China Netcom's subsidiary Asia Netcom (NYSE: CN; SEHK: 0906) will soon experiment to demonstrate the ability of the next-generation Internet to enable high-quality video communications worldwide.

The experiment, spearheaded by the WIDE (Widely Integrated Distributed Environment) Project, a consortium working on practical research and development of Internet-related technologies, will set up high-quality video

links between Amsterdam, Aichi and Beijing. The event is a part of the finale of the 2005 World Expo, Aichi, Japan, and will feature a live video panel discussion on "Living on the Earth" by students from each country.

Asia Netcom will provide an end-to-end IPv6 link between Tokyo and Beijing using capacity on its own subsea network and through a 155Mbps circuit between Hong Kong and Beijing from its parent, China Netcom. The link will be one of the first live trials of transporting broadcast-quality video over an IPv6 infrastructure between China and Japan.

Asia Netcom is one of the first operators in the region to launch commercial IPv6-based services and is offering an end-to-end IPv6 video streaming service with partner, NEC.