Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) has been selected by Beijing Netcom for a next-generation network service transformation in Beijing to provide a wide range of advanced services to its customers, such as point-to-point video telephony services.

"We will use our comprehensive network transformation solution, including our significant network experience, to enable Beijing Netcom to provide more new multimedia services to its end users," stated Olivia Qiu, president of Alcatel Shanghai Bell, Alcatel-Lucent’s Chinese flagship company.

This project is the first in a series of service transformations planned by China Netcom, Beijing Netcom's parent company, to provide video telephony service in six cities hosting Olympics-related activities. In addition to Beijing, the new services will be offered to Tianjin, Shanghai, Qingdao, Shenyang and Qinhuangdao.

Beijing Netcom, which expects to complete the NGN deployment by the end of June, will be able to supply its residential and business customers with advanced video telephony and video color-ring services. The network also will support voice communications between video phone users and other Beijing Netcom customers.

Prior to this project, Alcatel Shanghai Bell was selected by China Netcom to deploy a nationwide long-distance NGN trial network covering all 31 provincial markets of China.