The agreement includes the upgrade and further expansion of Suzhou Telecom's MPLS/VPN network, thus meeting the continuously growing demand from the large base of enterprise customers in Suzhou for Layer 3 MPLS VPN services. Deliveries began in September, and the contract includes a wide-range of customer services delivered by Linkage and Nokia.
"We are particularly pleased that Suzhou Telecom has chosen the SmartEdge 800 Router as it expands its digital service networks," says Ari Lehtoranta, Vice President, Broadband Systems, Nokia Networks. "We are happy to be helping Suzhou Telecom roll out cost-efficient enterprise service solutions, and we look forward to doing the same in other Chinese provinces."
Nokia and Redback earlier this year signed a global partnership agreement for joint distribution of intelligent edge and broadband access products. Both companies have also joined forces to create a skilled customer-facing sales organization, targeting leading carriers and service providers with these solutions.
The SmartEdge 800 Router offers a highly reliable and scalable MPLS VPN implementation that uses the unique virtual-router capability of the platform. The SmartEdge 800 Router allows a provider to software-partition the chassis into multiple routers, each having all the carrier-class attributes of the platform. Each VPN is enabled with its own virtual router environment, drastically improving visibility and management of the VPN for both the customer and the service provider. This unique virtual router capability, combined with the SmartEdge Router's interface diversity, density and scalability, also reduces the providers' operational expenses while minimizing network cost per customer served.
Nokia is committed to long-term development and preferred partnership in China. With innovative technology, Nokia has continuously strengthened its market position in China as a leading supplier of mobile and broadband network systems and mobile phones. China is Nokia's second largest market. The company's investment in China has reached EUR 2 .3 billion. Nokia has established more than twenty offices, eight joint ventures and two R&D centers, with over 5,000 employees in China.
As an extra large state-owned telecommunications enterprise group, China Telecom controls 31 provincial telecommunications coordinations, holds 70% of the assets of the nationwide long-distance transfer network and is empowered to provide telecommunications services to the whole country. By the end of September 2002, China Telecom serves 129 million fixed line subscribers, 24 million Internet users, and 1.35 million broadband subscribers.
Founded in 1996 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with sales and technical support centers located worldwide, Redback Networks maintains a growing and global customer base of more than 350 carriers and service providers, including major local exchange carriers (LEC), inter-exchange carriers (IXCs), PTTs and service providers. Recent news releases and other information can be found on Redback's web site at www.redback.com.
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications. Backed by its experience, innovation, user-friendliness and secure solutions, the company has become the leading supplier of mobile phones and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed and IP networks. By adding mobility to the Internet Nokia creates new opportunities for companies and further enriches the daily lives of people. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on six major exchanges.
Further information:
Nokia Networks
Communications Department
Tel. + 358 7180 38193
www.nokia.com
nokia.networks@nokia.com
Redback Networks Inc.
Meera Agarwal
Public Relations
408-750-5096
meera@redback.com