ICn, the London-based alliance of cable operators, is installing an STM-16 ring to overlay the existing network of the alliance’s six member cable operators. The ring will enable cable firms to operate multimedia applications such as video conferencing, video, data and speech transmission, with greater control than to date. Other services include tailor-made Virtual Private Networks and connection to national and international carrriers. ICn said the additonal ring will improve service provision to businesses in the London area. The ring offers a new level of resilience in supporting customer traffic and new flexibility in routing, said Ed Shoobridge, sales and marketing manager at ICn. Cable operators will be able to manage client requirements more closely, make changes to services easily and anticipate potential problems in service provision before they arise. Northern Telecom Ltd was awarded the multi-million pound contract to provide the Synchronous Digital Hierachy technology, with a capacity of 2.4G-bits per second, for the broadband private network. It is providing FiberWorld TN-16X Add/Drop multiplexers that support Bi-directional Line Switch Rings where, if a node or cable fault occurs, traffic is switched and routed the other way around. ICn is an alliance of six cable operators, all with franchises in the Greater London area. It was established last November to act as a sole point of contact for sales, service and support for London business and residential customers. Operators linked by the ring are Bell Cablemedia Plc, The Cable Corp, Cable London Ltd, Nynex CableComms Ltd, United Artists Communications Ltd and Videotron Holdings Plc. In June Nynex CableComms, Bell CableMedia and TeleWest Communications Inc signed a memorandum of understanding to join forces on an interactive multimedia services trial, with a view to extending multimedia services to customers of all UK cable companies (CI No 2,675). The trial is expected to run over 18 to 24 months in three phases: an initial test to see if the technical equipment is viable; a field trial to test networks, services and billing management; and a market trial in which customers will pay for services offered. Three franchises, one from the each of the signatories, will be chosen for the trial, but have not yet been announced, and at least 2,000 subscribers will take part, all initially linked to a single central site that will provide the home shopping, home banking, local government and educational, advertising and video on demand services. The trial networks will be using video servers and television set-top boxes from a number of equipment vendors.
