BT has selected Alcatel's routing and management solution to provide IP/Ethernet switching as part of its 21st Century Network (21CN) PSTN transformation trial, which will pilot voice services over a dedicated IP network. Specifically, the trial will use the Alcatel 7750 Service Router (7750 SR) and the Alcatel 5620 Service Aware Manager (SAM).
The announcement follows a series of contracts in 2004 between Alcatel and BT. Recently Alcatel's Open Service Platform provided a scalable and intelligent solution, which BT uses to develop customized applications for its own customers. As well, BT signed a new contract with Alcatel to support the ongoing rollout and development of BT's broadband access services in the UK, and the service provider announced that it would introduce new Ethernet services over its existing nationwide network based on the Alcatel 7670 Routing Switch Platform. http://www.alcatel.com
- In June 2004, BT outlined a five-year timetable for migrating its circuit-based voice services to IP. The mass migration of customers from PSTN to IP will begin in 2006 and, by 2008, BT expects a majority of the transformation will be completed. BT's 21CN initiative aims to migrate the company's existing multiple, service specific networks to a single converged multi-service IP based network. It includes work towards increasing the bandwidth of services provided over the copper access network as well as the trials of FTTP. BT has selected the following companies to support the PSTN to IP pilot:
Marconi is supplying core network Softswitches and multi-service access nodes (MSANs) for voice services; Alcatel is providing IP Ethernet switching equipment; Siemens is supplying metro media gateways and Juniper core and edge routers.
