Nortel Networks has supplied the necessary optical solutions to deploy and set up the Research Telematics Network of the Madrid Autonomous Region. Nortel Networks OPTera Metro 5200 multiservice platform, an optical-fiber communications system using DWDM, has been deployed to deliver broadband optical services. It will interconnect universities located in the region with the National Institute of Aerospace Technique (INTA), the Superior Center for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the Internet. The network is part of the RedIRIS (Interconexion de los Recursos InformaticoS) Network, Spain's national academic and research network. Currently about 250 institutions are connected to RedIRIS, mainly universities and research and development centers. Among the universities that are expected to be connected through the Research Telematics Network are: Universidad de Alcala, Universidad Autonoma Madrid, Universidad Carlos III, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia-UNED, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid and Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.

This new network will allow the different university and scientific communities established in the Madrid Autonomous Region to use new information and communication technologies. Services such as storage networking, videoconferencing, remote laboratories, grid computing, high-speed Internet access, and other broadband data and voice services will greatly enhance the environment for science and technology research in the region. To implement this project, Nortel Networks OPTera Metro 5200 and Nortel Networks Preside Optical Network Management solutions will provide seamless, high-speed, broadband network services on an open, scalable optical transport platform. The system will be compatible with SDH, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, ESCON, FICON, Fiber Channel, and legacy asynchronous fiber optics systems (FOTS/PDH), independent of protocol and binary transmission speed and reaching data rates up to 10 Gigabits-per-second. OPTera Metro 5200 offers very quick response to changing needs in transport services wit h its interface reconfiguration capability. OPTera Metro 5200 has a capacity of up to 32 protected wavelengths, or 64 unprotected, with each wavelength capable of carrying up to 10 Gigabits-per-second of information. Preside Optical Management solutions ensure operational simplicity and efficiency through powerful and easy-to-use tools for planning, provisioning and assuring multiservice DWDM networks.

The Research Telematics Network is based on three independent fiber rings covering three main geographic areas in the region. The North ring, where the nodes of the Autonoma, Complutense, and Politecnica Universities of Madrid and UNED are located; the South ring where the Rey Juan Carlos and Carlos III universities are located; and the East ring, with the INTA nodes and University of Alcala. The three rings converge at the central node of the CSIC, connected to the Iris Network. The ring topology protects each optical channel at the transport layer, providing resistance to failure in fiber sections or equipment line cards.

Deployed in more than 1,000 customer networks in. 65 countries, Nortel Networks end-to-end optical network portfolio includes next generation SONET/SDH, optical switching products, photonics (WDM), and Optical Ethernet products. Nortel Networks has deployed more than 250,000 network elements globally. Nortel Networks was the worldwide leader in optical networking for three consecutive years as of year-end 2002 with #1 market shares in total optical transport equipment, long-haul DWDM and metropolitan DWDM, according to the Dell'Oro Group.