0. Commercial In Confidence
FLAG Telecom
Global Transmission Network Overview
Connecting Continents. Connecting Cultures
FLAG Telecom Ltd.
Commercial In Confidence

1. Contents Introduction; Our global fibre-optic / SDH network
Architecture & key features
Performance
FLAG constructed network systems
FLAG purchased network systems
Reliance India network
Metro rings and extended reach
VPoPs
FLAG transmission services
Operations and service management
FLAG global MPLS/IP network & peering

2. Introduction
FLAG Telecom is a leading provider of international network transport, connectivity and data services to the wholesale communications & Internet communities
Our services are delivered over an extensive fibre-optic and MPLS based IP network that we own and manage
The network fully encircles the globe, connecting key markets in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the USA
This network touches over 75% of the world’s population
The network seamlessly connects several submarine and terrestrial cable systems
Incorporating self-built and purchased facilities across Europe, Mediterranean, Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean, South China Sea, Pacific, North America and Atlantic
FLAG’s transmission services provide the foundations underpinning the networks of many of the world’s largest carriers and Internet operators

3. Our global fibre-optic / SDH network
Our network touches 75% of the world’s population
A high-speed, highly reliable network that fully encircles the globe, providing direct coverage and seamless connectivity between major global telecoms hubs, business markets and high-growth economies across four continents

4. Architecture overview
The FLAG global network is fully optical and is predominantly a submarine based network
Terrestrial networks are implemented to provide backhaul connectivity to domestic city nodes, and to provide terrestrial links between submarine segments (USA, Europe, Egypt, Thailand)
It is designed, engineered and operated to provide highly reliable, scalable and cost effective transmission
FLAG adheres to industry standards in all aspects on our network, engineering, service delivery and operations
The network is fully SDH / SONET compatible and supports a wide range of standard optical and electrical interfaces and speeds for customer circuits
FLAG works with leading vendors for all component elements of the network
FLAG nodes are located in key landing stations and ‘carrier hotels’ to provide ready access to other networks

5. 50 Gbps (FALCON - planned)
High scalability
320 Gbps protected
(Scalable to Tbps)
90 Gbps protected
(FALCON - planned)
(Scalable to 2.56 Tbps)
up to 10 Gbps
9.95 Gbps
10 – 20 Gbps
(Upgradeable to 80 Gbps based upon current technology)
250 Gbps Protected
(Scalable to Tbps)
62 Gbps
50 Gbps (FALCON - planned)
(Scalable to 1.28 Tbps)
The FLAG core optical backbone is scaled to satisfy inter-continental and intra-regional demand. It effectively provides ‘bandwidth on tap’, enabling us to address both near and long term growth in demand, and avoid over-subscription in our IP layer. Efficient capacity planning procedures actively monitor growth trends and customer driven demand to trigger appropriate upgrades

6. Route distances
FLAG Europe Network
~7,800 km
Trans-America Network
~12,400 km
FALCON (announced)
10,300 km
FLAG Atlantic 1
(FA-1)
~ 12,800 km
Trans-Pacific Network
~ 17,700 km
FLAG Europe Asia (FEA)
~ 27,000 km
FLAG North Asia Loop
(FNAL)
~ 11,000 km
The FLAG network stretches for over 97,000 kilometres (including network ‘spurs’)

7. Seamless global delivery
The network fully encircles the globe, providing an on-net (east/west) backup path for customer traffic and enabling us to implement the most direct path between source and destination

8. Common network components
Several generic components are employed throughout the network
Specific equipment and suppliers used varies from system to system due to geographic, route distance, volume, age and feature issues
Additional equipment is employed in specific network systems for protection and cross connect purposes
(S)LTE /
(D)WDM
Branching
Unit
Amplifier /
Repeater
Customer
Facing
Circuits
ADM
Optical Fibre
Add Drop Multiplexers in FLAG PoPs provide the physical interface to customers at a range of SDH data rates, acting as the cross connect and termination / configuration point for customer circuits. They aggregate signals onto the line termination equipment.
Line Terminal Equipment, located at Submarine landing stations or terrestrial nodes, multiplex SDH signals onto a single optical fibre pair. They provide error correction, alarm and supervisory facilities. Integrated or combined (Dense) Wavelength Division Multiplexing facilities enable multiple wavelengths to be multiplexed.
Branching Units are used to ‘drop’ local optical connections from a submarine cable to the shore, providing a ‘splice & joint’ function. They provide an efficient and resilient mechanism of deploying a cable with multiple landing stations, without having to route the entire cable via the shoreline
Amplifiers and repeaters are employed to maintain signal strength along the length of the fibre. Amplifiers increase the intensity of the laser without optical-electro conversion. However, signal attenuation through glass necessitates the use of Repeaters at regular intervals that regenerate the original digital signal through optical-electrical-optical conversion.

9. Performance measures
A range of measures are taken to protect FLAG’s global network and to ensure highly resilient and reliable traffic delivery
Automatic or manual protection paths are used throughout the network for protected customer circuits
A range of common automatic protection techniques are used within specific FLAG system components:
Sub Network Connection Protection (SNCP), Multiplex Section – Shared Protection Ring (MS-SPRing) or Mutiplex Section Protection (MSP1+1) network and interface cards
FLAG is able to provide on-net east/west protection paths where appropriate
Further specific measures are taken for individual network systems
Including fibre diversity, SDH loops, Optical Protection Switching (OPS), span switching, dual access cards etc.
Subsea cables follow carefully plotted routes, are extensively armoured and are buried close to shore to minimise the impacts of natural disasters and the risk of local cuts
All PoPs are strictly engineered to ensure carrier-grade performance
Include all necessary cabling, access, environmental, power and security failsafes

10. Long standing reputation for outstanding quality & performance
The performance measures taken by FLAG enable us to offer best-in-class quality
FLAG overall on-net network availability was % during 2004
It has consistently been higher than 99.99% for over 3 years
For those rare faults encountered, average on-net ‘Mean Time to Repair’ (MTTR) for customer service faults was 1.91 hours during 2004
It has consistently been lower than 4 hours for over 3 years
Mean Time To Repair Service Faults (2004)
Hours
0.0
5.0
4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
Jan
Dec
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
1.91 Hour MTTR Achieved Level
4 Hour MTTR Target Level
99.988
99.996
99.994
99.992
99.990
100.00
99.998
Jan
Dec
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Average On-Net Availability (2004) %
99.99% Target Availability
99.997% Achieved Availability

11. FLAG constructed systems
FA-1
FNAL
FALCON
(under construction)
Our network touches 75% of the world’s population
FEA
FLAG operates its network as a single global facility. However, it is constructed from a number of interconnected systems that FLAG has either constructed or purchased. The systems shown above were constructed by FLAG

12. FLAG Europe Asia (FEA)
FEA was the world’s first independent, competitive cable system to serve the Middle East and Asian markets. It was the first independent cable system to land in China, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and it remains the world’s longest privately funded undersea system

13. FEA topology Porthcurno (UK) Estepona (Spain) Palermo (Italy)
Alexandria
(Egypt)
Cairo
Port Said
Suez
Aqaba
(Jordan)
Jeddah
(Saudi Arabia)
Fujairah
(UAE)
Mumbai
(India)
Penang
(Malaysia)
Satun
(Thailand)
Trang
Songkhla
South Lantau
(Hong Kong)
Nanhui
(China)
Keoje
(Korea)
Ninomiya
(Japan)
Miura
SS1
SS2
SS3
SS4
SS5
SS6
SS7
SS8
SS9
BU1
BU2
BU3
BU7
BU4
BU5
BU6 A B C D E X1 F1 F2 F3 F4 H G J K M L X2 N P1 P2 P3 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Landing Station
BUx
Branching Unit
Express Route
Local Route
Terrestrial Fibre Connection
SSx
FEA Sub-System
A .. Q
Fibre Segment ID

14. FEA overview FLAG constructed, owns and operates FEA In-service: 1997
FEA consists of nine sub-systems, comprising a total of 25 segments
This identification scheme is used for construction, operations & maintenance and restoration purposes
Each sub-system comprises two or more terminal stations connected by two fibre pairs
Express and local fibres
‘Local’ and ‘Express’ route configuration provides efficient and high performance delivery
‘Express’ route provides a rapid path between high volume routes to minimise delivery delay for inter-continental circuits
‘Local’ route provides a local access and intra-regional capability
WDM used to increase capacity in the system from the initial 10 Gbps capacity
Current technology will allow an upgrade to 80 Gbps
FEA is resiliently interconnected with FA-1 in the UK and FNAL in Hong Kong and Japan
UK interconnect: Porthcurno – Skewjack
Hong Kong interconnect: Tong Fuk – South Lantau
Japan interconnect: Miura - Wada

15. FALCON (under construction)
A new submarine cable system to address the broadband demand that exists to and from the high growth communications markets in the Middle East and India

16. Alcatel optical cross-connect 1678MCC
FALCON topology (May 2005)
Alcatel optical cross-connect 1678MCC
Alcatel SLTE 1620LM
Branching Unit
Manama CLS
(Bahrain) 5 6 4
Al Khobar CLS
(Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait CLS
Branching units are placed at strategic locations to enable future locations to be added along the route
Doha CLS
(Qatar)
Khasab CLS
(Oman)
Jeddah
CLS
(Saudi Arabia)
Al Hudaydah CLS
(Yemen)
Al Ghaydah
CLS
(Yemen) 3 7 2
Suez CLS
(Egypt)
Mumbai CLS
(India) 1
8 (express + local)
Al Seeb CLS
(Oman)

17. FALCON system profile Suez-Muscat-Mumbai Gulf Loop
6,900km submarine system with 90 Gbps initial capacity
Four fibre pairs, with design capacity of 64 wavelengths per fibre pair, equalling 2.56 Tbps
Gulf Loop
Self healing 3,400km loop system with 50 Gbps initial capacity
Two fibre pairs, with design capacity of 64 wavelengths per fibre pair, equalling 1.28 Tbps
The system has been designed to enable additional ‘spurs’ to be inserted during and post initial cable deployment
Branching units inserted at key locations during first lay to support other interested landing parties along the route as their communications needs develop and grow
Further extensions under review
Advanced network engineering design
Comprehensive protection mechanisms (optical protection, MSP1+1, MS-Spring, SDH), equipment redundancy built into SLTE, PFE, power etc., dual landing points wherever possible, double armoured and buried cable where necessary

18. FALCON overview (Q3 2005)
FLAG is managing the entire design, construction and operations process
Planning phase complete and route selected (Q1 / Q2 2005)
Thorough planning phase included geophysical, oceanographic, hydrodynamic (sediment, current movement) and environmental analysis, plus an analysis of human factors such as external aggression, pipelines (oil, gas, & sewage outfalls etc), cables (military, power & telecoms etc), commercial fisheries, dredging and shipping activities.
Marine surveys, landing site reviews and permit activities complete
Supplier contract awarded to Alcatel, a leading provider of large-scale turnkey submarine cable projects
Implementation phase underway
Cable anchored in Oman and en-route to Mumbai early August 2005
Initial RFS in Q4 ‘05
Negotiations with other interested landing parties are continuing
Design enables spurs to be added along the cable route to match evolving local communications requirements

19. Reliance Infocomm India Network
80,000 Route kms of fibre, connecting over 1100 towns & cities
380,000 duct kms
Planned access to ~5000 towns & cities (120,000 route kms) by end Q4 2005
Backbone, metro and building access ring architecture
Highly resilient ring & mesh design
Cities connected on backbone rings
Backbone comprises express ring (DWDM, 40 * 10 Gbps) + collector layer (SDH)
City / metro rings have 3 or more alternative paths
137 rings across India
Localised building access rings provide customer access
Direct access implemented to business premises
1.7 million homes & offices by 2006/7
95%+ coverage of Indian subscriber base
Fibre / cat5
Full national IP network

20. FLAG metro rings & extended reach
FLAG owns and operates metro rings, connecting major telehouses in the following locations:
London
New York
Paris
Tokyo
FLAG employs leased line connectivity in other cities with more than one node (SDH / IP)
Amsterdam
Hong Kong
Singapore
Madrid
Extended reach into all other locations is performed via FLAG’s approved suppliers and partners worldwide

21. End to End Seamless Connection
FLAG VPoP’s
FLAG has implemented virtual points of presence (VPoPs) to provide one-stop-shop access into tightly regulated countries
Fully interconnected into the FLAG Telecom global network
FLAG VPoPs are implemented in Egypt, Pakistan and China
VPoPs are fully functional nodes implemented and operated by FLAG Telecom, but owned by the resident International Facilities License (IFL) holder
FLAG NOC
End Customer
FLAG
City PoP
FLAG VPoP
Landing
Station
End to End Seamless Connection
Deregulated
Country
Regulated

22. Global operations & service management
Our global structure and network ownership enable us to offer effective and responsive service management
Order Project Managers ensure timely and tested delivery of your service
We operate a resilient, global Network Operations Centre (NOC)
NOCs are staffed by technical professionals, with specific expertise in subsea, transmission and IP network elements and technologies
We employ highly skilled engineers and technical experts
We recruit at degree level and support staff include qualified & accredited engineers (CCNA, CCIE & JNCIE)
Regional field engineers are on call 24*7 on a global basis
Coordinated by a central management function
Global Field Operations team has remote access to network management systems
Strict escalation and customer communications procedures are in place
Focused on resolving faults and restoring your service quickly and efficiently, keeping you informed throughout
NOC Hierarchy:
Primary NOC (Heathrow) and Disaster Recovery centre (Docklands) in London
Secondary NOC in Fujairah, UAE
Regional back-up facilities in New York and Hong Kong
Example of use of systems to drive efficiency: Workflow management systems (e.g. FAST) drive efficiency and enable rapid provisioning of customer circuits – Ops teams have full visibility of all orders from the first day they appear as opportunities, allowing efficient resource & capacity planning, and making sure that all relevant information is captured and available before the customer signs the contract.

23. Network Operations and Management
FLAG operates a primary NOC in Heathrow (UK), secondary NOC in Fujairah (UAE) and a Disaster Recovery NOC in London Docklands
The NOC proactively monitors FLAG’s network and facilities 24 hour-a-day, seven day-a - week
Monitors network elements, identifying alarms and performing root cause analysis
Monitors environmental alarms, including intrusion, high/low temperature, fire or smoke, toxic/explosive gas, DC/commercial AC power and water levels
The NOC is supported by integrated operational support systems (OSS), optimally configured to detect & pinpoint faults to the individual network segment, handle incidents and quickly re-route traffic whenever necessary
Including Micromuse Netcool (high-level alarm fault isolation), Peregrine Service Centre / Trouble Management (trouble ticket system) & Cramer Dimension (circuit provisioning system)
Centralised Operations (co-located with the FLAG NOC) are the control point for the network, logging and authorising all network activity
Responsible for repairing and restoring any customer circuit outages or any other events that happen on the network
Field engineering / operations resources manage all localised repair and maintenance activities

24. FLAG transmission services
FLAG offers a range of bandwidth services to support the global connectivity requirements of our customers. Services are available at a wide range of speeds and with flexible contract terms. Optional co-location is available in major city centres
FLAG Right of Use (RoU)
A long-term contract providing the right to use capacity between specific points on the FLAG network
FLAG Capacity Service
Protection is not guaranteed
Full or half circuit connectivity
Between landing stations, city nodes or customer premises
Targeted at major carriers that manage their own international facilities, back-up routes and restoration plans
One-top-shop service, facilitating all aspects of international delivery
Supporting all customer traffic types and applications, including voice, video and data
FLAG Managed Bandwidth Service (MBS)
Protected, offering maximum performance and resilience
Seamless, fully managed connectivity
Targeted at major carriers that manage their own international facilities
One-stop-shop service, facilitating all aspects of international delivery

25. FLAG global MPLS/IP network & peering
AS15412
A high-speed, low packet-loss global MPLS/IP network, enabling superior content delivery and advanced data networking. The core IP backbone is complemented by peering with major content providers & ISPs at the world’s principal international Internet exchanges.

26. Summary
We own and manage the entire network, providing maximum control over service cost and quality
Network either self-constructed or acquired on IRU / long-term lease basis
We have service operator licenses in key liberalised markets and maintain strong relationships with the incumbent telecoms operators in all locations in which we operate
We offer extended reach as a standard option via city Points of Presence (PoPs), metro rings and local tails
Access to service is available from city centre locations, landing stations and customer premises
Our network fully encircles the globe, enabling seamless traffic delivery both eastward and westward
FLAG strives to always provide customers with the most direct path between source and destination and are able to provide an on-net backup path
High scalability enables us to provide a full range of data speeds
An extensive range of measures are implemented to ensure maximum availability and minimum disruption to customers
The network is fully live and in-service in all locations
The network provides direct reach to approx. 75% of the world’s population
Measures adopted to ensure maximum availability;
Cable protection & burial
Manual and automated protection, including optical protection switching and SDH loops in many locations
Carrier-grade colocation facilities & POP implementation, with standard equipment failsafes
These measures allow us to offer 99.99% availability for on-net services

27. FLAG Telecom Ltd. Proprietary
Thank You
For further information, please visit for the contact details of your local FLAG Telecom representative
The information in this presentation is provided for information purposes only. All reasonable efforts are used to ensure and maintain accuracy at the time of publishing. Future events may change its accuracy. No representation or warranty is given by any person as to its accuracy or completeness and it should not be relied upon.
FLAG Telecom Ltd. Proprietary
For Information Only