Lucent Technologies and Juniper Networks today announced that China Unicom, one of the service providers in China, will deploy the companies' joint core data networking solution to expand the carrier's national multiservice backbone network.
Lucent will supply China Unicom with the integrated Multiservice Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Core Solution that enables service providers to build a next generation network that carries Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Frame Relay and Internet Protocol services at the same level of quality and reliability as ATM networks. Deploying this solution will enable China Unicom to offer varying guaranteed levels of service to enterprises on a more cost-effective converged MPLS core network. The agreement is one in a series of contracts totaling more than $350 million that Lucent announced today with service providers in China.
The MPLS core solution consists of Juniper Networks T-series routing platforms, Lucent CBX 500(R) and GX 550Multiservice WAN Switches, Lucent Navis iOperations Operations Support Systems (OSS) for rapid provisioning of new services, simplified network management and enhanced service quality, and network services from Lucent Worldwide Services. This contract also includes Lucent PacketStar (PSAX) Multiservice Media Gateways that China Unicom will use to provide ATM and Frame Relay access for enterprise customers.
China Unicom began construction of its national multiservice backbone in 1999, and the network is expected to be one of the largest converged transport networks in China. The backbone supports a variety of services, including ATM, Frame Relay, Internet access, Voice-over-IP, video conferencing, CDMA1X, digital paging services, billing and office automation services, across 330 major cities throughout China.
Lucent Technologies and Juniper Networks strategic relationship delivers unified solutions to help service providers evolve today's networks to tomorrow's full-service IP infrastructure. The two companies recently announced two milestones in this effort–Lucent OSS software integration of their unified IP Virtual Private Network (VPN) solution and the development of the ATM- Over-MPLS-Trunks capability that preserves the quality of service between ATM and MPLS.
