BT today revealed the eight preferred bidders who will supply the technology underpinning its £10-billion, next-generation network infrastructure.

As the first major step towards implementing the 21st century network (21CN) project BT launched last June, the winning bidders beat off 300 potential technology suppliers during a two-year long procurement process.

Their various technology components will be used to create a new unified access network, capable of carrying high-speed internet, telephony and digital broadcast services for fixed and mobile networks.

Fujitsu and Huawei will link BT's existing access network to the new 21st century infrastructure overhaul with its access domain technology.

Alcatel, Cisco and Siemens will supply metro nodes for routing and signalling the network's voice, data and video services; while Cisco and Lucent will provide the core nodes for high-capacity connections with the metro nodes.

The i-node domain expertise won Ericsson the service control element of the project.

And Ciena and Huawei have been chosen in the transmission domain to convert high-capacity signals between the metro and core nodes cabling using their optical electronics products.

As the BT Board member responsible for the programme, Paul Reynolds BT wholesale chief said: 'The 21st century network is a key infrastructure that will fuel the UK economy and provide a flexible way for consumers to use new services.

'The selection of the preferred suppliers is an incredibly important building block towards that vision. 21CN will also radically reduce BT's cost base, with identified savings of around one billion pounds a year.'