Milan, November 21, 2006 - FASTWEB, Italy's second-largest fixed telecommunications services provider (Milan, MTAX: FWB), is to expand its TLC services package for Borsa Italiana, the company responsible for the organization, management and operation of Italy's financial markets since 1998.
Under the new contract, FASTWEB will provide Borsa Italiana with broadband connectivity services via a single IP virtual private network (VPN):
- a broadband VPN for the Star Centers;
- a Platform, managed directly by Borsa Italiana, for the connection of the company's local operating sites (financial intermediaries) throughout Italy, linked directly to the Central Servers for the Italian Derivatives Market (IDEM);
- a broadband VPN on a fiber infrastructure for the Milan-Turin backbone.
The new services will enhance the solutions FASTWEB has been providing for Borsa Italiana since 2002:
- Directional network: broadband connection among the company's main locations.
- Broadband directional links between the Borsa Italiana ASP center and the user banks (end users).
- Voice Network for the main locations in Milan.
Borsa Italiana considers FASTWEB a leading telecommunications provider with the ability to deliver integrated communication solutions of the highest caliber in terms of quality and security on a single nationwide IP VPN. Borsa Italiana manages the Italian market through 130 national and international intermediaries who operate through a fully automated real-time trading system.
The new agreement is the latest in a series of important contracts that confirm FASTWEB's positioning as a provider of excellence for service reliability and competitiveness: it was recently named as the main fixed voice and data services provider for the State Administration; and in the Finance sector a number of leading banking groups including Unicredit and Banca Antonveneta have chosen FASTWEB as their TLC partner.
At September 30, 2006, FASTWEB had 957,400 clients; it reported consolidated revenues of 897.4 million Euro for the first nine months of 2006.