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BT Cranks Up SANs on the MAN: Page 2 of 3

Analysts say European carriers have been more aggressive at rolling out storage-over-optical services than those in North America. But this may be starting to change. For example, last month AT&T Corp. (NYSE: T) introduced a new portfolio of storage-oriented services designed for business continuity (see AT&T Puts Hands on SANs).

BT has already started deploying Nortel’s equipment to offer the Wavestream Connect service to a large financial institution, according to today’s announcement.

Companies using the service connect their LAN, WAN, or SAN equipment into Nortel’s OPTera Metro 5200 gear, which will sit at either end of a dedicated fiber optic link. In addition to SAN connectivity, BT’s SHDS Wavestream Connect service allows for the interconnection of Ethernet, ATM, Sonet/SDH, and video services that can run at up to 2.5 Gbit/s.

The British carrier says that Nortel’s close relationship with leading storage vendors was a deciding factor in its choice of vendor (see Nortel Cozies Up to Brocade and EMC Goes the Distance).

Although Nortel currently rules the SAN connectivity market, it isn’t the only kid on the block. ADVA AG Optical Networking (Frankfurt: ADV) is very strong in SAN extension as well, Perrin says, adding that this company is also aiding BT with its SAN connectivity project.