LUZERN, Switzerland -- Cisco Systems(R) (Nasdaq:CSCO) today announced that Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke (CKW), the regional power utility company serving the Swiss Canton of Lucerne is reducing operational costs by deploying Cisco ONS 15300 series multiservice optical platforms to create a single network between power stations, remote offices and its central headquarters. The new network will carry switched Layer 2 Ethernet traffic between sites as well as consolidate traditional PBX voice traffic over a single multiservice optical network using Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) as a transport protocol. CKW and Cisco worked alongside Dimension Data to implement the project.

The utility's existing network included legacy power generation equipment that used SDH protocols to feed back real-time information to central power management systems, which used to communicate back to headquarters using low-bit rate connections over a separate voice network. As data traffic volumes grew and CKW sought to increase staff productivity with new high-speed applications, an optical network upgrade that linked the company's power stations to headquarters, regional sites and other locations was required.

"In choosing an SDH-based data network, CKW needed a solution that could reduce our costs by combining traditional SDH voice as well as data over one single network infrastructure," commented Dr. Juergen Mueller, network manager at CKW. "The multiservice SDH network from Cisco is helping us reduce operational cost by consolidating operational data collection from power generation equipment, providing network LAN and email connectivity for support staff on site, as well as traditional voice PBX connectivity over a single fibre."

The move to a Cisco SDH infrastructure will help the network to support 2 megabits-per-second Ethernet network connectivity as well as E1/E3-based voice transmissions to each remote site over a single SDH link. In addition, CKW will be able to use the full Layer 2 capabilities of the Cisco ONS 15300 Multiservice Provisioning Platforms (MSPPs) together with standard network protocols such as virtual LANs (VLANs) to connect multiple sites together as a single logical network using central optical hubs.

"This multiservice architecture allows CKW to transport voice, video and intelligent Layer 2 switched Ethernet over SDH, but also provides a clear option for future migration to Gigabit Ethernet connectivity between sites as data volumes grow," commented Johann Strauss, EMEA product manager for Optical Networking and Metro Ethernet. "Being able to link several remote sites together as if they were connected on one single switched network means that CKW can significantly reduce the number of network elements needed in order to cost effectively connect sites."

Cisco Systems Inc.