Lucent Technologies to Build Intelligent Optical Network for Hubei Unicom

Business Wire, July 13, 2004

BEIJING -- First Mesh Deployment of LambdaUnite(R) MSS in China Unicom's Network

Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) today announced a network optimization contract with Hubei Unicom, a provincial subsidiary of China Unicom, for its optical transmission network in Hubei province. This marks the first mesh deployment of LambdaUnite(R) MSS in a China Unicom network. Lucent's solution will significantly enhance network reliability, flexibility, and scalability for future business growth of the optical transmission backbone in China's Hubei province.

According to the terms of the contract, Lucent will supply the LambdaUnite(R) Multi-Service Switch (MSS), a next-generation optical transport system and switch, as well as the WaveStar(R) ADM16/1 and Navis(R) Optical Management System (OMS). The intelligent control plane on the LambdaUnite(R) MSS will allow Hubei Unicom to quickly "turn up" its network as new network elements are added, and it also gives Hubei the ability to offer differentiated end-customer services with different levels of protection able to be provisioned flexibly for each service.

"Carriers are looking for more robust and flexible network architectures," said Xing-Sha Zhou, Director, Optical Networking Group, Lucent Technologies China. "The intelligent control plane on LambdaUnite(R) MSS allows for fast mesh restoration, which allows carriers like Hubei Unicom to quickly turn up their networks, and gives them a flexible and efficient protection mechanism in the case of an emergency."

About the solution

Developed by Bell Labs, the LambdaUnite(R) MSS bridges traffics between data-intensive metro networks and high-speed optical core networks, connecting cities, campuses and corporate networks to larger, long-haul public networks. It enables service providers to seamlessly upgrade their networks to 40Gb/s and allows them to deliver new value-added services such as Gigabit Ethernet.

The compact size and low energy requirements of LambdaUnite(R) MSS also means operators can make significant cost savings compared to traditional systems. This flexible single-shelf system was recently optimized for applications in national, provincial, and metro networks, supporting in-service upgrades from 160G to 320G, as well as to 640G, allowing the system to grow when network capacity increases. Mesh restoration capabilities were also added to help carriers migrate to new mesh-based networks, while at the same time, leveraging traditional restoration architectures. For more information: www.lucent.com/lambdaunite.> With a deployed base of more than 25,000 systems worldwide, the WaveStar(R) ADM 16/1 product is one of the company's successful optical multiplexers for the SDH market, and can be used for interoffice, access or regional applications. The system does this by combining multiple low-speed electrical and optical inputs into a single 2.5 Gb/s signal.

With Lucent's Navis(R) OMS, Hubei Unicom can perform single-user, automated provisioning, routing and proactive service assurance of optical networks and services allowing rapid turn-up of customer services. By using the advanced fault correlation capabilities, the software allows Hubei Unicom to quickly identify and restore customer services. The Navis(R) OMS is part of Lucent's award-winning software portfolio of open, standards-based network, service and IT management systems deployed worldwide for multi-vendor and converged wireline, mobile and enterprise networks.

About China Unicom

China Unicom was established on July 19, 1994. The birth of China Unicom brought competition into China's telecom market and has been instrumental to the reform and development of the country's telecom industry.

China Unicom has more than 300 subsidiaries across China. It is also the only Chinese telecom operator simultaneously listed at New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai Stock Exchanges. China Unicom's successful IPO in Hong Kong and New York in June 2000 raised a total of USD5.65 billion for the company, ranking one of the top 10 IPOs around the world. In Oct. 2002, the company was listed at Shanghai Stock Exchange as the largest domestic listed company in terms of market capitalization.

About Lucent Technologies

Lucent Technologies designs and delivers the systems, services and software that drive next-generation communications networks. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent uses its strengths in mobility, optical, software, data and voice networking technologies, as well as services, to create new revenue-generating opportunities for its customers, while enabling them to quickly deploy and better manage their networks. Lucent's customer base includes communications service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide. For more information on Lucent Technologies, which has headquarters in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, visit www.lucent.com.

Lucent China has eight regional offices, two Bell Labs branches, five R&D facilities and a number of joint ventures and wholly owned enterprises. Currently, the company has approximately 3,000 employees in China and manufactures a full array of telecommunications network equipment and solutions that serves the Chinese and international markets. For more information on Lucent China, visit its web site at http://www.lucent.com.cn.