C&W to go pure-IP worldwide

Cable & Wireless (C&W) has announced plans to replace all its traditional circuit switched networks in Europe and the US with internet technology.

The changeover, which will take place over the next three years, is one of the industry's largest global voice over internet protocol (VoIP) migration programmes. C&W aims to carry all its traffic, including voice, data and IP applications, over the new network.

The telco said the network will give customers a wider variety of high quality applications and more cost efficient voice services. These will include IP-based video conferencing, and IP-based call centres where agents will have unified messaging facilities and the ability to share web pages with callers.

C&W has signed up Canadian networking vendor Nortel Networks in a 10-year deal worth £950m to implement and operate the VoIP network. C&W will retain full control of the network architecture and the design of the new platform, as well as responsibility for customer relationships.

Clarence Chandran, chief operating officer at Nortel, said: "Migrating a circuit-switched global network to an IP based packet-switched network is a very complex challenge, but a necessary one for carriers that want to successfully leverage the power and value of the new high performance internet."