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Nortel Networks Corp. - Communications Equipment - Category Main Page
(905) 863-0000
8200 Dixie Road, Suite 100
Brampton, Ontario, Canada L6T 5P6
www.nortelnetworks.com
Sales
$9.8
billion
Business Description
Nortel Networks Corporation is an industry leader and innovator focused on
transforming how the world communicates and exchanges information. We supply
products and services that support the Internet and other public and private
data, voice and multimedia communications networks using wireline and
wireless technologies, which we refer to as “networking solutions”. Our
networking solutions generally bring together diverse networking products
from our various product families, and related services, to create either a
customized or “off the shelf” solution for our customers. Our business
consists of the design, development, manufacture, assembly, marketing, sale,
licensing, installation, servicing and support of these networking
solutions. A substantial portion of Nortel Networks has a technology focus
and is dedicated to research and development. This focus forms a core
strength and a factor differentiating us from many of our competitors. We
envision an information society where people will be able to connect and
interact with information and with each other instantly, simply and
reliably, seamlessly accessing data, voice and multimedia communications
services and sharing experiences anywhere, anytime.
Our networking solutions include network equipment, software and other
technologies that enable local and long-distance communications companies,
wireless service providers, cable multiple system operators and other
communications service providers to provide their customers with services to
communicate locally, regionally or globally through the use of data, voice
and multimedia communications.
Also, our networking solutions provide enterprises such as large and small
businesses, governments, educational institutions and other organizations,
with the ability to communicate locally or globally within their
organization and with other organizations and individuals through the use of
data, voice and multimedia communications. We are focused on providing
high-performance networking solutions that transform the way people and
companies communicate and conduct business.
We conduct business in the following four reportable segments: Wireless
Networks; Enterprise Networks; Wireline Networks; and Optical Networks
(formerly named Optical Long-Haul Networks). During the second quarter of
2002, we shifted the accountability for the metro optical portion of Metro
and Enterprise Networks (now split into Enterprise Networks and Wireline
Networks) into Optical Networks.
Networking solutions
Our networking solutions include network equipment, software and other
technologies that enable communications through the use of data, voice and
multimedia networking. In our industry, networking refers to:
• the connecting of two or more communications devices, such as telephones
for voice communications and personal computers for data communications,
across short or long distances to create a “network”;
• the connecting of two or more networks; or
• the connecting of equipment used in a network.
A telecommunications network generally consists of network access equipment,
network transport equipment and core networking equipment.
Network access
Network access refers to the portion of a network that runs from an end user
to the network access equipment that resides in locations between the end
user’s site and the interior or “core” areas of a network. For our network
access solutions, we refer you to each of our segment descriptions below.
Network transport
Network transport refers to the portion of a network that runs from network
access equipment to core networking equipment, or from core networking
equipment in one location to core networking equipment in another location.
Network transport may be over wireline cabling (fiber optic, copper wire or
coaxial), or over wireless radio signals transmitted through the air between
locations using antennas. The most common method for long-distance network
transport is optical networking, which uses light waves to transmit
communications signals through fiber optic cables. Network transport by
wireless radio signals is also known as digital radio transport, which we do
not offer as part of our products and services. For our optical transport
products, we refer you to our “Optical Networks” description below.
Core networking
Core networking refers to the apparatus and workings of the interior areas
of a network. Core networking equipment directs, routes or “switches” the
data, voice and multimedia communications signals from one part of the
network to another. Core networking uses either packet-based networking or
circuit networking. Packet-based networking involves the partitioning of a
data, voice or multimedia communications signal into pieces, or “packets”,
that are directed or routed through the network independently and then
re-assembled at the destination. This enables large numbers of
communications signals to be directed or routed simultaneously and more
efficiently than in circuit networking, which requires a separate network
circuit to be maintained for each communications signal for the duration of
the transmission. For our core networking solutions, we refer you to each of
our segment descriptions below.
Wireless Networks
Products
Wireless networking, also known as mobility networking, refers to
communications networks that enable end users to be mobile while they send
and receive voice and data communications using wireless devices, such as
cellular telephones and personal digital assistants. These networks use
specialized network access equipment and specialized core networking
equipment that enable an end user to be connected and identified when not in
a fixed location. The technology for wireless communications networks has
evolved and continues to evolve, through various technology “generations”.
• First generation (1G) wireless technology refers to analog wireless
communications networks based on circuit switching technology that are
limited to voice communications.
• Second generation (2G) wireless technology refers to digital wireless
communications networks based on circuit switching technology with modest
data transmission capabilities.
• Third generation (3G) wireless technology refers to digital wireless
communications networks based on packet networking technology with voice,
high-speed data and multimedia transmission capabilities.
Our existing wireless solutions span second and third generation wireless
technologies and most major global digital standards for mobile networks.
The majority of wireless communications networks existing today are based on
2G wireless technologies. However, 3G networks have been launched in several
regions. There are several main international standards for wireless
communications networks.
• Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) is a 2G wireless standard supported
mainly in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean and Latin America
region, or CALA, that uses timeslots within a radio frequency channel to
separate users’ conversations.
• Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) is a 2G wireless standard, also known
as cdmaOne, supported in each geographic region. CDMA uses codes, much like
encryption, to distinguish one call from another, with all calls in a given
cell transmitted over the entire range of radio frequencies assigned to the
network operator within the cell. CDMA networks based are evolving to 3G
according to the CDMA 36 1xRTT (single channel (1x) Radio Transmission
Technology) standard, also known as cdma2000, for voice and high-speed data
mobility. CDMA 3G 1xEV-DO (EVolution Data Only) and CDMA 3G 1xEV-DV (EVolution
Data and Voice) are extensions of CDMA 3G standards for high speed wireless
networks for data, voice and multimedia communications.
• Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) is a 2G wireless standard
supported all over the world that, like TDMA, uses time slots within a
specified radio frequency channel to distinguish one call from another. GSM
networks are evolving to carry data, as well as voice, with the introduction
of General Packet Radio Standard (GPRS). GPRS is viewed as a “2.5G”
technology that provides faster and therefore increased data transmission
capabilities. Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) is a further
evolution of GSM systems to support higher data speeds. In addition to
higher data speeds, EDGE provides increased voice capacity for existing GSM
operators.
• Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is an emerging standard
for 3G networks based on Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) technology. UMTS combines
WCDMA-based radio access with packet switching technology to yield high
capacity, high speed wireless networks for data, voice and multimedia
communications.
We offer a broad portfolio of solutions for wireless communications
networks. Our wireless networking products support the TDMA, CDMA/CDMA 3G,
GSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS standards. We also offer a range of related
professional services to our customers, including: network design and
engineering services; installation services; network optimization services;
network operation services; and technical operations and maintenance
services.
Network access
Radio network access equipment uses radio waves to provide wireless access
to the subscriber’s hand held device, enabling the wireless subscriber to
connect to the network to send and receive data, voice and multimedia
communications. The key network elements in radio access are base station
transceivers and base station controllers. As a mobile subscriber moves away
from the area covered by a base station transceiver, also known as a cell
site, the subscriber will lose the call unless an adjacent cell site
provides the coverage. This requires that an active wireless call be
transferred from one cell to another cell without breaking or disconnecting
the call in progress, also known as a “hand-off”. Base station transceivers
and base station controllers work together with core networking equipment to
perform a call hand-off. We offer our customers a wide range of base station
transceivers and base station controllers for TDMA, CDMA/CDMA 3G, GSM/GPRS/EDGE
and UMTS standards. The base stations are available in the common frequency
spectrum bands that are assigned to mobile communications and support a wide
variety of network requirements, including metropolitan and dense urban
networks. These are generally available in micro, macro and mini base
station transceiver packages and are available in both outdoor and indoor
versions of base station transceivers. We do not manufacture or sell
cellular phones.
• Our CDMA base station transceivers support CDMA 2G (IS-95) and CDMA 3G
transmission standards. Many of our customers have already deployed CDMA 3G
base station transceivers that support 1xRTT and are upgradeable to support
emerging CDMA 3G 1xEV-DO and CDMA 3G 1xEV-DV standards in the future.
• Our GSM base station products support wireless service providers with
licensed radio spectrum and can be upgraded to support GPRS.
• Our UMTS Access Network radio network access equipment is now available
for commercial deployment.
Core networking
Core networking equipment directs, routes or “switches” communications
signals within a service provider’s wireless communications network. The
primary functions of core networking equipment in wireless communications
networks are: identifying and authenticating the called party; locating the
called party; directing the call through the system; and generating call
detail records for billing purposes. The key network elements in the core
part of a wireless communications network are mobile switching centers and
home location registers.
• Mobile switching centers direct or “switch” data, voice and multimedia
communications signals from one network circuit to another. Mobile switching
centers also support advanced voice services like 3-way calling, calling
party number/name delivery, call holding and call redirection. Mobile
switching centers work in conjunction with adjunct systems like voice mail
systems, short message service centers and multimedia messaging systems to
provide voice, text and multimedia messaging services.
• A home location register is a database that contains permanent subscriber
data, such as provisioning and service information and dynamic information,
such as the wireless handset’s current location.
We offer mobile switching centers and home location registers that support
TDMA, CDMA/CDMA 3G, GSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS core networks. Our GPRS core
network portfolio includes Serving GPRS Support Node and Gateway GPRS
Support Node. Our Serving GPRS Support Node, which connects the GPRS
“backbone” network to the base station transceiver and the home location
register, registers and tracks mobile users and delivers data communications
to cellular phones and other mobile devices in a given service area. Our
GPRS Gateway Support Node routes data communications and connects the GPRS
backbone network to external data networks. Our UMTS 3G core networking
equipment, including our UMTS Serving Support Node and our UMTS Gateway
Support Node, are commercially available. Our 3G product portfolio reuses
the same platforms used in 2G and 2.5G products, providing significant
investment protection for our customers.
Enterprise Networks
Products
Our Enterprise Networks portfolio of products provide wireline voice and
multimedia communications for our customers. We also provide our customers
with related professional services including: strategic planning and network
design services; operations planning and consulting services; technology and
process outsourcing services; network applications and network content
services; and installation and ongoing technical support.
Circuit and packet voice solutions
Our voice portfolio includes a broad range of circuit and packet voice
communications solutions. These include circuit to packet convergence
systems, combined voice and data interaction solutions, as well as next
generation and legacy voice systems.
• Our enterprise Succession solutions are combined voice and data
communications systems for service providers and large enterprises. These
solutions are designed to give our customer the ability to support data and
large enterprises networking without replacing their existing voice
networks, or the ability to add voice services to existing data networks.
Our enterprise Succession solutions can be used by customers building new
networks, and customers who want to transform their existing voice
communications network into a more cost effective packet-based network
supporting data, voice and multimedia communications.
• Our Business Communications Manager is a combined voice and data
communications system for branch offices and small to medium-sized
businesses that uses both digital and Internet Protocol (IP) technologies.
This solution allows migration from an enterprise’s separate voice and data
communications infrastructures to a combined next generation Internet-based
system. Available applications include voice messaging, cordless phones,
contact center software and data communications routing.
• Our Meridian digital telephone switching systems (Meridian) are designed
for small, medium and large commercial enterprises and government agencies.
These circuit network telephone systems provide voice communications
features, such as voice messaging, call waiting and call forwarding, as well
as advanced voice services, multimedia applications and other networking
capabilities. Our customers can also configure their Meridian to send voice
communications over the Internet with our Internet Telephony Gateway
products and our i2004/i2050 Internet telephones.
• Our remote office portfolio contains a combination of products that allow
remote users, whether individuals at home or groups of employees in small
offices, to access the full complement of Meridian features.
• Our Norstar digital telephone switching systems are designed for small to
medium-sized businesses and branch offices of large organizations. These
circuit networking telephone systems can be configured with a suite of
applications, such as voice messaging, cordless phones, contact center
software and interactive voice response systems.
• Our customer contact and voice portal solutions provide the means for
enterprises to do business with their customers consistently regardless of
where they are located, the time or whether they interact over the telephone
or Internet. Our solutions include our:
— Periphonics interactive voice response systems that automate functions
often conducted by a company’s telephone agents. Our interactive voice
response systems answer the telephone, greet callers, offer menu options and
provide information to the caller in a consistent, accurate manner. These
systems use advanced speech recognition systems to allow a caller to
interact with the system by orally responding to questions or prompts
presented to the caller by the system.
— Symposium call center portfolio of products that provide call center
solutions for small, medium and large organizations. Our Symposium call
center solutions can provide either a standard circuit–switched voice system
or an Internet-based call center solution.
— CallPilot, which is a unified messaging tool that utilizes speech
recognition and Transmission Control Protocol/IP digital networking to give
complete access and total control of facsimile, e-mail and voice messages.
Using simple voice commands like “play” or “print”, a user can remotely
manage their multimedia communications over the telephone. The user can
print facsimiles, store or delete voice messages and more by simply
speaking.
Data networking and security solutions
We offer a broad range of data networking (packet switching and routing) and
security solutions for our customers. Our packet switching and routing
systems include data switching systems, aggregation products, virtual
private network gateways and routers.
• Our Alteon Web products provide data switching designed to allow service
providers and enterprises to provide Internet data security, to manage and
prioritize the Internet content that is provided to end users, and to
balance the amount of communications traffic on multiple Internet servers.
• Our Baystack and Business Policy Switch 2000 portfolio is a series of high
performance packet switches for our enterprise customers’ small to large
local area networks that use the Ethernet, a standard computer networking
protocol for local area networks. These switching systems are designed to
allow the prioritization of communications traffic to ensure network
integrity for certain applications, such as systems for voice communications
over the Internet.
• Our Passport family of multi-service switching products offers high-speed,
high-capacity data switching to support a wide range of data communications
technologies, including multi-protocol label switching, asynchronous
transfer mode, IP and frame relay services. These products are also key
components of our Succession solution voice over packet applications and IP
virtual private network services. Our Passport Ethernet Routing Switch
delivers IP routing and switching.
• Our Bay router portfolio is a family of routers that work with a variety
of data networking protocols to offer expandable, contractible and
cost-effective connections for use in our enterprise customers’ local area
networks, campus networks and wide area networks. These solutions use the IP
standard to route data communications traffic from one corporate site to
another within an enterprise’s network.
• The Contivity Secure IP Services Gateways (Contivity) are a family of
products delivering security and IP services in a single integrated
platform. IP services including IP routing, virtual private networks,
firewall applications, policy management and Quality of Service services,
which normally would require several different devices, are provided by a
single Contivity device. Designed for enterprise networks, Contivity
leverages the cost advantages of the Internet while providing secure
communications across the public IP infrastructure.
Wireline Networks
Products
Our wireline portfolio addresses the demand by our service provider
customers for cost efficient data, voice and multimedia communication
solutions. Our converged wireline solutions, including related professional
services, simplify network architectures bringing voice, video, data and
emerging broadband applications for revenue generating services together on
one easy-to-manage packet network.
Circuit and packet voice solutions
We are a leader in the development and deployment of highly scalable circuit
switched and secure voice over packet solutions such as voice over IP for
wireline and wireless service providers around the world. Our voice over
packet solutions offer service providers and cable multiple system operators
sustainable operating and capital cost reduction, new revenue opportunities,
as well as high levels of reliability and network resiliency.
• Our wireline Succession solutions are voice over packet network solutions
for service providers. Succession provides the complete range of voice over
packet solutions, including local, toll, long-distance, operator services
and international gateway capabilities and enables voice applications to run
on the new multi-services packet network. Succession solutions leverage more
efficient packet-based, as opposed to circuit-based technologies, which
drive reduced capital and operational costs for service providers and
provide a platform for the delivery of new, revenue-generating services,
such as Centrex IP and voice over IP virtual private networks.
• Our Wireline Interactive Multimedia Server (IMS) is a Session Initiation
Protocol (SIP) based application server. SIP is a standard protocol for
initiating an interactive user session that involves multimedia elements
such as video, voice, chat, gaming and virtual reality. IMS works as a
stand-alone solution or in conjunction with our Digital Multiplex System (DMS)
or our Succession solutions to provide advanced packet voice and multimedia
capabilities to service providers. Using IMS, our customers can deploy new,
enhanced multimedia services, including video, collaboration and personal
agent services. Personal agent services allow a user to customize their
communications by selecting the medium over which they wish to receive a
particular message such as wireline or wireless telephony, e-mail and
instant messaging by setting screening criteria such as time of day and day
of week, month or year.
• Our DMS is a family of digital, circuit-based telephone switches that
provide local, toll, long-distance and international gateway capabilities
for service providers and includes Directory and Operator Services for our
customers in the United States and Canada. Our DMS systems enable service
providers to connect people making local and long-distance telephone calls.
Our DMS systems also provide for a broad range of service capabilities,
including revenue-generating features such as caller identification and call
waiting that are offered to the service providers’ residential and business
customers. Our DMS family of products can evolve to Succession solutions.
These products work alone or in combination with each other to provide
traditional voice services, advanced packet voice services and multimedia
services to service providers around the world.
Data networking and security solutions
We offer a wide range of data networking (packet switching and routing)
solutions to our service provider customers. The Passport family of
multi-service wide area network switches and the Shasta Broadband Service
Node enable our service provider customers to offer connectivity solutions
and high value services to both enterprises and residential customers. The
connectivity solutions include access services such as: frame relay;
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM); digital subscriber line; and Internet
access. High-value services such as IP virtual private networks connect
enterprise sites and remote users. As well, they provide enhanced network
capabilities, such as network security, network address translation and
class of service, that enable service providers to offer a wide range of
networking services beyond basic connection to the network.
• Our Passport family of products, which have the ability to combine
multiple services on a single platform, provide for reliable packet
switching, as well as enabling emerging applications such as wireless packet
core networking, radio access network aggregation, IP network aggregation,
circuit networking traffic grooming and packet voice gateway applications.
• Our Shasta Broadband Service Node is designed to give service providers
the ability to logically group tens of thousands of residential and business
subscribers in order to re-direct them to various IP virtual private
networks, and to centrally apply data network services, such as security,
firewall applications and class of service, on a per subscriber and/or per
application basis. These value-add services also play a key role in enabling
next generation communications services, such as those enabled by our
Succession voice over packet product portfolio. The Shasta Broadband Service
Node supports a wide range of data network access technologies, including
standard dial-up over copper telephone wire, digital subscriber line, ATM,
wireless, frame relay and coaxial cable technologies.
Optical Networks
Products
Our Optical Networks solutions portfolio addresses the varying communication
needs of service providers and enterprises. Optical networks transport data,
voice and multimedia communications within and between cities, countries or
continents by transmitting communications signals in the form of light waves
through fiber optic cables. Optical networking is the most common method for
transporting communications signals between the various locations within a
service provider’s network and is unmatched for delivering vast amounts of
data reliably and cost-effectively with service and bandwidth flexibility
and scalability.
Our optical networking solutions are designed to provide metropolitan,
regional and long-haul, high-capacity transport and switching of data, voice
and multimedia communications signals. These solutions include photonic
Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) transmission solutions,
synchronous optical transmission solutions, optical switching solutions and
network management and intelligence software. We also offer our customers a
variety of related engineering expertise, installation and support services
worldwide.
• Photonic networking DWDM technology allows multiple light wave signals to
be transmitted on the same fiber optic strand simultaneously by using
different wavelengths of light to distinguish specific signals, thereby
increasing the capacity and flexibility of a network. Our DWDM line systems
include optical transmission terminals and optical transmission repeaters.
Optical transmission terminals are connected at the ends of the fiber optic
cable and send communication signals through this medium using light waves.
Optical transmission repeaters are used at locations along fiber optic
cables that span long distances to strengthen and reform light wave signals.
Our OPTera long-haul DWDM line systems span distances up to 1200 kilometres
without the need for optical transmission repeaters and allow the adding and
dropping of communication signals at intermediate locations along the route.
Our OPTera Metro 5000 metro DWDM series provides market leading protocol and
bit rate tolerant scalable multi-service networking solutions within a city
or region for up to 200 kilometres.
• Our synchronous optical transmission systems use traditional optical
standards, including the Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) standard, which
is the most common standard in the United States and Canada and some
countries in the Asia Pacific region, and the Synchronous Digital Hierarchy
(SDH) standard, which is the most common standard in EMEA and many other
countries. Our synchronous optical transmission equipment includes our
next-generation SONET/SDH solutions: the OPTera Metro 4000 family
(next-generation SDH); the OPTera Metro 3000 family (next generation SONET);
and the OPTera Metro Connect. These solutions deliver a multi-service
optical platform that integrates diverse protocols and technology-based
services over a cost effective, scalable and reliable converged services
network.
• Our optical switching solutions enable communication signals in optical
fibers to be selectively directed or “switched” from one network circuit to
another. Our optical switching products provide grooming, aggregation (the
efficient re-packing of lower speed signals into higher speed signals to
maximize the use of network capacity) and protection of the end users’
communications traffic. These systems focus on delivering cost-efficient
solutions to switch large amounts of information between optical
transmission systems. Our optical switching products include the OPTera
Connect HDX and OPTera Connect DX platforms.
• Our network management software and intelligence solutions are designed to
give our customers the ability to monitor and improve the performance of
their networks. Our network management software includes our Preside for
Optical end-to-end network management software portfolio which support the
functions required for controlling, planning and monitoring the equipment
and performance of an optical network, such as predetermined traffic
routing, equipment configuration management, fault reporting, connection
management, performance management and network security.
Our Optical Networks solutions enable customers to enhance and transform
their networks towards a scalable and reliable network for delivering
diverse high speed data and voice connectivity services. Such network
transformation will increase deployment of managed broadband services, such
as:
• Optical Ethernet solutions that combine the ubiquity, flexibility and
simplicity of the Ethernet network computing protocol with the reliability
and speed of optics. Optical Ethernet solutions transport communications
signals carrying Ethernet packets in the form of light waves through fiber
optic cables between locations within a city or between cities. Our Optical
Ethernet solutions:
— enable service providers to extend Ethernet’s benefits outside of local
area networks and sell enterprises Ethernet connectivity services in
conjunction with Internet access and other applications made possible due to
greater bandwidth; and
— deliver economical site-to-site connectivity for enterprises through these
solutions, which are designed to alleviate the congested and complex
metropolitan networking bottleneck created by the wide range of users and
services that exist within cities.
• Optical storage connectivity solutions, which allow the interconnection of
data centers for the efficient preservation and sharing of business-critical
data to ensure business continuity and disaster recovery.
• Managed wavelength solutions, which offer multiple protocol and
transmission speed networking capability to reliably interconnect business
sites.
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