28 May 2003 Paris Lightwave--Alcatel announced a multi-million U.S. dollar contract with China Telecom to build a new DWDM transmission backbone network, linking western and southern China. The contract was won through Alcatel Shanghai Bell, the first foreign-invested company limited by shares in the telecommunications sector in China, with Alcatel holding 50%+1 shares and Chinese shareholders holding the remainder.
Alcatel will deliver its 1686 DWDM system operating at speeds of 10 Gbits/sec, together with its end-to-end 1300 NM network management platform, providing efficient control and routing throughout the network. The new network, expected to be completed this year, will span 2,177 km from Sichuan in western China to Yunnan and Guizhou in southern China. The highly scalable solution provided by Alcatel ensures higher network flexibility and reliability, enabling China Telecom to maximize its network investment.
The 1686 WM can be upgraded during operation without any traffic interruption. The system is being enhanced to go beyond 32 wavelengths, thus enriching its capabilities to further support traditional and new-generation services. To date, over 6,000 sets of the 1686 WM DWDM system have been deployed worldwide.
"This high-speed transmission network is a solid base for us to develop business in southwest China with greatly improved capabilities," said Dong Xiaozhuang, director of network development division, China Telecom. "We have a long-term relationship with Alcatel and I am convinced that with their advanced solutions and best service support, the network will be a high-quality one."
The 1686 WM system works at different channel bit-rates up to 10 Gbits/sec. Different wavelengths are used for different traffic signals along the same fiber route. High performances for very long multi-span applications are obtained through wide-band in-line amplifier and Forward Error Correction devices while optical add-drop capabilities, partially re-configurable, are used in the intermediate nodes for traffic partial termination. Thanks to its performance monitoring features, the 1686 WM allows for monitoring the quality of service according to a customer's service level agreement.