BayanTel upgrades network

Lopez-owned Bayan Telecommunications Inc. (BayanTel) has embarked on an ambitious three-year upgrading of its network to be able to deliver advanced Internet-based applications, as it anticipates broadband penetration to nearly equal that of fixed wire in highly urbanized areas in the next three years.

The initial phase of the project will cover the Metro Manila Core and Outside Plant Access Cabinets (OPACs) and is estimated to be completed by the first quarter of 2006.

The company has chosen ECI Telecom’s optical solution to upgrade its network to deliver advanced IP-based applications such as IPTV, VoIP, Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), video streaming and other bandwidth-demanding triple-play services for residential and small business customers.

The new network will deliver high-speed bandwidth of up to 100 Mbps to residential and small business subscribers. This will support even the most bandwidth-intensive applications, with ECI’s optical solution serving as the infrastructure for the network upgrade. The project includes the deployment of new generation metro fiber optic nodes within a few hundred meters of a subscriber’s home, providing secure connectivity.

"Upgrading our network with ECI’s solutions will give us the bandwidth capacity to address the very strong demand for DSL services and the growth of applications like gaming that require high bandwidth," said Dave Rogers, BayanTel senior consultant for network management. "High demand for our DSL services is currently putting a strain on our network. But with this expansion, we expect to be at the forefront of meeting the high bandwidth requirements of our customers going online," he added.

BayanTel is the first carrier to extend the ability to deliver huge bandwidth capability to the residential areas with its implementation of ECI’s optical solution, which provides a very scalable architecture for the provisioning of new services. Previously, these services were only available to high-rise buildings in the business districts of Makati and Ortigas.