China Netcom Picks Nortel

BEIJING -- China Netcom, one of China's major telecommunication operators, has awarded Nortel Networks (NYSE:NT)(TSX:NT) a contract to deploy its national optical transmission backbone, further strengthening Nortel Networks leadership position in delivering next generation optical networks to China. The contract includes delivery and installation of two new long haul networks. Under the contract, China Netcom will be the first customer to deploy Nortel Networks OPTera Connect HDX Optical Switch in China. These two optical networks will span the most prosperous cities in East China, positioning China Netcom to offer new optical broadband services while dramatically lowering its cost of network ownership. Spanning 5,000 kilometers, one of the two optical rings is expected to cover southeastern regions of China and link the cities of Shanghai, Nanjing, Hefei, Wuhan, Changsha, Guangzhou, Fuzhou and Hangzhou. The other ring is expected to connect the eastern cities of Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Xinyang, Jinan and Qingdao, and integrate with China Netcom's existing optical backbones in northern China. Under the terms of the contract, OPTera Connect HDX switches will be deployed in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Wuhan, allowing China Netcom to consolidate its existing network in these large centers and scale the network in cost-effective increments. "By deploying OPTera Connect HDX, China Netcom is bringing the most advanced, tested technology to its broadband network," said Robert Mao, president and chief executive officer, Nortel Networks China. "OPTera Connect HDX is a powerhouse product capable of transforming digital networking by replacing a manual, time consuming, hard-wired environment with dynamic, agile, optical solutions." China Netcom will also deploy Nortel Networks OPTera Long Haul 1600 Optical Line System and OPTera Connect DX optical switch to support an increase in network capacity, service provisioning and reliability. China Netcom Corp. Ltd.Nortel Networks Corp.