today announced that it has been chosen by Fastway Transmissions Private Ltd (Fastway) to usher in cable digitization across its customer base in the key states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. As part of this initiative, Fastway is expected to deploy more than 2 million next-generation digital set-top boxes from Cisco, over the next two years.  In addition to being one of the largest cable digitization projects in the country, Cisco® set top box comes at an affordable price point with an optimum feature set to suit Indian preferences.

By enabling services like residential TV, HDTV, gaming, digital video recording, video on demand and future ‘connected home’ servicestoretail consumers, Fastway can now evolve from a cable distribution company to a lifestyle-experience provider. Fastway plans to provide broadband services and is currently working with universities and institutes in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to offer educational services. Cisco’s cable digitization solutions provide the massive scaling and operational cost optimization benefits that cable operators need to transition to a digital platform, apart from being able to take advantage of Cisco Capital® leasing and finance options.

Supporting Quotes

Mr. Gurdeep Singh, managing director, Fastway commented, “Unlike direct-to-home players we do not charge our consumers upfront for set-top-boxes. The cost is recovered over multiple years. Cisco Capital has helped us with a great financing option that matched our cash flows. I am extremely excited to work with Cisco on this massive technology transformation from analog to digital, which I believe, will be a game changer for Fastway and the sector.”

Mr. Peeush Mahajan, chief executive officer, Fastway, said, “By utilizing Cisco’s next generation digital set top box, we can enhance the quality of our services, curb piracy and increase our subscription revenue by offering a plethora of innovative and interactive services giving us the competitive edge over direct-to-home players. Cisco’s technology leadership and their understanding of the complexities of the cable distribution business helped them cement this deal.”

Mr Sanjay Rohatgi, senior vice president, Service Providers, Cisco India & SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), said, “Today’s consumers want their television viewing to be personal, social and an interactive experience. They want content to be delivered anytime, anywhere and on any device. Digitization opens a huge opportunity for cable service providers to monetize investments, and evolve as ‘experience providers’. I am happy that Fastway has taken a pioneering role in ushering digitization and I look forward to a long standing relationship with them.”

Mr Vish Iyer, director, Video Architecture, Cisco Asia Pacific, said, “With Cisco’s Connected Home Solutions portfolio, Fastway can evolve from a cable distribution company to a lifestyle-experience provider by enabling services like residential TV, HDTV, gaming, video on demand and broadband services to retail consumers. We are excited about this opportunity and look forward to working with Fastway in offering its consumers tailor-made entertainment and services that suit the regional tastes and preferences.”

About Fastway

Fastway is one of the largest cable distribution companies with a strong emphasis on quality of service and content. This has enabled Fastway to cater its services to 119 cities and 25 districts across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. With fiber optic backbone across its networks and state-of-the-art distribution set ups, Fatsway ushers in the digital age through cable, transforming the way viewers receive information and entertainment.

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO, news, filings) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com

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