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Your Location: Home / Australia & New Zealand News / News Release
October 8, 2003
Nortel Networks and Telecom NZ implement New Zealand Defence Force converged network project
The recently completed contract for New Zealand Defence Force's network management solution was one of the first major projects undertaken jointly by the two companies since Telecom New Zealand joined Nortel Networks nPower channel program last December.
The new network provides New Zealand Defence Force with real-time reporting and fault analysis, as well as managed data security. Other benefits arising from outsourced network management include low-risk access to new technologies, cost containment, access to consistent levels of technical expertise, and the ability to focus on core business activities.
Telecom New Zealand's specialist ICT business, Telecom Advanced Solutions, implemented and integrated the solution. The initial order for Nortel Networks equipment was for around NZ$2 million, with the total expected to be worth in excess of NZ$5 million to Nortel Networks over five years. Telecom Advanced Solutions has a five-year telecommunications outsourcing contract for the management and maintenance of New Zealand Defence Force's voice and data networks and Internet access, with a share of its mobile business also going to Telecom New Zealand. Nortel Networks technology provides the platform for delivery of the data networking services.
The Nortel Networks equipment supports the Defence Force's operational network that covers the organisation's raise, train and sustain functions for the services.
Under the agreement, Nortel Networks worked with Telecom Advanced Solutions to design and build a high-availability Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) backbone network for New Zealand Defence Force that linked numerous remote sites around the country to provide robust, reliable, high-speed voice and data transfer. As well as supplying the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) to Telecom, Nortel Networks also provided in-depth, third-tier support. Telecom Advanced Solutions implemented and would continue to manage the encryption part of the network solution to internationally recognised Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).
Ron Hooton, CIO, New Zealand Defence Force, said the upgrade of the network and outsourcing of core telecommunications functions will be cost effective and increase the capability of the Defence Force network. "We have been relying on Telecom to deliver critical data security and network availability for a decade and we expect that the Nortel Networks' secure routing technology in the new network will ensure this crucial deliverable continues for us," said Hooton. "The new network will also support the options we are considering for the future, such as server based computing (thin clients) and migration to a converged voice and data network."
Rob Spray, managing director, Nortel Networks New Zealand, said the project confirms the benefits the nPower channel program offers members, like Telecom New Zealand, and Nortel Networks as it strengthens the companies' positions in the enterprise market. "This agreement is a great example of the whole being greater than the sum of our parts, because we are able jointly to offer rich benefits and capability to New Zealand Defence Force.
"The solution we are providing New Zealand Defence Force is the largest data network Nortel Networks has yet built in New Zealand. It is a sophisticated solution that integrates ATM and frame relay technologies into a packetised network, allowing for future migration to IP Telephony, among other mission-critical applications," he said.
Chris Quin, general manager, Telecom Advanced Solutions, said the outsourcing agreement was also unusual in that the managed service extended to the application layer. "The technologies we have applied here are not new, but the large scale, and the way in which they've been integrated, certainly is," he said.
The Nortel Networks backbone infrastructure for New Zealand Defence Force allows for the possible future convergence of voice and data services, and provides end-to-end traffic aggregation with high reliability and Quality of Service (QoS) for delay-sensitive traffic, such as voice and video. The network upgrade included Nortel Networks Contivity* Secure IP Services Gateways, which provide routing, virtual private network (VPN) capability, firewall protection, bandwidth management, encryption, authentication and data integrity for secure connectivity across managed IP networks and the Internet. Contivity Secure IP Services Gateways connect remote users such as mobile staff, outlying offices and appropriate third-parties such as suppliers to the main network, with the cost and performance advantages of public IP networks and the security and control found in private networks.
Also in the solution are Nortel Networks Passport 7400 Multiservice Switches, which are designed to offer a versatile, reliable and scalable networking platform; and Nortel Networks carrier-grade Passport 8600 Gigabit Ethernet Routing Switch. The Passport 8600 is designed to provide ease of use, superior performance, and the availability and scalability required to support multimedia traffic over a converged network backbone.
Telecom Advanced Solutions is Telecom's dedicated ICT business. Its capability includes business applications, IP and Internet security, ICT infrastructure, hosting and storage, contact centre solutions, and wireless, data and voice solutions. For more information, visit www.telecom.co.nz/advancedsolutions.
Nortel Networks is an industry leader and innovator focused on transforming how the world communicates and exchanges information. The Company is supplying its service provider and enterprise customers with communications technology and infrastructure to enable value-added IP data, voice and multimedia services spanning Wireless Networks, Wireline Networks, Enterprise Networks, and Optical Networks. As a global Company, Nortel Networks does business in more than 150 countries. More information about Nortel Networks can be found on the Web at www.nortelnetworks.com.
*Nortel Networks, the Nortel Networks logo, the Globemark, Business Without Boundaries, Meridian, Passport and Optivity are trademarks of Nortel Networks.
