Ericsson (News - Alert) has reportedly inked an agreement with Beijing Netcom, a branch of China Netcom, the official fixed-telecom service partner for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

 

Under terms of the agreement, Ericsson will provide the company with a Command Supporting System based on Ericsson's IMS solution for the Beijing Olympic Games. The Swedish telecom giant will be the sole supplier and systems integrator for an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem (News - Alert)) platform to enable personal multimedia communication.

 

Deployment and systems integration has already begun, with completion expected by the end of March. The deployment and systems integration will span the six Olympic Games cities in China.

 

Ericsson’s latest agreement with Beijing Netcom is an extension of a contract signed between Ericsson and Beijing Netcom in April 2007 to build the first commercial IMS network in China. 

 

According to Beijing Netcom, as an official partner for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, this agreement emphasizes their commitment to providing telecom-quality IP multimedia services that combine voice, data, audio and video. The company believes that this agreement will bring an enhanced communications experience to users in Beijing and across other Olympic cities.

 

“Ericsson is extremely proud to build on its longstanding relationship to provide Beijing Netcom with the first IMS-based multimedia service for the 2008 Olympic Games,” said Mats Olsson, president of Ericsson Greater China, in a statement.

 

Olsson added that this deal confirms that IMS has come of age, enabling volume deployment supporting multimedia capabilities within the fixed-network operator's service.

 

Ericsson's IMS solution allows the convergence of data, speech and network technology over an IP-based infrastructure. The solution supports fast and efficient management and coordination of value-added services, including voice, text, pictures and video, providing end users with a personalized, richer communications experience.