Siemens expands optical infrastructure for Ecuadorian service provider

Siemens IC Networks has concluded a turnkey contract with Andinatel, (Quito, Ecuador) for delivery and installation of basic equipment for optical transmission technology worth $24.2 million.

Andinatel is one of two state-owned, full-service telecommunications providers in the north of Ecuador, with more than 660,000 customers. In particular, the economic axis of Ecuador between Quito and Guayaquil will profit from the new project. Both the service quality and the transmission capacity of the telecommunications networks will be substantially improved, for example, by making it possible to transmit up to 30,000 telephone calls simultaneously, contend Siemens representatives.

The turnkey contract covers delivery and installation of the SDH equipment and fiber-optic cable, as well as carrying out relevant infrastructure measures along the 1,000-km route. The order encompasses the construction of a 2.5-Gbit/sec SDH transmission link connecting the most important cities in Ecuador.

The network is a further step toward new telecommunications technologies for the South American country. For Andinatel and one of the most important economic regions of Ecuador, it opens the door to worldwide high-speed data networks. Andinatel is represented in 132 cities in Ecuador.

By building up the optical infrastructure in the Andes region--Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru--Siemens is contributing to growth in these countries and at the same time strengthening its presence in the most important urban focal points of Ecuador and also in rural areas, claim company representatives.

For more information about Siemens Information and Communication Networks (Munich, Germany), visit the company's Web site at www.siemens.com/networks.