Qatar Science and Technology Park and Cisco Team to Help Improve Human Capital and Technology Development

DOHA, QATAR, Jan 22 (MARKET WIRE) --
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) Chairman and chief executive officer John Chambers met
with Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned today to announce the
company would establish a research and technology base at the Qatar Science and
Technology Park (QSTP). Cisco is planning to invest approximately (USD $40
million) in its development at QSTP over the next three years. As part of
this plan, Cisco will collaborate with Qatar Foundation on a series of
projects to help enable QSTP's vision of transforming Qatar into a
knowledge-based economy and facilitating youth employment across the country.

The announcement follows Cisco's recent official recognition as one of the
first global strategic technology providers for Qatar's newly launched Youth
Employment Initiative, announced by Sheikh Mozah during the UN Alliance for
Civilization High Level Group Forum in Madrid last week on Jan. 15.

QSTP Executive Chairman, Dr Tidu Maini, stated: "Networks are an essential
part of
business, education, and communications technologies. We are very pleased to
be able to work with Cisco on these projects and utilise its expertise to
help transform Qatar's ability to access and share information, which is a
fundamental part of becoming a knowledge-based economy."

Paul Mountford, president, Emerging Markets for Cisco, said: "Qatar
Foundation
has earned a well-deserved reputation as a leader in providing innovative
solutions
and improving the lives of the citizens of Qatar. We are committed to
working with Qatar Foundation to help improve the development of human
capital and technology by transforming the education strategy through technology
in
Qatar and across the region."

Qatar Foundation will be working with Cisco on the launch of 'Project iQ,' a
global project aimed at building a collaborative platform comprising business
and
collaboration applications, including blogs, wikis, TelePresence, social
networking and unified messaging. Through technology, the project will allow
people
from Qatar Foundation, Qatar and across the globe to collaborate on areas of
research, education, health and youth employment.

Through Cisco's capability in working with and being co-located with QSTP,
Cisco will share its knowledge and expertise in the industry's leading
solutions,
working with local partners and customers to introduce Connected Healthcare,
Connected Education, Connected Tourism and Real Estate industry solutions
throughout Qatar.

During his visit to Qatar, Chambers also attended an education roundtable
discussion
which was hosted by Dr Sheikha Al Missned, President of Qatar University. The
roundtable discussed the global challenges of creating education systems that
can
deliver 21st century skills to help drive technology innovation, economic
prosperity and social cohesion.

To reduce the information technology skills shortage in Qatar, Cisco will be
providing technical training to local universities, partners and customers as
well as offering internship opportunities. Cisco further aims to address the
needs of entrepreneurs and small-to-medium business owners at its Entrepreneur
Institute. Working with local organisations, the programme will develop or
license educational content for entrepreneurs to enable sustainable business
growth.

Qatar Science & Technology Park fosters the development and
commercialisation
of technology in Qatar, a rising star in the Arabian Gulf with the world's
third largest gas reserves and a remarkable vision for human development. As
part of the renowned Qatar Foundation, founded by the country's Emir, the
science park is co-located with campuses of Carnegie Mellon, Texas A&M,
Weill Cornell and other premier universities. It provides research-friendly
premises
for companies from around the world, plus an incubator and investment for
technology start-ups. Already EADS, ExxonMobil, GE, Microsoft, Rolls-Royce,
Shell and Total have joined Qatar Science & Technology Park, and its first
phase of buildings opens late 2007. www.qstp.org.qa

About Cisco Systems

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) 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. Cisco equipment in the Middle East is supplied by
Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.

Cisco, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks
or
trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and
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the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not
imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This
document is Cisco Public Information.

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For further information or to arrange an interview:
Ben Figgis
Qatar Science & Technology Park
bfiggis@qstp.org.qa
Tel: +974 492 7130

Kerry Morris
Hill & Knowlton
kerry.morris@hillandknowlton.com
Tel: +974 418 1292

Media Contact
Marianne Jumean
Cisco
+9714 3907777
jmariann@cisco.com

Investor Relations
Andreas Goldau
Cisco
+44 20 8824 8209
agoldau@cisco.com

Industry Analyst Relations
Sharon Robinson
Cisco
+44 779 529 0641
sharobin@cisco.com

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