Nortel unveils metro gear for Europe

Nortel Networks this week unveiled an addition to its metro optical networking portfolio with an SDH platform for European carriers.

The OPTera Metro 4150 is an STM-4 — 622M bit/sec — multiplexer with a non-blocking cross-connect, Nortel says. The system provides 6G bit/sec of connection management for Ethernet and TDM services.

The OPTera Metro 4150 can hub 16 separate STM-1 (155M bit/sec) metro access rings and provide non blocking cross-connect down to VC-12 (2M bit/sec) levels, Nortel says.

The system is designed to support LAN extension, Internet access and storage applications.

The OPTera Metro 4150 is available now and is already deployed in some service provider and enterprise customer networks, according to Nortel.

Nortel says it has installed more than 20,000 OPTera Metro 4000-class platforms in operator networks around the world.

Separately, Nortel confirmed it is has developed technology to link existing and future wireless wide area networks (WWANs) with wireless LAN (WLAN) “hot spots.”

Nortel’s WWAN/WLAN technology will enable wireless operators to provide enterprises and consumers with a single “sign on” and “seamless” service between 2G/3G networks and wireless hot spots, the company claims. It will also provide operators with consolidated billing, authentication and security, Nortel says.

WWAN/WLAN will help mobile workers establish “virtual offices,” where they can securely connect to corporate intranets, send and respond to e-mails, access the Web, and download files, Nortel says. It will also allow users to roam between wireless 2G/3G and WLAN networks with uninterrupted access to IP data services, Nortel claims.

Nortel is working with Mobility Network Systems, a supplier of WLAN products, to provide products that enable GSM, GPRS and UMTS operators to integrate WLANs into their existing networks and service platforms. Mobility Networks’ ipRAN technology successfully integrated with Nortel’s GSM, GPRS and UMTS core network infrastructure and products, including Nortel’s Univity GGSN, in interoperability tests conducted earlier this year, Nortel says.

Nortel announced it is also working with Bridgewater Systems and MetaSolv to support common authentication and billing between CDMA2000 and Wi-Fi networks, enabling a single “sign-on” for the customer and consolidated billing information.

WWAN/WLAN technology will use IPSec encryption, Nortel says.

In other news, Nortel is suing Ciena for infringing on optical patents, according to a report on Bloomberg.

Nortel claims several of Ciena’s products rely on Nortel research protected by eight patents, according to the federal lawsuit filed Nov. 27 in Marshall, Texas, the Bloomberg report states. In the suit, Nortel seeks damages and a court order to block Ciena from selling any products that infringe the patents, the report states.

A Ciena spokesman says the company does not comment on litigation. Nortel wase not immediately available for comment.