UK army takes aim at $42m network

Nortel has teamed up with BT to undertake a $42m revamp of the UK armed forces' computer network.

The new network will allow for the introduction of services including voice over IP, and will cover 2,000 locations worldwide. It will provide voice services to over 200,000 subscribers and Ethernet connections to 150,000 terminals.

BT and Nortel will build the network over the next two years, and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is expecting to save £15m a year once it is completed.

To make sure that the installation does not cause problems, BT and Nortel have built a £3m Network Development Lab for resilience testing and the trialling of new systems.

"The joint BT-Nortel lab will enable new technologies and services to be fully proven prior to delivery to the MoD," said John Anderson, director of BT Government.

The laboratory will also be used by The Defence Communications Services Administration to demonstrate and test network products for other government departments.

BT has been running parts of the MoD network since 1997, while Nortel has supplied extensive support to the US military network.