Europe perks up Lucent

In conjunction with the CeBit conference in Germany, Lucent today pulled the wraps off its deal new multiservice switch, the TMX 880. The vendor also it won a contract with BT for the use of the WaveStar OLS 400G system and the WaveStar TDM 10G, as well as a deal to help upgrade KPN’s ATM network.

No terms were revealed for any of the agreements. The deal with KPN expands on an existing relationship with that provider.

After canceling work on its MSC 25000 switch, Lucent shifted its focus to the TMX 880, which functions as MPLS core switch, a capability its predecessor lacked. By implementing the new switch, providers can preserve their current ATM and frame-relay services while they ramp up for and deliver IP services, according to Sarbreet Singh, vice president of product management for Lucent’s multiservice switching division.

Providers now don’t see making large investments in ATM at the core of their networks as a viable solution, reflecting the growing acceptance of MPLS at the core, he said.

The switch uses what Lucent is terming “fluid signaling” to integrate the ATM and MPLS traffic and theoretically simplify network infrastructures. This fluid signaling uses a unified control plane to translate information between frame relay, ATM and IP/MPLS services.

While Lucent was making wins in Europe, so were Ericsson and Juniper. The companies announced a deal with Deutsche Telekom for Ericsson’s AXI 580 and AXI 520 IP backbone routers. Those routers are based on Juniper’s M-series routers.