IBC, Amsterdam, Netherlands September 15, 2003 - Cisco Systems today announced that Salten Bredbånd AS is rolling out an Ethernet to the Home network in the Nordland region of Northern Norway. Using Cisco Metro Ethernet Switching and a fibre optic network, Salten Bredbånd will provide residential and business customers with 10 Mbit/s Internet connectivity, voice over IP and interactive video services over a single converged network.
Salten Bredbånd is using existing tubes, ducts and rights of way from its energy utility parent companies to help extend the fibre cost-effectively to households and reduce the overall digging requirement. The broadband operator is also working closely with the Fauske Kommune to bring the benefits of Ethernet broadband to the regional public authorities.
"We studied other models in Italy and Sweden and decided that deploying triple play services from day one was most attractive both in terms of our service offer for customers and from our overall business model," commented Tom Erik Jaeger, marketing director for Salten Bredbånd. "Being able to offer Internet connectivity, telephony services and video over a single converged network also reduces the operational costs for each of our services compared with traditional networks. As a result, being able to deliver quality of service end to end across the network was a key requirement."
Salten Bredbånd has already deployed a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) based core infrastructure to support business and public administration customers, and is extending this network with new fibre to support residential customers in apartments and individual homes. The service bundle offered will include a range of flexible bandwidth offers from 10 Mbit/s upwards, together with broadcast TV, video on demand and IP-based telephony services.
"Bringing real broadband to a region of Norway such as Nordland can have a positive effect on the economic development of the region," commented Mark de Simone, VP marketing, Cisco Systems. "10 Mbit/s connectivity brings the basic speeds usually experienced in the office into the home environment and, combined with VPN services, opens up real possibilities for teleworking - especially important in a region where flexibility of lifestyle can have an impact on productivity."
By taking advantage of Cisco's IOS software, Salten Bredbånd is able to alter the bandwidth provided to customers remotely and offer entry level services such as 512 kbit/s and 2 Mbit/s connections to individual homes without needing to physically alter the network. Features such as IP multicast are also helping Salten Bredbånd to efficiently deliver multiple channel broadcast video, as well as on demand services, without overloading the network.
Salten Bredbånd and Cisco are also working closely with TANDBERG Television to integrate the overall video service offer on the network, and provide video head end equipment. Cisco Gold Certified Partner Datametrix will provide Cisco networking equipment and solution design, working alongside outsourced voice service provider Port IT.
Salten Bredbånd is deploying Cisco Catalyst 6500 series switches in the aggregation and core layer, and Catalyst 3550 series switches in the basement of apartment blocks and regional PoPs. The voice over IP infrastructure is supported by Cisco AS5400 Universal Gateways and Gatekeepers on Cisco 2600 series routers.
About Salten Bredbånd
Salten Bredbånd AS is owned by the local power utility companies. The company has its office in Fauske in Nordland county in Norway, and has rolled out a fiber-optic network in the Salten region. Services such as high speed Internet, telephony and digital interactive TV are offered over the network. Its customers are primarily in the public sector, private business and private households. Salten Bredbånd aims to deliver future proof broadband services to businesses and private households in the region.
