6/6/2001 -- Cisco Systems has rolled out a new series of certification exams and training for the telecommunications market.

The latest addition to Cisco Career Certifications, called Communications & Services, is specifically designed to increase the training and development options available to service providers.

The new Communications & Services certifications offer a professional development benchmark for network engineers at local exchange carriers, ISPs, inter-exchange carriers and greenfield service providers. They cover topics such as IP routing, optical, content networking, multi-protocol label switching (MPLS), cable, voice over IP and security.

To address the distinct job functions within service provider organizations, Communications & Services certifications are offered at two levels: Expert and Professional. For the expert-level CCIE, candidates must complete one written exam and one lab exam. For the professional-level CCIP (Cisco Certified Internetwork Professional), candidates need to pass two mandatory written exams and one elective.

More information can be found on the Cisco Web site at http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/10/wwtraining/whats_new/. -TCPMag.com