Broadcasts:

AES Broadcast  05/18/2007          Broadcast  #  2007015

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 ABI Administrative Message

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be finalizing the replacement
               of the existing 800 Dial-up and Sprint Frame Relay/MQSeries services that
               currently support older trade system interfaces to the Automated Customs
               System (ACS) and Automated Export System (AES.)   The upgrade of these
               mission critical interfaces is necessitated by rapidly accelerated changes
               in the telecommunications industry.  As a result, CPB has been replacing
               existing IBM SNA (LU6.2/RJE) and frame relay infrastructures with 
               solutions that utilize Internet Protocol (IP) services.  The IP solution
               we have been migrating to is Virtual Private Network (VPN.)

ABI Administrative message 05-0954 announced the effort to replace the 
               800 Dial-up service in August, 2005, while estimating the conversion to
               conclude in eighteen (18) months.  At this time, CBP has established
               September, 30, 2007 as the final sunset date for 800 Dial-up service to
               end.  In addition, the sunset date for Sprint Frame Relay/MQSeries users
               will be August 31, 2008.

In accordance with the above dates, Trade Partners will have the option to
               implement one of following five methods of communicating to CBP; (1) Public
               Internet Cisco VPN/MQ Series via a client provisioned Internet Service
               Provider (ISP); (2) Sprint or Verizon Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
               VPN, a private Cisco VPN/MQSeries solution; (3) Service Center; (4) VAN
               (value added network); (5) VPN via toll free dial where an ISP is not
               accessible.

If you have not already started your conversion effort, contact your
               software provider or Service Center.  Additional information can be
               obtained from your assigned client representative or on the CBP website at
               www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/operations_support/automated_systems/data_comm_changes/

For additional assistance you may contact US Customs and Border Protection at 703-650-3500. 

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