MARCH 18, 2008 -- Alcatel-Lucent (search for Alcatel-Lucent) today announced that Thailand's Khon Kaen University (KKU) has implemented an all Alcatel-Lucent data network to deliver e-learning, voice, and Internet services to the faculty and its students. The enhanced infrastructure will help KKU become a significant center of research and development in the northeast of Thailand.Â
KKU's Gigabit Ethernet backbone network comprises 90 km of optical fiber linking 8,500 connection points throughout the 120 buildings on campus. The network provides the performance necessary for KKU to deliver a full suite of converged services, including Internet access, instant messaging, Voice over IP (VoIP), video teleconferencing, and e-learning programs, say KKU representatives.
"Reliability is an essential element of our network because our students, faculty, and staff are dependent on our converged services," notes Charat Mongkolsawat, associate professor at KKU. "We found the reliability of Alcatel-Lucent's technology superior to that of the other vendors we considered. With this solution, we are able to combine e-learning programs, messaging, web access, and telephony on the same network, which has helped make us the educational leader in this region," Mongkolsawat claims.
"Dynamic enterprises around the world are building next-generation networks with the security, performance, and reliability needed to make them platforms for Web 2.0 services," adds Tom Burns, chief operating officer of Alcatel-Lucent's enterprise activities. "Khon Kaen University is a perfect example because it is very aggressive in supporting applications that build a better education and research environment."
The university's network infrastructure features a combination of Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch 7000 switches forming the network core, OmniSwitch 6600 and 6800 switches spread through the network for aggregating data, and OmniStack 6100 and 6300 switches providing access for the 8,500 nodes on the network. Because all the platforms support the same AOS operating system, the entire network provides the same services and management from end-to-end, claim Alcatel-Lucent representatives.
The network was implemented and is maintained by Alcatel-Lucent and its regional value-added reseller business partner, Bangkok-based International Research Corporation Public (IRCP), which provides on-demand network service.
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