March 16, 2004 CeBIT, Hannover--Cisco Systems announced that Dansk Bredbaand a/s (DBnet), is building a broadband metro Ethernet network to deliver the triple play of services (voice, video and 10-Mbit/sec data) over an Ethernet to the home network serving an initial 10,000 residents in Copenhagen and across Denmark. DBnet is implementing the Cisco ONS 15454 multiservice transport platform to transport the Gigabit Ethernet core over DWDM. This will link DBnet's Copenhagen headquarters and regional metro Ethernet broadband networks, which will cover 13 towns in the near future.
DBnet is focusing on providing Metro Ethernet-based services to residential subscribers and is working with housing associations and local governments to extend its regional city networks--initially in Næstved, Odense, Kolding and Esbjerg. As Denmark joins other Nordic governments in pushing for broadband access as a means of enhancing regional competitiveness, the company has decided that the most effective way to deliver these services is to build a network with an optical transport layer and metro Ethernet last-mile access over a fiber-to-the-home network.
"Provisioning was a significant factor in our decision to work with Cisco and help us to reduce the costs of getting subscribers up and running on our broadband services," commented Kim Sonne, chief executive of DBnet. "In addition, the DWDM capabilities of the Cisco multiservice optical platform help give us optimum scalable connectivity to provide multiple Gigabit Ethernet links between the four locations in our network."
"DBnet is one of a number of advanced service providers that are taking advantage of the growing regional government support for broadband in Europe to roll out innovative triple-play offerings to residential, corporate and public sector clients," commented Guido Romagnoli, Metro Ethernet/Optical marketing manager for Cisco Systems in EMEA. "Increasingly, many European service providers are realizing that a single converged network infrastructure provides a cost-effective way to quickly roll out new revenue-generating services, whilst lowering ongoing operational costs."
DBnet's infrastructure, which is being implemented in association with IBM, comprises a core based on Cisco 12000 series routers, which will now be extended using ONS 15454 multiservice transport platforms to increase the geographical reach of the network. A network of Cisco Catalyst 6500 series switches act as broadband aggregation units at regional points of presence. These provide Gigabit Ethernet connections to Cisco Catalyst 3550 series switches for local aggregation in city block basements or enterprise customer premises. Other Cisco technologies used by the service provider include universal gateways and SIP proxy server call control software for voice over IP and provisioning solutions.
Dansk Bredbaand a/s is primarily a broadband Internet service provider establishing broadband connections based upon fiber-to-the-home and fiber-to-the-building concepts. Through fiber-based metro Ethernet networks, Dansk Bredbaand delivers 10 to 100-Mbit/sec Internet connections to private households, companies and municipalities throughout Denmark. The company has--through its main shareholders Dansk Kapitalanlaeg Aktieselskab, ATP Private Equity Partners, and InnFond P/S--a significant financial strength. More information to be found at http://www.dbnet.dk/