Lucent introduces new IP wireless switch

Lucent Technologies announced the SpringTide 7000 wireless IP switch, which is designed to offer advanced data services such as mobile virtual private networks, mobile e-commerce, and location-based services to enterprise customers.

“We’re moving beyond simple commodity Internet access and creating a platform to allow us to deliver business applications, services and networking,” said Scott Hilton, vice president of product management with Lucent InterNetworking Systems’ IP services group.

As wireless operators build out their next-generation wireless networks, mobile VPNs, unified messaging and secure firewalls are critical IP services they want to offer to business subscribers, said Lucent.

The SpringTide switch will become available later this year to perform internetworking functions for the IP interfaces to Lucent’s Flexent wireless networks. The switch seamlessly transports user traffic from the mobile data network onto public data networks such as the Internet. The product can support 200,000 subscribers.

“A lot of customers have begun to offer data services and don’t have significant volume of traffic,” said Brian Bolliger, director of Lucent’s Wireless Networks Group. “The scaling problem is going to be very profound … Carriers haven’t hit the point yet and will have significant issues of how to manage all of this.”