ENTERTAINMENT

Comprehensive Solutions Allow Internet2 Members to Plan, Deploy and Maintain Multivendor Regional Fiber Optic Networks: Fujitsu Network Communications Inc., a leading supplier of IT and wireline/wireless networking solutions, announced today that its product-agnostic Network Life Cycle Services are available to members of Internet2, a consortium of research and educational institutions and government agencies, through a reseller agreement with Internet2 FiberCo. Now the Internet2 community will have more choices for professional services regardless of their deployed technology platforms. Internet2 fosters the development and deployment of advanced network applications and technologies for research and higher education. Its subsidiary, FiberCo, provides Internet2 member organizations a cost-effective means for acquiring dark fiber-optic assets as well as professional services to support the development of regional optical networks. With today's announcement, comprehensive, high-quality professional services from Fujitsu are also available to help Internet2 members manage their dark fiber assets and optical networking solutions in every stage of their network life cycle, from planning and deployment to critical on-going maintenance. These services are available to all Internet2 members and can be applied to optical networking products from any vendor. "The agreement with Fujitsu gives the Internet2 community more choices for professional services and allows them to source fiber assets from a leader in optical network solutions," said Steve Cotter, director of network services for Internet2. "Fujitsu is a recognized market leader for optical transport solutions and professional services, and as such, we're delighted to add Fujitsu's Network Life Cycle Services to FiberCo's portfolio to assist Internet2 member universities with every phase of their network deployments." "Fujitsu has years of experience providing leading-edge solutions and services for multivendor networks and this agreement now gives the Internet2 community access to a variety of customized solutions nationwide," said Lee Dayton, senior vice president of services at Fujitsu Network Communications. "In addition, we offer a wide portfolio of proven service solutions that will help Internet2 member universities plan, design, deploy and maintain their networks quickly and cost-effectively. We can also identify and qualify multiple sources of dark fiber as needed, and can lend objectivity to the fiber characterization process performed on dark fiber sourced elsewhere." FiberCo will resell the following Fujitsu Network Life Cycle Services to the Internet2 community to assist them with their regional optical networks: Planning Services - Network design, systems configuration and design, dark fiber sourcing, and fiber qualification and characterization Deployment Services - Full program management, EF&I, turn up and test, and on-site mentoring Maintenance Services - On-site support, remote technical assistance, advance replacement, and Network Operations Center (NOC) Complete details about each of these service offerings can be found on the Fujitsu web site at its Web site.