CommTel Network Solutions Australia, a value added re-seller of Nokia's network solutions, has signed an agreement for the supply and implementation of Nokia broadband DSL solutions and related services to the Soul group of companies all operating in Australia. Deliveries commenced in January 2006 and the system will be up and running during April 2006.



The Nokia D500 IP Multi Service Access Node was selected due to its unique ability to provide fast Internet access in excess of 24Mbps, IPTV, and Voice over IP (VoIP) in conjunction with Soul's SIP-based softswitch. The 60Gbps scalable capacity provided in every Nokia D500 Node provides high quality of service and throughput for Soul's diverse range of broadband customers and services, including capacity for up to 200 simultaneous fast-switching multicast video channels.

Soul is the new brand name for the SPT group of companies which includes Soul Pattinson Telecommunications, B Digital, Digiplus, Kooee and SPTCom (formerly Comindico) all operating in Australia. The Soul network is a fully converged video, voice and data IP-based network with distributed switching throughout regional Australia. These capabilities enable Soul to deliver broadband products and services, whether voice, video or data, through to the "last mile" on its own fully converged network throughout metropolitan, regional and rural Australia.

"Soul maintains a strong position in the multimedia market, as we already offer the full suite of telecommunications and multimedia services including high speed broadband, broadcast video as well as mobile and fixed telephony services to over 500,000 customers across Australia," says Rob Millner, Chairman of Soul. "Our relationship with CommTel and Nokia allows us to extend the delivery of multi-media services including VoIP to our existing customers as well as offering content to a wider converging customer base."

"The alliance between Soul and CommTel will allow us to introduce alternative, competitive broadband infrastructure to regional Australia which is a key objective for the Federal Government under the Broadband 'Connect' program. Meanwhile, we're also looking at opportunities to deliver voice services to consumers (using VoIP technology) as well as trialing IPTV services," Millner said.

"As an industry leader in SIP-enabled solutions Nokia is now one of the first in the world to commence deliveries of SIP-based Voice over broadband, enabling Soul's customers to continue using their existing home telephone over an IP-based voice network," says John Stefanac, Vice-President, Networks, Asia Pacific, Nokia.

"The Nokia D500 is a complete IP-based platform providing the security and quality of service that VoIP demands. It supports the latest DSL standards, SHDSL.bis and ADSL2+, increasing bandwidth for residential and business customers over both IP and ATM-based connections. We have now commenced trials, connecting with Soul over wireless LAN to leading SIP-compliant mobile devices such as the Nokia Eseries," Stefanac said.

Nokia has a renowned track record in carrier-class broadband and narrowband products and works together with key partners to enable broadband services for more than 50 customers across the globe, covering the European, Asia-Pacific, China, and the Americas markets.