Lucent Does VoDSL Down Under

Under a new deal, Lucent Technologies will supply voice-over digital subscriber line hardware and software to Optus, an Australian service provider.

It's the second significant international deal for Murray Hill, N.J.-based Lucent this month. Two weeks ago, Bell Canada bought new gear to extend its DSL service throughout Ontario and Quebec.

Optus' order includes Lucent's PacketStar 1250 Media Gateway, Cellpipe integrated access devices and Navis systems management applications. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Optus, based in Sydney, is looking to increase its broadband voice and data offerings for both small office/home office and small and medium enterprise customers.

The gear enables Optus to reduce capital and operations cost because it "supports multiple applications including VoDSL and integrated IP, frame relay and ATM services all in one platform," said Bart Vogel, CEO Lucent Australia and New Zealand.

The system also integrates with Optus' current billing and provisioning infrastructure. Lucent's services division will provide operations and maintenance support for the Optus.

VoDSL utilizes broadband access solutions in the existing DSL network to extend multi-line local telephone service off of a centralized switch.

This architecture enables a single telephone line to become multiple lines carrying voice and data traffic. More simply, VoDSL destroys the concept of a single logical line per single physical line.