Cable & Wireless Selects Nortel Networks for Global IPVirtual Private Network Solution
Rollout Already Under Way to Provide Scalable, New Generation IP
Services in 80 Countries
BOSTON, MA, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ - Cable & Wireless, the global telecommunications group, has selected Internet Protocol (IP) Virtual Private Network (VPN) management and infrastructure solutions from Nortel Networks (NYSE/TSE: NT) for deployment of next generation IP services in 80 countries under agreements estimated to be worth more than US$10 million.
"Nortel Networks solutions are key building blocks of our overall vision to provide businesses with next generation IP applications and services on a global scale," said Bill Davis, senior director, IP VPN product management, Cable & Wireless. "Deployment of this management system is furthering our objective of becoming a dominant provider of IP VPN services."
"One of the huge benefits Nortel Networks brings to us is the ability to deploy a mixed community of devices, both in the network and on customers' premises, which can be comfortably controlled from the Network Operation Centers (NOCs) under just one management and reporting 'umbrella,'" Davis said. "As a service provider, this gives us a new level of freedom and flexibility."
IDC estimates the global market at US$23 billion for specialized IP services and US$10.6 billion for IP VPNs by 2004.
"According to our research, demand for IP VPN products and services continues to rise sharply, with global IP VPN expenditures expected to increase 606 percent by 2004," said Jeff Wilson, executive director, Infonetics Research. "Nortel Networks VPN management and infrastructure solutions provide the tools necessary to manage both the services and network components, thus enabling service providers to reduce time to market."
"Nortel Networks IP VPN solution can help increase service provider revenue potential by allowing them to deliver next generation virtualized services, such as personalized firewalls and customized extranets," said Barry Shakespeare, president, Cable & Wireless global account team, Nortel Networks. "By offering service-rich IP VPN solutions, supported by comprehensive IP VPN management capabilities, we can help to catapult our service provider customers into the potentially lucrative VPN services arena."
Cable & Wireless is the first service provider to deploy Nortel Networks integrated IP VPN solution, which combines both IP VPN OSS management and VPN infrastructure capabilities. With this solution, Cable & Wireless has started to offer services in 22 countries, and plans to reach a total of 80 countries over the next 12 months.
Cable & Wireless is using Nortel Networks Contivity, the market-leading VPN switch platform for service providers according to Synergy Research Group. Contivity's managed firewall software and certificate authorities, combined with Cable & Wireless global dial products, provides a powerful, CPE (customer premises equipment)-based Secure IPSec service. Cable & Wireless is also supporting this initiative with the strength of its own network, one of the largest, highest speed IP backbones in the world with reach across the United States, Europe and Asia.
The Nortel Networks IP VPN management solution leverages a new service commerce framework for Operational Support Systems (OSS), providing pre- integrated service management, service provisioning, network and service-level performance and management, along with customer monitoring. It is based on industry standard tunneling protocols such as IPSec- and MPLS-based IP VPN services. Additionally, the solution interoperates with existing Cable & Wireless operations and business support system (OSS/BSS) processes and technologies.
Nortel Networks Contivity solution creates robust IP VPNs for enterprises and service providers building managed IP VPNs. Each Contivity VPN switch is a single hardware device that provides encryption, authentication, firewall, routing, bandwidth management and data integrity services for secure tunneling across managed IP networks and the Internet. With Contivity, businesses can cost-effectively connect remote users, branch offices, suppliers and customers across shared IP networks and the Internet with the same level of security and control as private networks. |
