Ipsilon Networks Inc, the company that invented the concept of IP Internet Protocol switching, has won yet another fan in the shape of Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia Oy. Yesterday, Nokia took a minority stake in the privately held company, as part of a collaborative development deal focused on broadband technologies for telecommunications providers. The two will be working on IP over ATM asynchronous transfer mode networks, and Nokia says the collaboration will help it get to market with IP switching products more quickly. It says it will also work with other partners on broadband technologies. Ipsilon, which launched its first products just over a year ago, says it hopes the deal will give it more visibility in Europe. In April, Ipsilon attracted a $20m investment from Cabletron Systems Inc for an undisclosed stake (CI No 3,135), and admitted at the time that it was just the largest of a number of investments it has received this year. The company has won big name backing from the communications systems industry, and has existing agreements with Digital Equipment Corp, LM Ericsson Telefon AB, Fore Systems Inc and NEC Corp, among others. But Cisco Systems Inc and Cascade Communications Corp – now part of Ascend Communications Inc – are among its rivals.
