WDM & Next-Generation Optical Networking Conference, Cannes, France: June 27, 2005 - Cisco Systems® today announced that AEW Energy, a regional electricity company in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland will migrate to a Cisco IP Next-Generation Network (IP NGN), replacing an existing Frame Relay and ATM infrastructure and featuring a range of Cisco optical, routing, and switching platforms, for a new backbone network. The network will support Litecom AG, the telecommunications arm of AEW, and member of the Axpo Group in Northeastern Switzerland, in providing telecommunication services within the Swiss Cantons of Aargau, Zurich, Schaffhausen, Thurgau, and St.Gallen-Appezellen regions. The new infrastructure is part of an extensive network across the North East of Switzerland.
IP NGN is a Cisco vision and strategy enabling service provider migration to all-Internet Protocol (IP) networks. IP NGN migration will increase Litecom's ability to deliver innovative new services, improve its operational and capital expenditure efficiencies and advance the network and service control that it and its customers need for long-term business success.
Litecom markets Layer 2 and Internet connectivity on a wholesale basis to regional service providers, enterprises and public sector customers. The Cisco IP NGN, which replaces a Frame Relay and ATM infrastructure, is being built with help from the Swiss systems integrator and Cisco Silver Partner, GPS Technik, and is using Resilient Packet Ring (RPR) technology to provide a range of Ethernet and other services.
"A Cisco IP NGN, using the ONS optical platform family, was the logical choice for this project, for a number of reasons," said Matthias von Arx, Litecom's general manager. "It is an innovative, market-leading technology for Ethernet service delivery, which also allows us to support TDM [time-division multiplexing], DWDM [dense wavelength-division multiplexing] and other services and could offer guaranteed interoperability with existing SDH equipment in the AXPO Group."
In addition to TDM, optical, xDSL services and Internet connectivity, Litecom provides three types of Ethernet package over the backbone network. The first, Axnet EtherLink, is a point-to-point transparent leased Ethernet Wire Service that allows subscribers to receive Layer 2 data and control plane connectivity between two geographically remote sites. Axnet EtherRelay, meanwhile, is a point-to-point VLAN-based Ethernet Relay Service that allows connectivity for the data plane between two remote sites, without passing typical Layer 2 control plane traffic. A third product, Axnet VirtualSwitch, is a Ethernet Multipoint Service again transparent to Layer 2 data and control plane traffic that allows subscribers to receive LAN connectivity between two or more sites.
"Migration to a Cisco IP NGN offers Litecom and its customers a number of benefits over legacy technology. The Cisco optical equipment featured in the network incorporates a statistical multiplexing capability to help enable the RPR network to support committed and peak information rates, emulating the characteristics of a Frame Relay environment, along with different quality-of-service profiles to suit different customers" commented Marcus Chambers, operations director, Storage, Optical and Wide Area Files Services for Cisco Systems in Europe, Middle East and Africa. "Litecom's geographical coverage model meant that RPR represents a cost-effective alternative to connection oriented packet technologies, such as VPLS."
Litecom's backbone network incorporates a core ring and a feeder ring, both equipped with Cisco ONS 15454 SDH Multiservice Provisioning Platforms fitted with MultiLayer Service over SONET/SDH Linecards. Access is via Cisco ONS 15305 Multiservice Customer Access Platforms, which are also used on customer premises, alongside Cisco ONS 15302 Multiservice Access Platforms and Cisco Catalyst® 3750 Series Switches.
