david.
excellent post on today's action. here's the latest from TLAB.
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Priority Telecom Awards Contract To Tellabs
Janco Multicom To Deploy Cable Telephony Solution in Norway
September 9, 1998 12:07 PM
LISLE, Ill., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Tellabs (TLAB) announced today that Priority Telecom, the newly launched CLEC and integrated telephony services division of United Pan-Europe Communications (UPC), has selected the Tellabs CABLESPAN(R) 2300 universal telephony distribution system for deployment of telephony services in Norway. The system will be deployed over UPC's modern hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) networks in Oslo by Priority Telecom and Janco Multicom, a UPC company and the largest cable operator in Norway. Priority Telecom will deploy the CABLESPAN system under a three-year agreement estimated to be worth more than $50 million.
"We chose CABLESPAN for the Norwegian market because of its strong capabilities and proven track record," said Joe Webster, chief executive officer of Priority Telecom. "CABLESPAN will allow us to offer a full suite of telephony services for residential and business customers, ultimately giving them the real benefits of a competitive market place -- competitive pricing and excellent service." Priority Telecom plans to introduce residential telephone and data services over UPC's HFC network this year, via Janco Multicom. Full-scale rollout to more than 440,000 homes under franchise in Norway is scheduled to begin in early 1999.
The selection of the CABLESPAN solution was based upon Tellabs' ability to provide a proven broadband access platform capable of delivering integrated voice and high-speed data services over an HFC network. With the introduction of the EXPRESS/path(TM) feature, the CABLESPAN system provides direct high- speed data connectivity to serve a host of applications, including residential access to the Internet, small office/home office (SOHO), corporate Intranet connectivity, and remote office/branch office (ROBO). Tellabs, a pioneer in this industry, has become one of the leading providers of cable telephony telecommunications solutions to operators in Europe and around the world.
The UPC agreement builds upon the success UPC and Tellabs have shared in the Netherlands with UPC's cable television and telephony operations, where more than 13,500 cable telephony lines have been installed in and around Amsterdam. Including UPC, Tellabs currently has delivered more than 27,000 lines of cable telephony to its customers around the world.
"We are pleased to forge this strategic relationship with UPC's telephony division, Priority Telecom. Its decision further strengthens the cable industry's position in Europe as a competitive, reliable and cost-effective alternative for local telecommunication services," said John E. Vaughn, president of Tellabs International, Inc. "We believe our partnership with Priority Telecom represents another important endorsement for Tellabs, the CABLESPAN system, and more importantly, our ability as a company to successfully assist cable operators in such strategic ventures."
Headquartered in Amsterdam, UPC is one of the largest privately-owned and one of the most innovative broadband communications companies in Europe, providing cable television, telephony, Internet and programming services. It has well established telecommunications systems in 11 countries in Europe and Israel, serving approximately 4.6 million homes and 3.3 million subscribers. UPC is strategically located in the capital cities of its key European markets with operations in Amsterdam, Vienna (two of the world's largest communications clusters), Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Oslo, Prague and Tel Aviv.
UPC delivers voice, video and data services through its four divisions which allow it to deliver stand alone and bundled service solutions to suit its individual customer's needs: Priority Telecom, its CLEC and integrated telephony services division; EuroHits(TM), its video and programming division, Goldmine(TM), its high-speed broadband Internet company and UPC's cable TV division.
UPC is wholly owned by Denver-based United International Holdings Inc. ("UIH") UIHIA . UIH is a leading provider of multi-channel television and related businesses outside the United States, with ownership interests in operations in 23 countries throughout the world covering 11.8 million franchise homes, 9.3 million homes passed and 4.1 million subscribers, including announced transactions.
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