Telstra launches next generation network, 'Next IP'

Stuart Corner
Thursday, 26 April 2007 10:45

Opinion and Analysis

At a press briefing today Telstra formally launched its next generation all IP network dubbed 'Next IP'. The presentation was long on sales hype and short on hard information but it once again throws the spotlight on Telstra's unassailably unique and powerful position in the Australian telecoms market.

Most of the hard information in today's announcement had already been provided: at Telstra's mammoth strategy briefing in November 2005 and in subsequent announcements.

Telstra has built a nationwide, carrier grade all IP network from a core of Cisco CRS-1 high end core routers out to a range of edge devices to support different types of access: Tellabs 8800 multiservice routers which will enable legacy services such as ATM and frame relay to be carried over the new network; Juniper ERX1440, E320 an T640 series routers for the aggregation of broadband access services, controlling bandwidth, user authentication and quality of service and support of business services such as VPN; and Alcatel ethernet aggregation devices.

Alcatel is also supplying the softswitches that will replace the current circuit switches for PSTN traffic enabling voice traffic to be all IP, but that was not the subject of today's announcement. In addition, unlike any other mobile network in Australia the Next G network uses an IP core and is fully integrated with the new network.

Telstra is proudly hailing the network as "the largest integrated all IP wireless and wireline network in the world." And by geographic reach that would certainly be true.

Telstra played a couple of videos, strong on imagery and acting talent but short on hard content, in which it demonstrated some of the potential for Next IP in terms of bringing together a range of basic services: video, voice, messaging, presence to create new and exciting applications. However it was far from clear what were (a) commercial reality, (b) possible today but not availabl, (c) outright futureware.