Lucent, Riverstone Partner On Ethernet Nets For Providers

Lucent Technologies and Riverstone Networks have reached an partnership agreement to deliver carrier-class Ethernet solutions for new and existing carrier networks. They also announced that Telefonica, a leading service provider in Spain, has selected their combined Ethernet solution for the next phase of Telefonica's multimedia broadband service deployment.

Under the Lucent-Riverstone agreement, Lucent will integrate Riverstone's MPLS-based Ethernet routing equipment with Lucent systems, software and professional services to enable service providers to tie separate networks into an integrated Ethernet network. Riverstone's carrier Ethernet routers interwork with Lucent's multiservice switches, allowing Lucent's customers to migrate from their existing data solutions as their networks evolve. Riverstone's equipment also complements Lucent's access and metro optical networking solutions.

Lucent will sell the combined solutions and provide technical support and maintenance to customers who purchase Riverstone's metro Ethernet routers from Lucent.

"By teaming with Riverstone, we can help our customers also extend their widely deployed Lucent Ethernet over SONET/SDH metro networks, and to introduce next generation Ethernet services using these same networks," Michael Nielsen, president, Lucent Technologies Data Networking Group, said in a statement. "This relationship gives our customers the chance to seize the capital, operational and revenue opportunities these networks provide now and as they evolve."

In the Telefonica deal, the Ethernet network will be used to deliver IP (Internet Protocol) services over broadband to homes, including video and data services. Lucent is collaborating with Telefonica to roll-out Telefonica's "Imagenio" multimedia broadband service in major cities across Spain, offering IP Multimedia Services over DSL, including broadcast TV, video on demand, and internet access to residential customers.Lucent is supplying and integrating Riverstone's carrier Ethernet routers with Lucent Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) access concentrators to aggregate broadband traffic onto a converged Ethernet infrastructure in Telefonica's network. As a result, Telefonica will have a more cost-effective network that can carry multiple types of traffic and services with high reliability and Quality of Service (QoS), say Lucent officials.