1/21/2008 -- Just because Cisco Systems Inc. doesn't have a mainland Chinese pedigree -- like rival and Asia-Pacific networking giant Huawei -- doesn't mean it can't compete in the world's most populous marketplace.

Cisco last week announced that Shanghai's Oriental Cable Network Co. Ltd. selected its Cisco ONS 15454 Multiservice Transport Platform (MSTP) and reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) technology for its digital television optical transport platform. Oriental Cable is the first mainland Chinese service provider to deploy ROADM technology.

Officials say Cisco's MSTP and ROADM technologies were tailor-made for Oriental Cable's ambitious triple-play agenda.

"The convergence of voice, video, data and mobility networks with advanced communication devices presents a wonderful opportunity for Oriental Cable to upgrade to a fully application-flexible network," said Oriental Cable vice-president Wan Qianrong in a statement. "After careful review, we determined that the best way to transition to these next-generation broadband services would be to migrate to a Cisco optical network, which is best suited to support our increasing IP traffic volume."

What's the value-add for Oriental Cable? Many-fold, according to officials. For one thing, by adopting Cisco's ROADM and MSTP technologies -- which are part of Cisco's much-ballyhooed IP Next-Generation Network, or IP NGN effort -- it can more quickly deliver new services to end users, while at the same time improving its operational efficiencies and capital expenditures. --Stephen Swoyer