(COMTEX)
B: NORTEL NETWORKS BREAKS OWN 'LAND SPEED RECORD' USING LIGHT -- REDEFINES
SPEED OF INTERNET & NETWORKING - BREAKTHROUGH OPTICAL INTERNET Platform Capable
of Unprecedented Backbone Capacity of 6.4 Terabits on a Single Fiber -TELECOM
'99 trade show the stage for world's first 80 Gbps Platform Demo
GENEVA, Switzerland, Oct 12, 1999 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Nortel
Networks (NYSE/TSE: NT), already leading the industry in high-capacity
optical networking solutions, broke its own speed and capacity record
today by debuting Optical Internet capabilities to carry up to 6.4
Terabits per second (Tbps) of Internet and other traffic over a single,
hair-thin strand of fiber.
''Today we've set a new Internet and networking 'land speed record'
using light,'' said John Roth, president and Chief Executive Officer,
Nortel Networks. ''This unprecedented technology breakthrough will
revolutionize the speed, reliability, quality and economics of the
Internet we know today. It will provide the necessary foundation for a
new high-performance Internet built on extreme capacity optical
networking in the backbone, and integrated optical and packet signaling
at the core. This will in turn drive massive discontinuities in every
business, creating a new era for communication, collaboration and
commerce.''
Commercial availability of Nortel Networks' scalable 40 to 80 Gbps
platform is planned for 2001. The platform will be capable of
increasing capacity as high as 6.4 Tbps through Dense-Wavelength
Division Multiplexing (D-WDM) technology that combines channels of
light into one beam for increased traffic capacity on a single fiber,
providing sufficient speed and capacity to reliably connect 2500
backbone routers on a fiber pair.
Nortel Networks' industry leading capability was displayed on the
company's stand at TELECOM '99 making this the world's first
non-laboratory exhibit of an 80 Gbps platform operating at double the
line rate of any previous demonstration. Fiber optic traffic on the
exhibit system is carried over 480 km of fiber, equivalent to the
distance between Paris and Geneva, converting the Information Highway
into an autobahn of light.
''This technology is out of the ball park in terms of the capacity it
will support,'' said Anil Khatod, president Optical Internet, Nortel
Networks. ''Nortel Networks is dedicated to ensuring our customers have
the exponential capacity needed to meet explosive bandwidth demand
driven by advanced applications and services.''
''The world's reliance on electronic commerce over the Internet in the
new Millennium is going to be like nothing we have ever seen before,
and optics are the basis for these networks,'' said Chris Nicoll,
director Infrastructure Analysis at Current Analysis. ''Nortel Networks
is demonstrating their foresight in developing world-leading technology
to meet that bandwidth demand. I support their vision of an Optical
Internet enabled by this kind of capacity.''
Nortel Networks Optical Internet breakthrough uses advanced optical
amplification technology to extend the reach of optical signaling and
reduce network cost. It uses more of the light spectrum so that
increased traffic can be carried on a single fiber. Nortel Networks' 80
Gbps platform will support up to 80 wavelengths to reach the
unprecedented 6.4 Tbps per fiber level. In addition, the system is
designed to deliver 99.999 percent reliability, best system performance
in the industry, and will be managed end-to-end using Nortel Networks'
Integrated Network Management. 'Real world' experience gained through
the company's 90 percent market share in 10 Gbps Optical systems has
allowed Nortel Networks to become the undisputed leader in
high-capacity optical networking.
Nortel Networks announced earlier this year its OPTera 1600G optical
amplification system that delivers 1.6 Terabits per second on a single
fiber, operating on the OPTera LH platform. Customers committed to
deploying its OPTera backbone solutions include COLT Telecom Group plc,
Qwest Communications, Worldwide Fiber, Level 3 Communications, IXC
Communications, and Cable & Wireless. MCI WorldCom has committed to a
live commercial trial of the OPTera 1600G optical amplification system
in fourth quarter this year. Customers using Nortel Networks OPTera
solutions will be able to scale their existing networks to take
advantage of the scalable 40 to 80 Gbps platform as it is introduced.
Most recently, the company announced OPTera Packet Solution, another
breakthrough technology that will unify packet and optical networks and
enable improved switching and routing capabilities for the Optical
Internet.
The rollout of inventive optical networking technology in 1999 has
included:
- OPTera Packet Solution for unified packet and optical networks,
enabling next-generation switching and routing (Sept. 28)
- Optical Protection Rings, a world-first open optical solution for
protecting 10 Gbps on-ramp and router traffic (Sept. 28)
- OPTera Connect optical cross-connects to link high-capacity optical
devices and provide end-to-end bandwidth management (June 7)
- OPTera 1600G optical amplification system for scalable open optical
networks up to 1.6 Terabits per second per fiber (May 4)
- OPTera Metro, world's first open optical ring-based solution for metro
networks, scalable to 80 Gbps using D-WDM, introduced (Feb. 23)
- OPTera LH platform announced for open optical 10 Gbps networking
scalable to 320 Gbps (Feb. 23).
''The progression towards creating the Optical Internet is accelerating,
'' said Nortel Networks' Roth. ''We've been able to achieve this
progress through the dedication of our people, major investment in our
research and development, and through the experience of 'real world'
networking that provides a wealth of experience beyond that discovered
in the lab.''
The global optical networking market is expected to reach US$ 35
billion by 2002, with capacity requirements doubling every nine months.
Nortel Networks revenues derived from optical networking are growing at
a rate of more than 50 percent annually.
Nortel Networks delivers value to customers around the world through
Unified Networks solutions, spanning mission-critical telephony and
IP-optimized networks. Customers include public and private enterprises
and institutions; Internet service providers; local, long-distance,
cellular and PCS communications companies, cable television carriers,
and utilities.
Nortel Networks' common shares are listed on the New York, Toronto,
Montreal and London stock exchanges. Nortel Networks had 1998 revenues
of US$17.6 billion and has approximately 70,000 employees worldwide.
Certain information included in this press release is forward-looking
and is subject to important risks and uncertainties. The results or
events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual
results or events. Factors which could cause results or events to
differ from current expectations include, among other things: the
impact of price and product competition; the dependence on new product
development; the impact of rapid technological and market change; the
ability of Nortel Networks to integrate the operations and technologies
of acquired businesses in an effective manner; general industry and
market conditions and growth rates; international growth and global
economic conditions, particularly in emerging markets and including
interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; unanticipated
impact of Year 2000 issues; and the impact of consolidations in the
telecommunications industry. For additional information with respect to
certain of these and other factors, see the reports filed by Nortel
Networks with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
Nortel Networks disclaims any intention or obligation to update or
revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
SOURCE Nortel Networks Corporation
(C) 1999 PR Newswire. All rights reserved.
prnewswire.com
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CONTACT: Shelley E. Grandy, Nortel Networks, 905-863-2105,
sgrandy@nortelnetworks.com; Jeff Ferry, Nortel Networks,
703-712-8339,
jferry@nortelnetworks.com; Sheji Jacob-Brettle, Nortel
Networks,
+44 208 945 2885, shejijb@nortelnetworks.com; Ann Fuller,
Nortel Networks,
613-768-4512, afuller@nortelnetworks.com; Or visit Nortel
Networks' website at
www.nortelnetworks.com
/Nortel Networks' press releases are also available through
CNO-Call by
fax at 800-758-5804, ext. 122158 or at www.prnewswire.com
(NT. NT)
INDUSTRY CODE: TLS
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