July 26, 2002--Neos, a UK Ethernet service provider, has chosen Nortel Networks (www.nortel.com) to upgrade Neosnet, its UK optical backbone network, to directly carry Gigabit Ethernet traffic over DWDM channels.
Neos's use of the Ethernet transport capability on Nortel Networks OPTera Long Haul 1600 Optical Line System is expected to be the first operational deployment of its kind in the world. Nortel Networks and Neos plan to complete the Neosnet upgrade by the end of August 2002. The upgrade will enable Neos to transport up to eight Gigabit Ethernet services per wavelength.
"This represents a natural evolution of Ethernet services in the wide area national network space, which will lead to a strong take up due to their plug-and-play nature," said Camille Mendler, director of European fixed telecoms services at the Yankee Group. "Such services are attractive to both large and small businesses looking not only for better price performance but also flexibility in their communications infrastructures."
"In upgrading Neosnet, our MPLS-enabled UK national Ethernet network, we have yet again dramatically extended the service price/performance metrics in favor of our customers, without incurring the unnecessary capital expense of legacy technologies such as SMDS, frame relay and ATM," said John Wheeler, chief executive officer, Neos.
Neosnet features a national layer 2 MPLS Ethernet network which interconnects the major business conurbations in the UK with access to over 100 points of presence (POPs) nationwide. It includes Neosnet Metro, which provides an independent broadband interconnection of co-location sites to 30 POPs and access to a further 17,000 network nodes within the area encompassed by the M25 motorway.
