Sonet pact

MCI plans to expand its international optical network with a $60-million purchase agreement with Northern Telecom. The purchase includes deployment of Northern Telecom`s TransportNode OC-12 and OC-48, at speeds of 622 Mbits/sec and 2.5 Gbits/sec, respectively, with linear and ring configurations and Northern Telecom`s Network Manager product. Ring and linear configurations give the network self-restoration capability by using redundant matched nodes. "MCI was the first long-distance carrier to transmit live commercial traffic on Sonet-compliant OC-192 transmission equipment, carrying traffic at 10 Gbits/sec," according to Ian Craig, president of Northern Telecom`s Broadband Networks. He adds that MCI is rapidly expanding its international telecommunications infrastructure.