LU to be Preferred Supplier to Project Oxygen(TM) Global Undersea Network; Contract Estimated at $1 Billion
PR Newswire - May 20, 1998 08:58
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MURRAY HILL, N.J., May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- In a move to bring
cost-effective, advanced communications services to people around the
world, CTR Group, Ltd., announced today that Lucent Technologies will
be the exclusive provider of land-based optical networking equipment,
service and network management software, power systems, interconnect
equipment, and professional services for CTR's future, global undersea
cable network called Project OXYGEN. This four-year agreement is
estimated to be worth more than $1 billion.
CTR Group, based in New Jersey, created and launched Project
OXYGEN.
CTR's network will span every continent except Antarctica. Its first phase
will consist of up to 158,000 kilometers (km) of fiber-optic cable with
101 cable landing points touching up to 74 countries and locations.
The OXYGEN Network will have a minimum throughput of 640 Gigabits
per second (Gb/s) over long-haul submarine routes and carry at least 16
wavelengths, or channels, of information per fiber. On terrestrial and
shorter undersea segments, the network will transport up to 1.92 Terabits
(trillion bits) per second, the equivalent of sending nearly 25 million
simultaneous phone calls over a cable.
Lucent's equipment and software will enable CTR to meet its goal of
delivering bandwidth that's up to 100 times cheaper than other fiber
connections, and efficiently manage network traffic to meet the explosive
demand for Internet, voice and video services -- projected to be a $1
trillion-a-year global market by 2000.
"As the demand for Internet and other high-capacity communications
services continues to skyrocket, we are launching Project OXYGEN to
rapidly deliver affordable bandwidth to every corner of the globe," said
Neil Tagare, chairman and CEO of CTR Group. "We selected Lucent
Technologies because it continuously delivers optical networking
breakthroughs that will help Project OXYGEN realize its goal of
universally available bandwidth."
"We are pleased to play a key role in building Project OXYGEN, a
network that will nearly double the mileage of today's undersea fiber-optic
cable," said Nina Aversano, president of Lucent's Global Commercial
Markets business. "In launching one of the most ambitious fiber-optic
projects of our time, CTR Group requires a vendor like Lucent, which
has delivered more optical networking systems around the globe than any
other supplier and has a proven track record for building and maintaining
large networks."
Under the agreement, Lucent will provide its:
-- WaveStar(TM) BandWidth Manager, a revolutionary, network
bandwidth management system that will single-handedly route all the
traffic -- voice, ATM, Internet protocol, and video -- in the Project
OXYGEN network.
-- WaveStar Optical Line System (OLS) 400G, that will deliver capacity
to the Project OXYGEN network by providing up to 80 high-capacity
wavelengths, or channels of information, over a single fiber strand.
-- Integrated Transport Management (ITM) and ACTIVIEW(R) Service
Management software that enables CTR Group to efficiently manage its
entire network and the services it provides to customers. Lucent's
software has a proven track record in other large undersea cable
networks.
-- GALAXY Power Systems and Cabinet Power Systems that will
deliver reliable power to all electronic equipment in Project OXYGEN's
terminal points and terrestrial repeaters.
-- Fiber-optic infrastructure including Lucent's LGX(R) (Lightguide Cross
Connect) Fiber Optic Distribution System, interconnecting fiber cables,
jumpers and closures, which connect the switching systems to the
transmission equipment.
In addition, Lucent also will provide professional services to engineer and
install the global network.
"While the demand for bandwidth is on the rise, Lucent is stretching the
limits of fiber capacity to unheard-of levels that networks like Project
OXYGEN can take full advantage of," said Gerry Butters, president of
Lucent's Optical Networking Group. "With optical networking systems
that deliver triple-Terabit capacity and a means of managing it all more
efficiently, Lucent will enable CTR Group to drive capacity toward infinity
while driving the cost of transporting a bit close to zero."
As part of the WaveStar BandWidth Manager, CTR Group will deploy
Lucent's next-generation SONET/SDH transport systems that handles
both 2.5 and 10 Gb/s signal rates to carry a variety of incoming traffic.
Project OXYGEN also will take advantage of Lucent's patent-pending
SONET/SDH ring protection capability for very long-distance undersea
applications. Also part of the BandWidth Manager, this feature ensures
cost-effective service reliability in the event of a trans-oceanic fiber cut.
Lucent expects to begin delivery of its equipment and software to Project
OXYGEN by early 1999.
The first phase of the network, valued at $8 billion, will be built in four
parts. CTR plans to complete major trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific
routes, as well as a terrestrial link across North America, in late 2000.
Phase 1 of the OXYGEN network will be completed in 2002, with
additional links including Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, Middle
East, India, both coasts of South America, Australia, and Central
America. Of the 158,000 km of cable making up the first phase of
Project OXYGEN, approximately 8,000 km will be on terrestrial routes,
with the rest undersea.
CTR Group is a Woodcliff Lake, N.J.-based company specializing in
building global infrastructure for the Super-Internet of the future. CTR
was founded by Neil Tagare, who played a key role in the development
of FLAG (Fiberoptic Link Around the Globe), a 28,000-km undersea
cable running from Japan to the United Kingdom. More information on
Project OXYGEN is available at oxygen.org.
Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., designs, builds
and delivers a wide range of public and private networks, communications
systems and software, data networking systems, business telephone
systems and microelectronics components. Bell Laboratories is the
research and development arm for the company. For more information on
Lucent Technologies, visit the company's web site at
lucent.com.
SOURCE Lucent Technologies
/CONTACT: Paula Horii, 908-582-5522, office, 908-301-0344, home,
or
phorii@lucent.com, or Loren Talley, 908-559-6417, office,
888-520-7338, pager,
or ltalley@lucent.com, both of Lucent Technologies; or Robert Poe of
CTR
Group, 201-505-9000, ext. 8160, or poe@oxygen.org/
/Web site: oxygen.org
/Web site: lucent.com
(LU)
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