12 May 2003 Melbourne, Australia--Marconi has been selected as one of two preferred suppliers of next generation 10G DWDM and SDH products for the inter-capital, metropolitan and regional networks of Telstra Corporation in Australia.
Marconi will supply hardware as well as commissioning and support services to Telstra when the carrier upgrades its transmission network to 10Gbit/s capacity.
By this means Telstra plans to upgrade its existing 2.5Gbit/s transmission network 'seamlessly'. The network already includes a large proportion of Marconi technology.
Telstra's managing director, Wireline & Wireless, Mr Ken Benson, said, "We have undertaken a thorough technical and economic evaluation of proposals from a number international vendors. We are confident that the vendors we have chosen will enable us to cost efficiently meet the evolving needs of our customers and maintain our leading industry position."
"The speed and capacity offered by moving to 10Gbit/s is an important component of Telstra's plans to provide residential and business customers with high quality broadband services," Mr Benson said.
Commenting on the signing, Paul Butcher, managing director, Marconi Australia, said: "We are delighted to be selected as a preferred supplier for our suite of next-generation DWDM and SDH products to Telstra. This gives us the opportunity to have a significant impact on how its network provides for its customers' needs in an increasingly broadband-oriented world."
Marconi's SmartPhotonix and SDH products are in use with more than 100 telecommunications service providers throughout the world, including a number in Australia and New Zealand.