WHITE PLAINS: International Business Machines Corp. said on Tuesday it plans
to team up with the likes of Nortel Networks Corp. and Lucent Technologies Inc.
to offer products and services for the networks of telecommunications firms.
Financial terms of the alliance were not disclosed.
Armonk, NY-based IBM said the move is aimed at helping telecommunications
service providers deliver applications over new and improved networks.
The initiative includes French telecommunications company Alcatel,
telecommunications equipment makers Lucent Technologies Inc. and Nortel Networks
Corp. of Canada, as well as software firms Telcordia Technologies Inc. and
Ulticom Inc., IBM said.
IBM cited expectations of rapid growth in the communications sector as a key
motivation for the alliance.
"Together with our business partners we will help telecommunications
service providers completely rebuild their e-business infrastructure," Mike
Hill, general manager of IBM Global Telecommunications Industry, said in a
statement.
Laboratories to support the initiative will be up and running in North
America, Europe and Asia by March, IBM said.
IBM said the alliance will focus on the following areas: wireless data;
Internet technology for data and voice traffic over the network; data center
services including servers, storage and network transport; and building sites
dedicated to helping companies offer Internet access, intranets, data services,
Internet telephony, and wholesale services.
IBM added that it will also offer services aimed at the Internet data center
market, including the provision of physical facilities and management services.
(C) Reuters Limited 2000.