Redback Networks Inc., a leading provider of next-generation broadband networking systems, today announced that China Netcom's Heilongjiang Communications Corporation is deploying a network of Redback SmartEdge(R) 800 Service Gateways to provide a new, scalable, converged platform for broadband access and advanced broadband services delivery in Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang province in North East China.

Heilongjiang Communications Corporation selected the Redback SmartEdge platform to build a dependable, next generation Smart Broadband Network capable of delivering new era broadband services such as IPTV and Video on Demand as well as advanced business services such as Virtual Private Networks over MPLS.

The SmartEdge Service Gateways' comprehensive Quality of Service (QoS) features and multicast support enable Heilongjiang Communications Corporation to provide next generation broadband IP services without having to create multiple overlay networks on top of their broadband access infrastructure.

"Redback is pleased to help Heilongjiang Communications Corporation with the delivery of advanced broadband services. Heilongjiang Communications Corporation, together with Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong and Inner Mongolia is now the fifth major China Netcom subsidiary utilizing Redback equipment to build their broadband IP infrastructures," said Simon Williams, Redback's vice president of sales and operations for the Asia and Pacific region. "In choosing the SmartEdge Service Gateway platform, Heilongjiang is performing several Service Edge functions such as Ethernet Aggregation, Subscriber Management and Edge Routing from a single network node. Similarly, all business and consumer broadband services can be offered over a single converged broadband IP infrastructure without the need to create expensive service delivery overlay networks."

"Heilongjiang Communications Corporation is a leading and advanced IPTV deployment," said Marco Wanders, chief marketing officer for Redback Networks. "The SmartEdge Service Gateway platform is providing the service delivery and subscriber management functions that Heilongjiang requires while at the same time its high-density Gigabit Ethernet scalability enables their DSLAMs to connect directly to the SmartEdge Service Gateway without the need for a separate Ethernet Aggregation layer."

The Redback SmartEdge Service Gateway platform delivers the strength of Redback's advanced subscriber management capabilities with the SmartEdge platform's purpose-built hardware and software to provide subscriber management with dynamic policy enforcement, carrier-class IP routing, Ethernet Aggregation, ATM mediation, MPLS VPNs, multicast and advanced video capabilities and high performance Quality of Service (QoS).

Redback is working through one of its Global Partners to implement the solution at Heilongjiang Communications Corporation.