NOVEMBER 26, 2007 -- Neotel, the first national infrastructure-based competitor in the fixed-line telecommunications sector in South Africa, has selected ECI Telecom's (search for ECI Telecom) XDM and BroadGate (BG) line of products to support its network rollout in the country.
Underserved areas in Africa present a considerable potential for growth as carriers reach out to provide basic and advanced services to the region. South Africa has recently liberalized the telecom sector, and Neotel is now building a next-generation network to serve this growing market.
Neotel's next-generation transport network, as supplied by ECI, will support both enterprise and residential customers with voice, data, and Internet services. ECI claims its vast experience in rolling out new networks in emerging markets was key to Neotel in meeting its aggressive deployment and service targets.
"ECI's innovative next-generation portfolio answers our technology needs and suits our goal of building a network that can lead South Africa to the next step in terms of telecom development," explains Pravir Dahiya, head of networks at Neotel. "ECI is building the very foundation of our backbone, which supports our current needs and will enable seamless network transition to support the future."
ECI will provide a full access-to-core network for all of Neotel's transmission requirements by deploying the XDM and the BG families of products. These products offer extreme scalability and flexibility, guaranteeing investment protection and future upgrades to support additional services and new technologies, including MPLS, say ECI representatives. The network is managed via ECI's centralized LightSoft Network Management System, providing end-to-end multi-layer management, from access to core.
Spescom Telecommunications, ECI's local partner in the country, is supplying installation and integration services.
"We are proud to be part of the development of the South African telecom market," adds Joop VanAard, ECI Telecom's president and general manager for Europe, Middle East & Africa. "We share with Neotel its values of superior customer service and innovation and expect to support their efforts of building a better, more advanced network in the country for years to come."
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