Cable & Wireless has announced that it has completed its next-generation telecommunications network, but corporate customers will have to wait before they can get access to the end-to-end IP services it can provide.

The carrier will initially offer Gigabit Ethernet links to service providers that need backhaul links to support triple-play voice, video and data services for residential customers.

C&W’s next-generation network (NGN) is built on 40Gbit/s dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) and multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) technology. The upgrade is designed to future-proof capacity, speed up provisioning and improve quality of service to better handle latency-sensitive voice and video traffic.

The carrier is using Cisco CRS1 routers in the core network, with Alcatel 7700 Gigabit Ethernet switches in the edge and distribution layers. These will initially only connect service provider points of presence to an as yet undisclosed number of C&W exchanges.

“Certainly NGN will be providing retail services and we have a number of products aimed at major corporates in the pipeline,” said C&W NGN platform director Nigel Shaw. “It won’t be just Gigabit Ethernet – not every company is going to want a gigabit service down to the high-street branch, for instance.”

Rival telco BT has also bumped businesses to the back of the queue when it comes to migrating them off ATM and Frame Relay-based leased lines, and private virtual circuits, and onto NGN services. The carrier is moving residential customers starting next month and plans to start moving some corporate customers onto its 21st Centruy Network (21CN) in March 2007.".

“Consumer customers are easier to move over than businesses because there’s less variety of systems and equipment,” said a BT spokesman. “Big businesses need a bit more planning and discussion, and each service provider will work with them directly.”

However, rival carrier Thus said it has experienced no lack of business demand for its IP-based virtual private network and Gigabit Ethernet voice and data services. It said 78 percent of new contracts last year were for IP-based services supplied to large organisations such as Manchester City Council.