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Telecommunications systems

WINfirst and Lucent Technologies Announce $800 Million Deal for Fiber-to-the-Home Residential Network

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

WINfirst, a company building a new fiber-to-the-home residential network, has signed a five-year, $800 million agreement with Lucent Technologies for equipment, software, and services. The innovative optical access network will connect each home using a dedicated fiber optic cable and equipment with lasers to send and receive information using the Internet protocol (IP) and Fast Ethernet, a networking transmission standard that provides 100 megabits per second (Mbps) of symmetric bandwidth. This will enable customers to simultaneously download a DVD movie, view a sporting event from a Web site, stream a digital home video to a relative over the Web, and hold multiple phone calls.

Key Takeaways:

  • WINfirst's fiber-to-the-home residential network will be built using a five-year, $800 million agreement with Lucent Technologies.
  • The network will connect each home using a dedicated fiber optic cable and equipment with lasers to send and receive information using the Internet protocol (IP) and Fast Ethernet.
  • The network will have 65 times more bandwidth than typical 1.5 Mbps high-speed connections offered today, enabling customers to download a DVD movie in eight minutes or an entire album of MP3 songs in five seconds.
  • The network will use Lucent's key data and IP technologies, including the NX64000(TM) Multi-Terabit Switch/Router, GX 550(TM) Multiservice Wide Area Network Switch, and SpringTide 5000 IP Service Switch.
  • Lucent will provide a complete network solution that will include a Network Demarcation Unit, a Residential Ethernet Gateway, and other innovative products developed by Bell Labs engineers.
  • WINfirst has received regulatory approval to build networks in several cities, including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, San Diego, Sacramento, and Portland, Oregon.
  • The network will use Ethernet networking standards, providing cost, interoperability, and traffic management advantages.

Statistics:

  • $800 million: the value of the five-year agreement between WINfirst and Lucent Technologies.
  • 100 Mbps: the symmetric bandwidth provided by the network using Fast Ethernet technology.
  • 65 times: the increase in bandwidth offered by the network compared to typical 1.5 Mbps high-speed connections.
  • 130 terabits per second: the switching capacity of the network's core.
  • 100 megabits per second to multiple gigabits per second: the scalability of the equipment providing direct connections to customers.

Sources:

  • WINfirst: http://www.winfirst.com
  • Lucent Technologies: http://www.lucent.com
  • Avaya: http://www.avaya.com

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