Rumor: Juniper Enters AT&T DomainRumor: Juniper Enters AT&T Domain

Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE: JNPR) is set to be named as a Domain Supplier to AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), with the announcement coming as soon as today (Thursday), according to a Reuters report.

Juniper is likely to be named as one of two suppliers for the carrier's IP/MPLS, Ethernet, and Evolved Packet Core (EPC) domain, says the report.

In September 2009, AT&T announced its Domain Supplier strategy, which involves the pre-qualification and selection of two suppliers in each domain. The carrier hasn't committed to the number of domains it might have, but it's believed there will be about eight, fewer than the 14 originally envisioned. (See AT&T Unveils Domain Supplier Strategy.)

Since then, AT&T has identified a handful of domain suppliers. (See BBWF: Ericsson Enters AT&T's GPON Domain, AT&T Picks AlcaLu, Ericsson for LTE, and AT&T Officially Picks Ciena.)

If Juniper is named as an IP/Ethernet/EPC domain supplier, it would count as a major coup for the vendor, and leave its two main IP rivals, Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) and Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO), scrapping for the remaining place.

Juniper's share price closed Wednesday at $27.80.

— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading