Lucent scores key SI role in KPN's next gen network migration

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 29 August 2006 02:58

IT Industry - Strategy

Lucent Technologies is to manage the deployment and integration of a euro 1.5 billion all IP next generation network for Dutch carrier KPN. It is one of the largest next generation transition projects announced to date, and one of the first to be based on IMS.
According to John Meyer, president, Lucent Sales and services organisation, "This is one of the world's first major network transformation projects that includes a transition of legacy voice services to a next generation broadband IMS based network, and also includes a major overhaul of the access network."

The deal is a major coup for Lucent over European vendor Alcatel with which it is soon to merge, and a testimony to its expertise in new and increasingly important area of IMS.

Eelco Blok, , KPN board member and the head of its fixed network division, said: "We have given the prime multi-vendor integration role to Lucent because of its intimate knowledge of the KPN network and proven multi-vendor services capabilities."

KPN is the former Dutch PTT, privatised in 1989. It serves 6.4 million fixed-line subscribers and 2.3 million Internet customers in the Netherlands as well as 22.2 million mobile customers in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. It employs over 28,000 people.

Lucent will provide KPN with program management, network design and planning, integration, and migration services, as well as security, network and process redesign consultancy services for both the network infrastructure and the related IT systems. The contract also includes access to the innovations being developed for All IP networks by Lucent's Bell Labs.

Lucent will take responsibility for the migration of KPN's existing services and customers to the new All IP network to meet KPN's announced marketing objectives, and for achieving KPN's target of reducing annual costs by hundreds of millions or euros by 2010. Following the successful migration of customers and services, the legacy networks and buildings will be phased out.

The network will be deployed across The Netherlands and will support the introduction of new advanced 'triple play' multimedia services. KPN had earlier announced that it will be spending between Euros 1 to 1.5 billion on its All IP program.

To support the project, Lucent will set up a new next generation network transformation global centre of excellence in The Netherlands to "deliver services focused on complex network migration challenges."

"The centre will serve KPN and future customers as the starting point for planning and coordinating network transformation and migration projects. It will use local and virtual support, and will include a fully functional next generation equipment laboratory," Lucent says. It will also "provide hands-on training and help support the creation of methods, procedures and best practices for network transformation and migration operations."