Future Entertainment Works (FEW) is building one of the world's largest and most advanced IP converged networks for the King Abdulaziz Endowment Project (KAEP) in the Holy City of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, based on Nortel technology.

Located adjacent to the Grand Mosque, KAEP is a very large urban development project that consists of six residential and commercial towers and a five-star hotel, built on a multi-story podium. KAEP's state-of-the-art, fully IP-based network will provide its guests and businesses with a host of more than 16 innovative IP services such as IPTV, video-on-demand, retail, consumer information and advertising.

FEW selected Nortel following a rigorous evaluation to ensure that the new network meets the highest standards of security and reliability with flexibility to expand to additional services in the future.

"We chose Nortel because we believe that Nortel has not only the right products for us, but also a clear vision for and commitment to the development of IP networks," said Amr Taher, president of BT Applied Technologies and the senior consultants for the project. "This network will provide the most advanced capabilities and facilities for the people it will be serving, not only today but also far into the future."

"A development of this scale and scope is a strong endorsement of Nortel's Enterprise IP technology and underlines Nortel's flexibility and ability to understand the customer's needs," said Ramin Attari, general manager Middle East, Nortel EMEA.

"This is an important project, not only because it signals Nortel's capability to manage projects of this scale in the Middle East market but because it is an impressive vote of confidence in the strength of Nortel's products, innovation and people when evaluated against stringent and demanding criteria," Attari added.

KAEP's network will consist of 65,000 ports for all manner of communications equipment including TV, Phones, Computers, and virtually any IP- based device. At its heart is the Nortel Communication Server 1000 IP Telephony solution with an initial deployment of around 18,000 IP phones, ultimately expected to grow to 26,000 IP phones. The network solution incorporates 400 switches from the Ethernet Routing Switch 8600 and 8300 portfolio and will support the needs not only of residential users, but also underpin the success of hospitality, commercial and other entertainment and lifestyle outlets being constructed as part of the huge 800,000 square metre multi-purpose development.

The KAEP development, which started construction in 2003, is set for completion in 2007. The actual implementation of the Nortel infrastructure has commenced and is scheduled to be completed in early 2006, with two additional phases to the implementation before the project's completion.