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Nortel (Northern Telecom), SITA And EQUANT Implement Technical Trial Of PBXs Incorporating ATM-based Switching
PR Newswire - October 13, 1997 12:17
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Complete First Transatlantic Call Between ATM-based PBXs...
PARIS, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ - As part of a technical trial, Nortel
(Northern Telecom) and the Societe Internationale de Telecommunications
Aeronautiques (SITA) and EQUANT have demonstrated the first transatlantic call
between PBXs with a switching fabric based on Asynchronous Transfer Mode
(ATM).
The call from the SITA and EQUANT office in Nice, France, to the Nortel
facility in Santa Clara, Calif., and Yale University campus in New Haven,
Conn. was part of a trial of Nortel's Meridian 1 communication system with an
ATM switching fabric. Nortel, a global market leader in customer premises
equipment, is the first vendor to have PBXs with this capability in trials at
customer sites.
Nortel announced on September 12 the completion of the first
trans-continental U.S. voice call between PBXs incorporating ATM switching
fabrics from Yale University in New Haven, Conn., to Nortel in Santa Clara.
Because of its superior bandwidth and ability to support realtime voice
and video and non-realtime data traffic, standards-based ATM is the ideal
technology for the Meridian 1 and Nortel's multimedia Power Networks. ATM
provides a foundation for a host of applications and capabilities that will
keep corporate and campus networks on the leading edge.
''This first transatlantic voice call between PBXs that incorporate ATM
switching fabrics is an industry milestone,'' said Jean-Claude Rosichini, vice
president, Europe and General Manager, Nortel, France.
''Networks will continue to grow in importance, and ATM in the Nortel
Meridian 1 represents a major step forward in providing the flexibility and
capability needed to support global multimedia networks such as SITA and
EQUANT's.''
Nortel assisted in the design of the SITA and EQUANT Mega Transport
Network to support data requirements and then helped evolve it to support
voice, video and frame relay.
''The network is absolutely vital to us, not only in serving the air
transport business we were formed to support but in expanding our offerings to
non-airline businesses,'' said Didier Duriez, Vice President, Engineering for
the SITA EQUANT joint venture. ''Meridian 1 with ATM switching will enable our
systems to be more scaleable, and handle a lot more traffic.''
Rick Moran, vice president, Enterprise Networks Marketing, Nortel added,
''Nortel has experience in providing ATM-based systems for enterprise
wide-area and carrier networks, and now we're working toward bringing it to
the campus as part of our Power Networks strategy. At the same time we remain
committed to our evergreen policy of adding new capability while protecting
the majority of our customers' Meridian 1 system investment.''
Diane Trivett, Industry Analyst at Dataquest Europe comments: ''Integrated
communication has become a strategic issue for the business survival of user
companies and their suppliers. ATM provides the ability to achieve the
necessary performance in multimedia networks. Nortel's announcement is a step
towards realising the solutions required.''
SITA, founded in 1949, serves more than 630 airlines and air
transport-related organizations in 225 countries and territories by providing
a wide range of telecommunications and data processing services. EQUANT was
founded in 1991 to provide value-added global voice and data network services
to multinational companies.
In a Joint Venture SITA and EQUANT own and operate the world's largest
global telecommunications network.
Nortel Enterprise Networks transforms networks that power businesses
worldwide. Nortel Power Networks apply high-capacity, digital communications
technology to customer needs through the integration of products and services
including: Meridian 1 and Norstar digital switching; Companion mobility
solutions; the Nortel Symposium multimedia communications portfolio; Rapport
Internet and intranet access and Entrust security products; Magellan wide area
networking systems; and a portfolio of consumer products.
Enterprise Networks is a business unit of Nortel, a diversified provider
of market-leading communications equipment, services and network solutions for
business, commerce and entertainment.
Nortel had 1996 revenues of $US 12.8 billion and has approximately 68,000
employees worldwide. Nortel had a 1996 turnover of $US 3 billion in Europe,
operating both independently and through its joint ventures with the Lagardre
Group in France (Matra Communications and Nortel Matra Cellular), Olivetti SpA
in Italy (Sixtel) and Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG in Germany (Nortel Dasa
Network Systems). Nortel employs approximately 16,000 people across Europe in
research and development, manufacturing and sales.
Nortel, Power Networks, Meridian, Companion, Symposium, Rapport and
Magellan are trademarks of Northern Telecom.
SOURCE Northern Telecom Limited
/CONTACT: Frank McNally, Nortel, (703) 712-8374,
frank.mcnally(at)nortel.com; Or visit Nortel's web-site at
nortel.com
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