Telstra Stays With Siemens

MUNICH -- After successfully rolling out Telstra's complete SDH transmission network and the majority of Telstra's inter-capital 2.5Gbit/s DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplex) network, Siemens has been selected as a preferred supplier for Telstra's 10 Gbit/s nationwide backbone optical fibre network. The network is the prime backbone for both voice and data services for Australia.

Under the frame agreement, Siemens is positioned to supply hardware as well as commissioning and support services to Telstra when the carrier upgrades its transmission network to 10Gbit/s capacity. The upgrade will be scheduled in accordance with customer and network requirements.

Included in the sourcing agreement is Siemens' Surpass hiT 75xx DWDM equipment. The 75xx has already been deployed by a number of major carriers around the world providing 160 channels of 10Gbit/s capacity (or 1.6 Terabits per second) and in network trials in Europe and North America installed with 80 channels each at 40Gbit/s (a world record of 3.2 Terabits per second) making it the most future proof system available.

As Telstra's predominant 2.5 Gbit/s DWDM supplier, Siemens has also recently been awarded the supply of regional 2.5Gbit/s DWDM networks and has received orders for regional Western Australia. Siemens is now assisting Telstra in delivering 2.5Gbit/s DWDM technology to connect regional centres throughout Australia, addressing demand for bandwidth in country areas.

Commenting on the agreement, Telstra's Managing Director, Wireline and Wireless, Mr Ken Benson, said: "Telstra is confident of its success in moving to 10Gbit/s. We have undertaken an exhaustive equipment sourcing tender and have selected vendor partners with proven track records in the latest optical network technology."

Siemens AG

Telstra Corp.