Network Computing is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Carriers Show Tough Love For Cisco, CRS-1: Page 3 of 4

Sprint's Walker said the new operating system for Cisco's CRS-1, IOS XR, while the subject of much self-praise from Cisco, was just an ante.

"Having a carrier class operating system is really table stakes in our world," Walker said.

And Wolfgang Schmitz, senior executive vice president for Deutsche Telekom's T-Com fixed-networks group, didn't duck a question about his company's use of high-end routers from Juniper, declaring that his firm would continue to pursue a multi-vendor strategy -- a fine statement anytime, but a bit of a slap in the face when made on stage at a Cisco-hosted event.

"A little competition is healthy for both parties," said Schmitz, who later hedged a commitment toward the CRS-1 by saying only "there's room for this kind of machine" in T-Com's networks.

The other carriers also had praise for Cisco's innovations, but also stopped short of announcing intents to purchase.