BT AND Lucent Launch Global Optical Transport Network

LONDON, March 14 -- British Telecommunications PLC (BT) and Lucent Technologies announced the implementation of a high-capacity optical network designed to support BT's growing international requirements and expansion into the provisioning and services sector. The network is already supporting its first customers and will continue to be developed over an initial five-year period.

The network stretches across the south of England and connects to a transatlantic subsea cable network constructed by the TAT-14 Consortium. Lucent will provide ongoing maintenance and services support.

In September 1998, a consortium of more than 50 telecommunications companies signed a contract worth around $1.5 billion to build the new TAT-14 transatlantic submarine cable network linking the US to Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.