Lucent to build the UK's first commercial terabit network.
lucent.com
Lucent to build backbone of BT's Global Transport Network
(GTN) - the UK's first terabit network
FOR RELEASE THURSDAY NOVEMBER 11, 1999
LONDON - Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) today announced that it has received a letter
of award from BT for a five-year agreement to build an optical network in the UK that will
form the backbone of BT's next-generation Global Transport Network (GTN). Both parties
expect an agreement to be concluded in early December.
At a capacity of one trillion bits per second, it will be the UK's first commercial terabit (1
million M/bits) network - with the ability to transmit the data contained on nearly 200
CD-ROMs per second. It will ensure that the UK is well-placed to play in the global digital
economy and enable BT to meet its customers' escalating demand for broadband
communications.
Under the terms of the letter of award, Lucent would provide BT with its WaveStar? optical
networking solutions, including Lucent's DWDM (Dense Wave Division Multiplexing)
systems. The network would give provide BT the capability to carry incoming and outgoing
capacity from its UK terminated sub-sea cable network.
"We are uniquely placed to assist BT in building its international communications network in
the new-world economy," said Eric van Amerongen, president and chief executive officer,
Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Lucent Technologies.
"Our optical networking expertise and technology combines with our deep-seated
knowledge and experience of building and managing communications networks to give BT
the complete communications solution it needs," he said.
Lucent's industry-leading optical networking solutions are multi-vendor compliant and will
enable BT to choose between running a conventional SDH layer across the DWDM system
(which simultaneously transmits multiple wavelengths - or colours - of light on a single fibre)
or migrating in the future to packet-based technologies such as IP (Internet Protocol),
Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) or ATM (Asychronous Transfer Mode).
"We are offering BT a unique solution," said Liam Doherty, director for BT Worldwide,
Lucent Technologies. "Lucent has the powerful combination of high-speed communications
transport via our DWDM and SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) solutions coupled with
the flexibility and scaleability of our WaveStar Bandwidth Managers."
Lucent's WaveStar BandWidth Manager will optimise usage of the high capacity offered by
WaveStar DWDM. For BT's Global Transport Network, Lucent is configuring its WaveStar
Bandwidth Manager in the future to support additional ATM, IP and optical switch fabrics.
This flexibility will allow the network to evolve in line with future traffic demands.
Lucent will also provide its recently launched WaveWrapper? technology which provides
network management functions for the optical layer - independent of whether the individual
wavelengths are carrying SDH, IP, GbE or ATM traffic. |
