Owen Linderholm Nortel Nortel announced the Nortel Communication Server 1500 (CS 1500), a VoIP softswitch platform for IP communication services. The CS 1500 allows small and medium-sized wireline service providers to meet demand for both local and long-distance voice and next generation services. It also allows `greenfield` service providers to offer advanced services and provides a foundation for future IMS-based multimedia services with personalization, security and mobility features.Nortel recently announced a new business group targeted at Metro Ethernet Networks. At the show, Nortel now introduced innovations to meet the growing demand for high-bandwidth video anddata services in service provider metropolitan networks. These new services should enable service providers to reliably deliver mission critical high-bandwidth services like IPTV, mobile video, and business services over Ethernet.Specifically, Nortel is incorporating the deterministic, carrier-grade connection management characteristics of SONET/ SDH into Ethernet via its Povider Backbone Transport (PBT) technology. PBT is now available on the Metro Ethernet Routing Switch (MERS) 8600, with development underway to integrate PBT into the Optical Multiservice Edge (OME) 6500 and other Ethernet-ready platforms. In addition, an early implementation of PBB (Provider Backbone Bridging) has been available on Nortel`s Metro Ethernet portfolio for several years, and a fully standardized version will be delivered later this year as the standard is ratified. And, Nortel is enabling service convergence on its Metro Ethernet solutions with the availability of integrated, standards-compliant resilient packet ring (RPR) technology into its flagship OME 6500 optical platform. A laundry list of other enhancements round out the innovations to support high-bandwidth over Ethernet.