The DIGEX network was designed by a team of industry-respected network specialists with years of TCP/IP experience and hands-on knowledge of the field. The first phase of the DIGEX network will include more than 40 new points of presence located throughout the United States.

Key features of the DIGEX network include:

Speed.

The DIGEX network is directly connected at the Gigaswitch (100 Mbps) level to the MAE-East and MAE-West, the major Internet peering points, and to the Sprint/New York NAP at the T3 (45 Mbps) level.

Fault-tolerant architecture.

By constructing its network as a fault-tolerant ring with no single point of failure, DIGEX is working toward its goal of having 100 percent uptime for its customers. In case of a circuit outage, packets can be routed around it, avoiding unnecessary downtime. In addition, DIGEX has Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) generators and back-up diesel generators at its POPs to protect against power outages.

Hardware.

DIGEX uses top-of-the-line CISCO 7513 routers, combining CISCO Systems' proven software technology with exceptional reliability, availability, serviceability, and performance features. Routers are used in hubs, rather than switches, to minimize errors, packet loss and performance measuring difficulty.

Clear channel service.

DIGEX's backbone is a clear channel network, meaning that the lines are exclusively used by DIGEX customers only. Many other providers utilize a shared network topology.

24-hour monitoring.

DIGEX operates an around-the-clock network operations center (NOC) at its Beltsville headquarters, where engineers constantly monitor DIGEX's internal network and connections to the Internet to ensure that customers have full-time, high-speed access and the highest level of security possible.

Telco options.

DIGEX has partnered with numerous telecommunications providers, systems integrators, manufacturers and developers in order to offer the best solution for each customer's connectivity needs. New partnerships with WinStar Communications, Inc. and Advanced Radio Telecom Corp. (ART), providers of broadband wireless transmission services, will allow DIGEX to immediately establish connectivity to business LANs without the time, construction and expense required to provision land-based circuits.