Nortel puts in pitch for video play

CHICAGO--

Not wanting to be left out of the emerging telco video market, Nortel announced an alliance of vendors today that will combine their product along with Nortel’s broadband access gateway to create a complete video system.

The alliance includes Calix’s broadband loop carriers, Entone’s video servers and residential gateways, Amino’s set-top boxes, Kasenna’s video servers and software, Minerva Networks’ middleware and Westell’s DSL modems, routers, gateways and voice-over-IP access devices. Nortel will add its access gateway, but perhaps more important, it will also add its access into multiple large carrier accounts. In announcing the alliance, the company also said Spain’s Red Eléctrica Telecomunicaciones and Geneseo Telephone in Illinois will be among the first to deploy the combined solution.

The alliance not only gives Nortel an entry into telco video but also gives the company a jumping off point for other “ultra broadband” services.

“Nortel’s view on video is that it’s not just an access change,” said Walt Megura, general manager of broadband networks for Nortel. “You have to look at the whole network differently.”

Like most vendors, Nortel is pitching video as a way to counter cable telephony competition. However, the company also is looking to multiple advanced applications like telemedicine and distance learning as potential extensions to the telco video play.

“It’s the traditional services but carried to the next step,” Megura said.