Sakhatelecom Taps Alcatel to Deploy IP Net in Russia

By Johanne Torres

TMCnet Contributing Editor

 

French technology provider Alcatel announced on Tuesday that it was tapped by Russian operator Sakhatelecom to deploy a next-generation network (NGN) in the Republic of Sakha, also known as Yakutiya. The project will start in the second quarter of 2006 in the cities of Yakutsk and Mirny, to be completed by the end of the year.

 

With Alcatel's IP-based system in place, Sakhatelecom will be able to offer services such as NGN, IP-video, including IP Centrex, videoconferencing, virtual private networks and unified messaging, as well as enhanced Internet services in Yakutiya.

 

"We have been working successfully with Alcatel for more than ten years so, it's with great confidence that we've selected Alcatel's industry-leading solutions for our NGN deployment," said Nikolay Nikolaev, general director of Sakhatelecom. "This project enables us to enhance our competitive edge by offering a broader range of services, to better answer growing demands of end-users and corporate customers for modern telecommunication services and reduce operating expenses through improved network efficiency."

 

The new contract calls for Alcatel to provide its IP multimedia subsystem (IMS)-compliant NGN system comprised of the Alcatel 5020 Softswitch and Alcatel 7515 suite of media gateways. The company will also provide its data-aware Optical Multi-Service Node (OMSN) systems and the Alcatel 7750 Service Router. Alcatel will also provide a broadband access network based on its 7302 ISAM, an IP broadband services access platform. The Alcatel ISAM includes a Voice Package that adds a VoIP media gateway as well as legacy POTS and ISDN line cards to support a smoother migration to an NGN/IMS network.

 

"Alcatel's experience and expertise in NGN is now further entrenched in Russia," said Michel Rahier, president of Alcatel's fixed communications activities. "Our end-to-end portfolio will help Sakhatelecom deliver new broadband services, while providing a solid foundation for future transformation to a fully packet-based network."

 

Alcatel announced last week that it scored a similar contract also in Russia from service provider Comcor, to upgrade its backbone IP-infrastructure based on Alcatel's IP system. The platform is built on Alcatel's service routers, which offer Internet access and VPN. With the Alcatel IP system in place, Comcor will be able to have an infrastructure that delivers 10 Gigabit per second Ethernet capacity, which is a boost in bandwidth to the existing backbone. Comcor is using the Alcatel 7750 Service Router (SR) and 5620 Service Aware Manager.  

 

"Upgrading our network is a critical step to increase our company's revenues," said Viktor Savyuk, first deputy general director of Comcor. "Alcatel offers a unique solution that allows us to enrich and strengthen our IP/MPLS infrastructure."

 

Alcatel

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Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and Internet Telephony magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit Johanne Torres' columnist page