Marconi will showcase the world`s fastest-ever hybrid switch/router at CeBIT 2001 in Hanover from March 22 to 28.
The BXR-48000 is capable of handling traffic in every major protocol now in use on the world`s telecommunications networks and breaks new ground by combining the speed of optical transmission with the need for guaranteed delivery over packetised optical networks.
"The BXR-48000 is a technological breakthrough that will serve as a blueprint for 21st century switching and quickly become the lynchpin of the new public network," said Mike Parton, CEO of Marconi Communications.
The BXR, which has unprecedented power to handle the vast amounts of multimedia traffic necessary to deliver applications to enable transformation of world communications, typifies Marconi`s appearance at the show, Germany`s most important ICT (information and communications technology) event. The BXR is in an advanced stage of development, with customer trials planned for the third quarter of 2001 and release expected shortly thereafter.
Evidence of Marconi`s success in the highly competitive German telecommunications market is mounting since its acquisition of the Bosch Public Networks business at the end of 1999 through a series of major contract wins totalling more than DM 1 billion including:
Deployment of VIAG Interkom`s nationwide DMS (digital multipoint system) broadband wireless access system in up to 200 franchise areas, giving customers links for voice, data and multimedia internet applications.
The choice of Marconi`s SmartPhotoniX DWDM (dense wave division multiplexing) optical networking solutions to form the heart of a new multi-terabit fibre optic showcase network for Fibernet, stretching across more than 30 of Germany`s major cities.
The provision and installation of high speed network access equipment for tesion Communikationsnetze Sudwest, covering 60 major distribution sites in Baden-Wurttemberg. This followed successful trials of Marconi`s combined optical fibre and ADSL-based AON (active optical network) solutions in the cities of Stuttgart, Biberach and Ravensburg.
The award of a network configuration contract by Deutsche Telekom under which Marconi Services is providing network planning and switching services in Munich. Support for a growing number of city carriers and second operators by a new Network Operating Centre at Backnang which also provides on-site network operations services for customers in Cologne and Oldenburg.
"Our goal is to achieve a similarly significant position as supplier to incumbent and competitive operators in Germany that Marconi has already established elsewhere in Europe - including Italy and the UK - and to drive forward our presence in the enterprise market," said Juergen Beer, managing director for Marconi Communications Germany.
"The past year has seen an increase in our investment in research and development, as well as the adoption of a German-developed network management system as Marconi`s preferred solution for managing wireless networks throughout the world."
The Marconi stand at CeBIT (Hall 15) will also demonstrate the power of Marconi technology to transform virtually every aspect of daily life, at work, at home, at school and at play.
Graphical panels will show attention-grabbing pictures of four babies` heads with the thought-provoking message: "Because of Marconi, they will never go to school, they will never go to work and play will never be the same."
The stand will demonstrate how Marconi`s communications technology will mean that school children won`t simply read about dinosaurs, but be able to walk with them in a virtual reality world. When it`s time for work, broadband networks will enable more and more people to choose to work from home or on the move, and while nobody would ever want children to stop playing real games outside, the speed of Marconi`s networks will give them the chance to play a fast-moving game of squash on a virtual court against an opponent who could be on the opposite side of the world.
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Marconi
Marconi plc is a global communications and IT company with around 49,000 employees world-wide and sales in over 100 countries. It supplies advanced communications solutions and the key technologies and services for the internet. Marconi plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and Nasdaq under the symbol MONI.
BXR-48000 is an intelligent protocol-agnostic switch/router, which means that the new device simply and efficiently processes incoming data signals no matter what format they arrive in, and sends them on their way at the blinding speed of up to 480 Gbit/s -- the equivalent of more than seven million phone calls. By combining the very high processing speed of an ATM switch with the power and flexibility of an IP/MPLS router capable of handling variable-length packets, it enables service providers to save money and make money by combining traffic on multi-service networks.
Marconi will showcase the BXR-48000 at CeBIT 2001 and is scheduling beta sites with select customers to begin trials in the third quarter. General availability is expected by the fourth quarter of 2001. Customers who need an immediate core networking solution can deploy Marconi`s award winning ASX-4000, which remains one of the largest switches on the market, scaling from 10 to 40 Gbps and supporting IP, MPLS and ATM services.