Nortel Networks says China Telecom has picked the Canadian firm's technology to expand data networks across southern and eastern China.

“The additional network capacity will provide a flexible and reliable platform for China Telecom to drive new revenue opportunities by offering advanced Internet protocol data services," Brampton-based Nortel said in a release.

China Telecom Corp. is one of China's largest fixed-line carriers. The state-owned firm will use Nortel's optical line systems to expand its backbone networks in 10 Chinese cities.

In addition, China Telecom's Shanghai Telecom and Zhejiang Telecom branches will use Nortel's Services Edge Router 5500 to expand their data networks.

"China presents one of the fastest-growing IP markets in the world," said Bob Mao, chief executive officer of Greater China, Nortel Networks.

Nortel has been working closely with China Telecom on building high-performance optical backbone and data networks.

Nortel deployed the 15,000-kilometer, US$100 million national optical long-haul network for China Telecom. That network, among the longest in the world, was put into commercial operation in January, 2002.

As of the end of 2003, China Telecom's broadband Internet subscribers reached 5.63 million, and its fixed-line subscribers hit 118 million.

(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2004)