Ericsson awarded international remote access contract from Sonera

Ericsson awarded international remote access contract from Sonera Ericsson has been awarded a multi-year contract by Sonera, (formerly Telecom Finland) to provide IP-based remote access platforms to enable corporate outsourcing services worldwide. Under the terms of the contract, Ericsson will also provide all logistics, support, integration and consulting services. Sonera, the largest service provider in Finland, is a world-class leader in telecommunications and is widely recognized for its leading-edge technology solutions. The remote access contract represents one of the first global Virtual Private Network (VPN) services to be launched by an international carrier. Sonera will deploy Ericsson's Tigris integrated access platform in Internet points-of-presence (POP) throughout its network infrastructure to enable enterprise customers to outsource analog modem, ISDN and GSM mobile data access. By outsourcing access to the service provider, corporations can eliminate capital costs and management of remote access equipment, easily migrate to new technologies, and reduce operating expenses by avoiding costly long-distance calls. The Tigris platform is a key component of the product portfolio for Ericsson's recently formed Access product unit, part of the Datacom Networks and IP Services business unit. The Access product unit was created in September as a result of Ericsson's acquisition of ACC, a California-based networking company with industry leadership in remote access and IP-based technologies. Tigris delivers a scaleable, carrier-class solution capable of supporting a variety of remote access and backbone communications technologies from a single chassis. All traffic types are integrated and transported to the corporate network as a single data stream. This capability enables access to corporate information from anywhere in the network via both fixed line and mobile services. TM Tigris offers further flexibility with Call-by-Call , a digital signal processor (DSP)-based technology that enables service providers to intelligently allocate resources "on the fly" on a per-call basis, without having to dedicate interfaces or dimension their networks for specific applications. Call-by-Call therefore allows providers to oversubscribe ports, maximize profits, minimize system configuration, and offer competitive differentiated services. Utilizing Call-by-Call, Tigris also dynamically adjusts resources to accommodate changing traffic patterns, saving network operators substantial reprovisioning costs. "Sonera has chosen Tigris for our remote access service platform because of its carrier-class architecture, its flexibility, and its scalability," says Timo Korpela, head of product development for Sonera Solutions Ltd., a subsidiary of Sonera Ltd. "With its support for both Frame Relay and ATM, its high port density, and its leading-edge DSP technology, Tigris is uniquely able to connect both small and large corporate customers while providing their remote users access from almost anywhere." According to Bert Whyte, general manager for Ericsson's Access product unit, "Finland is broadly acknowledged as a hotbed for state-of-the-art technology innovations. The fact that Sonera, a premier international telecom provider, selected Tigris for global Internet access substantiates our belief that Ericsson's remote access platform is a best-of-breed carrier-class solution, squarely addressing the requirements of network operators entering the new telecoms world of convergent voice and data networks." Ericsson is the leading provider in the new telecoms world, with communications solutions that combine telecom and datacom technologies with freedom of mobility for the user. With more than 100,000 employees in 140 countries, Ericsson simplifies communications for its customers - network operators, service providers, enterprises and consumers - the world over. Please visit Ericsson's Press Room at: http://www.ericsson.se/pressroom FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Lars Östlund, Press Officer, Ericsson Corporate Relations Phone: + 46 8 681 2656, or + 46 70 326 2656 E-mail: lars.ostlund@etx.ericsson.se Lisa Aviani, Press Relations Manager Access Product Unit, Ericsson Business Unit Datacom Networks and IP Services Phone: +1 805 961 0628, E-mail: laviani@acc.com Mr. Timo Korpela, Head of Product Development Sonera Solutions Ltd Phone: +358 2040 63296, fax. +358 2040 64652 E-mail: Timo.Korpela@sonera.net About Sonera and Sonera Solutions Sonera Ltd. is the leading telecommunications company in Finland with subsidiary and associated companies in 14 countries. Sonera is an international pioneer in the rapidly growing fields of mobile, data, and multimedia communications. Sales for fiscal year 1997 were FIM 8 billion (US 1.5 billion). Sonera has around 8,500 employees worldwide. Sonera Solutions Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sonera Ltd. that concentrates on providing corporate customers with information and telecommunications technology solutions, both in Finland and international markets. The company employs 600 people.