Russia?s First Ethernet Service Provider Offers VPNs to Enterprises in Moscow

MOSCOW - /Wi-Fi Technology News/- Golden Telecom, Inc. [NASDAQ: GLDN], a major independent Russian telecommunications operator, has deployed an Optical Ethernet solution from Nortel Networks* [NYSE/TSX: NT] to provide Ethernet virtual private network (VPN) connectivity to enterprises in major business centers and customer locations throughout Moscow.

?Making the most of our installed base and rapidly rolling out new, in demand, revenue generating services is vital in today?s telecommunications market,? said Alexander Rozanov, director, Business Development Division, Golden Telecom. ?Nortel Networks has provided us with new, innovative services, allowing Golden Telecom to be the first company to offer Ethernet connectivity across the whole of Moscow.?

The new Optical Ethernet solution from Nortel Networks includes Nortel Networks OPTera* Metro 1200 Ethernet Service Modules. OPTera Metro 1200 has expanded on an existing network of Nortel Networks Passport* 8600 Multiservice Switches to help Golden Telecom eliminate boundaries between local (LAN) and wide area (WAN) networks.

?As one of Europe?s largest and fastest growing cities, Moscow requires new services to be supplied efficiently and rapidly,? said Christine Landrevot, president, Eastern Europe, Nortel Networks. ?We are driving continuous innovation in our service provider portfolio that will help to accelerate growth of new services.?

Services available from Golden Telecom using this solution from Nortel Networks include Ethernet VPNs for LAN-to-LAN interconnection, Internet access and TV multicasting. Customers include enterprises, residential buildings, business centers and TV carriers. Customers can be provided with any-to-any topology Ethernet VPN services with guaranteed bandwidth and quality of service.

Golden Telecom has also deployed Nortel Networks Shasta* 5000 Broadband Service Node (BSN) to deliver customized, IP (Internet Protocol)-based services. Shasta 5000 BSN enables Golden Telecom to offer a comprehensive suite of secure, network-based services to its enterprise customers, including stateful firewall, denial of service protection, anti-spoofing and network address translation (NAT). With Shasta 5000 BSN?s advanced traffic shaping and policing capabilities and flexible quality-of-service features, Golden Telecom can deliver differentiated services that are customized to meet individual subscriber requirements.

Golden Telecom is the first Gigabit Ethernet service provider in Russia. Its network is built on the Ethernet switching, IP and multicast routing capabilities of Passport 8600 and Nortel Networks Baystack*/BPS policy switches. Shasta 5000 BSN has been added to the network for value-added IP services, to provide VPN and IP access for the new Gigabit network, and for router-based leased line access and ATM networking of Passport 7000 and 20000.

Golden Telecom, Inc., NASDAQ: ?GLDN? is a leading facilities-based provider of integrated telecommunications and Internet services in major population centers throughout Russia and other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The Company offers voice, data and Internet services to corporations, operators and consumers using its metropolitan overlay networks in Moscow, Kiev, St. Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk and Nizhny Novgorod and via intercity fiber optic and satellite-based networks ? including 149 combined access points in Russia and other countries of the CIS. The Company offers mobile services in Kiev and Odessa.

Nortel Networks is an industry leader and innovator focused on transforming how the world communicates and exchanges information. The Company is supplying its service provider and enterprise customers with communications technology and infrastructure to enable value-added IP data, voice and multimedia services spanning Wireless Networks, Wireline Networks, Enterprise Networks, and Optical Networks. As a global company, Nortel Networks does business in more than 150 countries. More information about Nortel Networks can be found on the Web at http://www.nortelnetworks.com