Austrian town site of Ethernet broadband roll out

11 April, 2003 Ried im Innkreis, Austria Lightwave -- Infotech, a service provider in Upper Austria, is deploying a metro Ethernet network based on Cisco Systems switching equipment. As a result, business and residential customers in the town of Ried im Innkreis can receive next-generation voice, video, and data services over one converged IP and fiber infrastructure.

Infotech is working in tandem with the local utility, Energie Ried, and the local government, Stadtamt Ried, to expand the government's existing fiber-optic networks that link government buildings and schools in the town. Infotech will offer commercial metro Ethernet services to residential customers with Internet connection speeds of up to 10 Mbits/sec, and 100 Mbits/sec for branch offices and teleworkers. Infotech offers up to gigabit speeds for corporate customers and the wholesale market.

"A fiber infrastructure helps enable us to offer customers next-generation connectivity speeds as well as the full mix of voice, video, and data-triple play services. An Ethernet-based transport helps us to modify the bandwidth provided to individual customers in a very timely way, " said Hans Kuehberger, CEO of Infotech.

The carrier has completed the first phase of fiber layout and has already migrated its existing leased-line corporate customer base to the new network. Infotech is also planning a range of video and data services for residential customers such as "Timeshift TV," a service providing DVD-quality and on-demand access to TV programs broadcast over the past 24 hours. Infotech is using micro trenching technology to connect residential apartment blocks and subscribers to the fiber rings.

"We want to provide our citizens with a swift and un-bureaucratic service, and effectively networking our own institutions was one of the most important prerequisites towards delivering this vision," said Albert Ortig, mayor of the town of Ried. "As the body overseeing the administration of public property and the road network, as well as the principal owner of Energie Ried, the local government is closely supporting the development of this network."

Building on the local government's initial deployment, Infotech worked with the Stadtamt Ried to expand the existing fiber-optic network and migrated the Ried municipal network architecture to the Cisco architecture. The educational and administrative network was extended across the town, and as part of the project a separate public and commercial network was created. Infotech is also providing public Ethernet access points in municipal locations.

Infotech is using Cisco Catalyst 4000 series and Catalyst 3550 series switches to support its metro Ethernet services, together with the Cisco Building Broadband Service Manager; Cisco 2600 series, 3600 series, and 7200 series routers; and Cisco Pix 500 series firewalls.