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Challenges
In one of China’s fastest growing provinces, Zhejiang Unicom’s 10 million-plus users demand everincreasing bandwidth. The cellular operator needs to add mobile base stations and to have a scalable, flexible optical network to support increasing mobile traffic and expanded data services.
Solution
For more than 10 years, Zhejiang Unicom has deployed ECI technology – including XDM® Multi-Service Transport Platforms (MSTPs), BroadGate® optical platforms, and LightSoft® network management software.
Results
ECI’s field-proven solutions are flexible and cost-effective, enabling Zhejiang Unicom to stay ahead of demand – and the competition. Consistently upgrading and expanding its mobile network enables Zhejiang Unicom to optimize coverage, provide greater capacity, enable new data services, win more customers, and generate new revenues.
Building a long-term relationship
Zhejiang Unicom has worked with ECI Telecom since 1998, installing over 7,000 optical network elements. As one of the largest subsidiaries of China Unicom – the second largest mobile communications company in China – Zhejiang Unicom has approximately 10 million subscribers throughout Zhejiang Province and accounts for 10 percent of China Unicom’s business.
For its most recent expansion, Zhejiang Unicom is deploying the ECI XDM portfolio of MSTPs, as well as the BroadGate BG-20 and BG-40 optical platforms. The company manages the network using ECI’s LightSoft end-to-end multi-layer network management system, enabling Zhejiang Unicom to easily control and provision new services.
Choosing ECI Telecom
China’s vibrant business environment and economic growth drives demand for more bandwidth and higher quality of service. Strong mobile subscriber growth creates the need for more mobile base stations, while demand for data service from businesses also fuels the requirement for more bandwidth. To meet anticipated orders for additional network capacity and to accommodate various traffic types including time division multiplexing (TDM) and Ethernet, Zhejiang Unicom constantly searches for new network solutions.
In 1997, when Zhejiang Unicom issued the initial request for proposal for its first transmission network, the short list of vendors comprised several well known equipment manufacturers, including ECI Telecom. Zhejiang Unicom compared solutions based on criteria including feature analysis, price competitiveness, level of service and support, and the strength of the company…and ultimately chose ECI, because ECI came out on top in these criteria.
Since then, Zhejiang Unicom has consistently chosen ECI as its leading network supplier, because ECI’s equipment offers superior capabilities compared to competitors. These include architectural agility, easy operation and updates, high-density cards for lower total cost of ownership, strong data access, superior management tools, and the best local post-sales support.
Ten-year track record
ECI helped Zhejiang Unicom build its first mobile transmission network in 1998. Today, ECI is the company’s No. 1 transmission product provider, with ECI products comprising 70 percent of Zhejiang Unicom’s optical network. The company has installed around 850 XDM and 1,800 BG units – all under management with LightSoft.
The specific attributes that have made the XDM and BroadGate platforms the best fit for Zhejiang Unicom’s network requirements include the stability of the platforms, along with the ease and speed of capacity expansion. This enables quick provisioning of new services – providing faster response to customer needs and allowing Unicom to realize revenues faster. In addition, ECI’s LightSoft software provides a unified management platform for the entire network.
“The stability and high reliability of these platforms enables Unicom to provide reliable services to our mobile customers,” said Mr. Huangchuangxue, Senior Engineer at Zhejiang Unicom, “and the scalability of the platforms enables us to grow our business progressively over the years.”
Zhejiang Unicom’s experience with ECI’s implementation and technical support teams has been just as positive as their experience with ECI products. “We are pleased with the ECI project management and technical support team support,” said Mr. Huangchuangxue. “They give us quick response, fast troubleshooting and quick problem resolution. That minimizes disruption to Unicom’s services.”
XDM platform: XDM technology gives Zhejiang Unicom a highly scalable infrastructure capable of supporting existing customers, accommodating new subscribers, and offering a migration path to next-generation services. Since 2001, the company has progressively deployed ECI XDM MSTPs in all its existing mobile switching centers in Hangzhou City and the surrounding area, providing 6.5 million people with GSM service. The XDMs deliver builtin digital cross-connect, add-drop multiplexing (ADM), and high-capacity wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) functionality within a single device.
The XDM’s excellent TDM and Ethernet services, along with its ability to relieve network bottlenecks and to interoperate with equipment from multiple vendors, were all key reasons behind its selection by Zhejiang Unicom. Through strategic deployment of the XDM platform, the carrier can meet growing demand for mobile telecommunications services simply by plugging new cards into existing equipment, thus enhancing network performance and functionality while minimizing risk.
BroadGate platform: The company installed its first BG-40 units in 2005, and since then has installed a total of 1,800 BG-20 and BG-40 units in the network. Versatile, scalable BG-20/40 platforms enable Zhejiang Unicom to fully exploit its network infrastructure, supporting a wide range of services, while providing reduced power consumption, smaller hardware footprint, and time-saving remote management.
ECI LightSoft delivers network management: LightSoft gives Zhejiang Unicom one management system for all product families, all types of traffic, and all network elements. The LightSoft graphical interface provides a comprehensive view of the entire network, while allowing customization of individual technology-centric views. LightSoft enables control of all network layers, ensuring high-level service management, efficient control of network resources, streamlined operation, and superior quality of service. Online reporting and fast alarm handling help avoid downtime.
“ECI’s LightSoft makes upgrading the network very easy,” said Mrs. Jiliu of Zhejiang Unicom. “LightSoft software is easy to learn and easy to use, and provides end-to-end management.”
Multi-level network hierarchy: ECI has played an important role in helping Zhejiang Unicom develop the company’s optical transmission network into a distinct infrastructure, with an advanced three-level hierarchy: 10 Gbps core network, 2.5 Gbps convergence level, and 155 Mbps/622 Mbps access level.
With XDM, only ECI offers full low-order non-blocking cross-connect, to maximize the utilization of the transmission infrastructure. Especially important for Zhejiang Unicom, this capability helps save bandwidth on the core ring, allowing the use of XDM convergence to merge virtual circuits from many points on the 155 Mbps access ring.
Lower initial and operating costs: The high density of ECI’s interface cards means they provide more interfaces than other vendors’ products, reducing initial hardware cost. ECI’s platforms also provide great flexibility, allowing data services customers to use various types of data cards. In terms of operating expense, the XDM-based converged multiservice solution means that a single box replaces multiple boxes, reducing hardware footprint, overall space requirements, energy consumption, and management time.
“Excellent partner” awards: Each year, Zhejiang Unicom publicly recognizes their leading vendors and honors them with Excellent Partner awards.
Every year since the start of this recognition program, ECI has been in the top 10 out of 100 vendor companies, and has received an Excellent Partner award.
Says Xia Ming, the Vice General Manager of Zhejiang Unicom, “ECI is the most important strategic partner of Zhejiang Unicom. ECI products offer good quality, excellent stability, and good reliability; and ECI China customer support is powerful.”
“Having worked with ECI for many years, we have established a very good relationship with them, and we place great trust in the company and its equipment,” said Mr. Yongjiong Su, Senior Manager of Zhejiang Unicom’s Network Department. “ECI’s solutions have proven to be the most reliable, stable, and future proof – enabling us to easily upgrade and provide customers with a migration path to new and advanced cellular services. Along with the stateof- the-art technology, ECI has provided us with outstanding customer support throughout our fruitful relationship.”
More growth ahead: Zhejiang Unicom’s plans for future expansion include a continuing leading role for ECI. “Unicom is preparing its network to be 3G-ready,” explained Mr. Huangchuangxue, “and we look to ECI as a partner who can support us as we prepare for the new services.”
About Zhejiang Unicom
Zhejiang Unicom is a subsidiary of China Unicom. Operating offices in eleven cities in Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Unicom is primarily responsible for the construction of telecommunications infrastructure as well as network operations and business development. Zhejiang Unicom is instrumental in accelerating the development of data communications, long distance calls, and other value-added telecommunications services in China.
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