Device Arena

Alcatel-Lucent has been selected by Telecom New Zealand (Telecom) to deploy its IP Multi- Protocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS)–based mobile backhaul solution. This will enable Telecom to accommodate its growing cellular W-CDMA and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) traffic needs and to cost effectively scale its mobile services across a unified network infrastructure.

Alcatel-Lucent’s IP/MPLS solution is being rolled out across Telecom nationwide and supports its strategic transition to all-IP network.

Alcatel-Lucent’s solution features pseudowire technology, which adapts various traffic and media types from the W-CDMA base stations into IP/MPLS. As Telecom moves to a W-CDMA and HSPA deployment, the backhaul network will have the flexibility and cost-effective scalability needed to support strong traffic growth. Telecom’s mobile backhaul network will also leverage the existing IP/MPLS aggregation network already provided by Alcatel-Lucent for residential and business services. This supports Telecom’s strategic decision to consolidate services onto a converged network infrastructure.

“Alcatel-Lucent’s backhaul solution resolves the issue of cost-effectively transporting the exponential growth of data services we expect from the deployment of the W-CDMA mobile network,” said Stuart Sutton, Chief Technology Officer - Technology and Shared Services, Telecom New Zealand. “It will allow us to scale efficiently and rapidly roll out exciting new mobile broadband services, while its high availability features will ensure a reliable mobile broadband service for our customers.”

Alcatel-Lucent’s pseudowire solution includes the 7705 Service Aggregation Router (SAR) which is deployed in cellular base station sites to consolidate and aggregate traffic. The Alcatel-Lucent 7705 SAR allows service providers to scale traffic and simultaneously flatten their cost-curves for leased bandwidth, therefore improving their competitiveness. The 7705 SAR inherits its software architecture from the widely deployed IP/MPLS Service Router product line, retaining and building on its qualities but at a price and form factor appropriate to the cell site and hubs.

“We are building on our success with Telecom in supporting existing residential and business services with our IP/MPLS products,” said Steve Lowe, Chief Executive Officer, Alcatel-Lucent New Zealand. “With the addition of the 7705 SAR, and interworking capability with our entire service routing portfolio, Alcatel-Lucent is bringing an end-to-end converged solution for mobile traffic transport.”

The contract reconfirms Alcatel-Lucent’s expertise in addressing mobile operators’ requirements, enabling CDMA and GSM/W-CDMA service providers to profitably scale their networks. By providing an evolution path for any type of infrastructure (copper, fibre, wireless), Alcatel-Lucent delivers integrated, end-to-end management across fixed and mobile technology. With its Mobile Evolution Transport Architecture (META), Alcatel-Lucent has developed the industry’s most comprehensive vision for the evolution of mobile networks from TDM to all-IP.

In addition to the Alcatel-Lucent 7705 SAR, TNZ has already deployed a Carrier Ethernet network based on Alcatel-Lucent’s 7450 Ethernet Services Switch and an IP/MPLS infrastructure for residential services based on the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Router - all managed end-to-end by the Alcatel-Lucent 5620 Service Aware Manager.

Over 250 service providers in more than 100 countries around the world have selected the Alcatel-Lucent IP/MPLS portfolio as key elements of their IP transformation. According to Ovum RHK, Alcatel-Lucent holds the No. 2 position in the IP/MPLS Edge market segment.

Alcatel-Lucent