Lyse Tele Rolls Out Next-Generation Residential Metro Ethernet

Offers Norwegian customers triple play of VoIP, video and 10Mbps internet access services over fiber-based Ethernet network from Cisco

From CNNMoney.com

(Thanks to Jim Dolezal for passing this along-Russ)

Cisco Systems today announced that Lyse Tele is offering the triple play of voice, video and from 2 to 10Mbps data access to residential customers in the Stavanger region of Norway across a Cisco Metro Ethernet network. Using the existing fiber backbone and infrastructure of its parent company, Lyse Energy, a multi-utility company serving the Stavanger region of Norway, Lyse Tele is building a fiber network direct to subscribers to provide homes with next-generation broadband connectivity and services.

Lyse has connected 500 subscribers in the initial phase of the network rollout and is offering flat rate voice over IP (VoIP) packages, video on demand, access to 40 channels of broadcast TV over a single IP-based Ethernet network. The simplicity and manageability of Ethernet over fiber as a broadband access technology is helping enable Lyse Tele to offer high-capacity first mile access to subscribers.

"Norwegian consumers are discerning purchasers of broadband access services, so being able to offer significantly improved access speeds from 2 to 10 Mbps in the first mile clearly differentiates our service offerings," commented Eirik Gundegjerde, Product Manager Broadband Services with Lyse Tele. "But the key consideration was our desire to offer revenue-generating advanced services on top of the basic Ethernet connectivity, which made the Cisco Metro Ethernet solution with features such as IP multicast for video delivery a strategic choice."

Lyse Tele has access to various `rights of way’ to end customers through Lyse Energy’s distribution network, and is laying fiber through a variety of gas, electricity and even direct heating ducts in order to provide fiber connections directly into subscribers’ homes. Lyse is currently serving both individual residences and apartment blocks with multiple tenants in central Stavanger as well as several towns in the region.

"Lyse Tele has built an Ethernet model which provides the flexibility to adapt the bandwidth provided to individual subscribers through simple Cisco IOS software configuration," commented Mark de Simone, VP technology and solutions marketing, EMEA for Cisco. "The fiber network provides scope for future growth to Gigabit Ethernet speeds in the access and provides a reliable IP platform for delivering the advanced services such as VoIP and video on demand that bring in revenue."

Lyse Tele is implementing Cisco Catalyst 6509 switches in the core, and Cisco Catalyst 4006 switches in the broadband Ethernet distribution network. Lyse’s H.323-based VoIP offer is supported by the Cisco AS5350 Universal Gateway, and Cisco High-Performance Gatekeeper features on Cisco 3640 Internet routers. Customers can connect both existing analogue and IP phones to residential home gateways.

Cisco and Lyse Tele are working closely with Cisco Gold Certified partner ETERRA, for Cisco network equipment and integration, TANDBERG Television for the video service development, and Strategic Alliance partner, IBM, for software integration services.

About Lyse Tele

A power utility company that serves 110,000 customers in 16 different communities in the Southwest region of Norway with gas and electricity, Lyse has recently commenced trials of broadband service as video, voice and data over Fiber to the Home (FTTH). For more information please visit http://www.lyse.no

About Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco news and information are available at http://www.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in Europe is supplied by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.

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