China Telecom named Cisco Systems this week as its primary supplier for both its multi-nation business network and its ChinaNet network. The relationship will lead to the deployment of Cisco’s latest version of its Carrier Routing System, approximately 400 Cisco 12416 routers and as well as upgrades to existing 12000 series routers.

Cisco’s Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture will be the foundation China Telecom’s 2006 ChinaNet network expansion. ChinaNet is a public communication platform supporting China Telecom's Internet value-added service development. It is 25-million broadband subscribers strong and forecasted to reach 38 million by 2007. The network provides Internet access services and value-added services such as Internet Data Center and virtual network services.

As part of the expansion in 2005, China Telecom deployed eight Cisco CRS-1 routers to integrate and upgrade ChinaNet's supercore network nodes in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Xi'an, Chengdu, Wuhan and Nanjing. This year, ChinaNet will migrate to an all-IP backbone network using the CRS-1s as its core.

As one of five current deployments of multi-chasis CRS-1 routers, China Telecom is one of the largest CRS-1 deployments in the world—of which there more than 50.

Cisco’s 12000 series routers are now the main routing technology in China Telecom’s CN2 network, which is a commercial network launched in 2004 that provides voice communication, data storage, e-commerce, real-time trading, and interactive video for the finance, trade, energy, government, and telecommunications sectors.

Including some routers deployed last year, the CN2 expansion will consume more than 400 Cisco 12416 Routers. The deployment includes CN2’s international networking projects in Central America, Europe and Asia.

CN2 offers quality of service-based commercial customer access, Vnet system and managed IP services and will support IPv6 and third-generation communication applications in the future. It currently covers about 200 cities in mainland China with points of presence in London, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore, San José, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington.