The 21st Century Network (21CN) programme is the data and voice network transformation project, under way since 2004, of the UK telecommunications company BT Group plc. It was intended to move BT's telephone network from the AXE/System X Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to an Internet Protocol (IP) system. As well as switching over the PSTN, BT planned to deliver many additional services over their new data network, such as on-demand interactive TV services.

BT originally stated that it would accrue annual savings of £1 billion when the transition to the new network was completed, and hoped to have over 50% of its customers transferred by 2008 (see External links below for current progress on the roll-out of optical fibre by Openreach). Capital expenditure was put at £10 billion over five years, this being 75% of BT's total capital spending plans in that period.

Architecture

The new network is based on an architectural model of five classes of network nodes. These are:

  • Premises
  • Access (MSAN)
  • Metro
  • Core
  • iNode

Premises

Premises nodes includes residential, small-medium enterprise (SME) and enterprise. The presumption is that all these will have high speed connections to the network, delivered over copper (in the form of ADSL or other DSL technologies) or over fibre, as either PON or direct fibre in the case of large enterprises. The sole exception to this presumption is for legacy PSTN, where provision will continue to be made for analogue voice.

Access node

21CN introduced the concept of the multi-service access node (MSAN). This logical node takes the various access technologies (mentioned above) and, where possible, aggregates these onto a single backhaul network technology. This includes converting analogue voice into voice over IP (VoIP) using the MSAN as a media gateway (MGW). The aim is to implement a few hundred access nodes. Note that these will not have any IP routing capability, but will essentially be layer 2 Ethernet devices.

Metro node

The backhaul network will terminate on the metro nodes. At this point the IP-based services will be implemented, and the metro nodes are the first location where IP traffic is routed. Call control (via a softswitch or an IMS CSCF) will be implemented here, although the softswitches and the IMS components won't be described as a part of the metro node – they are parts of the iNode. The metro nodes are also provider edge (PE) routers in MPLS terminology, encapsulating the IP traffic in MPLS tunnels for transmission over the core. The aim is to implement around 100 metro nodes. In October 2007, Ofcom launched a consultation into Next Generation Access Networks in the UK after pressure from the government.

Subsequently, Openreach began a rollout of VDSL2 FTTC technology over 21CN, deploying DSLAMs in thousands of new street-side cabinets. BT Retail launched their BT Infinity service in 2010 and expected to continue expanding availability by installing new cabinets until at least 2014. The FTTC deployment essentially installs a small (96-288 line) DSLAM into thousands of street cabinets, each backhauled using direct fibre to a larger exchange or metro node, removing much of the local-loop length limitations and allowing end-user speeds exceeding 100 Mbit/s following future upgrades.

Suppliers

In April 2005, BT announced that it had selected eight suppliers for its 21CN roll-out. These were:

  • Fujitsu – MSAN
  • Huawei – MSAN and core optical
  • Alcatel – metro
  • Lucent – core MPLS, using Juniper components
  • Cisco – metro and core MPLS
  • Siemens – metro, using Juniper components
  • Ciena – core optical
  • Ericsson – iNode

Alcatel and Lucent merged in December 2006 to form Alcatel-Lucent.

The fact that Britain's Marconi received no major 21CN contract was a surprise to commentators and sent the company's shares tumbling. An example of analysis before BT's announcement is Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein's: "[Marconi is] so advanced with its products and so entrenched with BT Group plc that its selection looks certain."

See also

  • Next generation network

References

  • Rollout of fibre by Openreach
  • "BT chooses partners for 21st Century Network " by Graeme Wearden, ZDNet.co.uk, 28 April 2005
  • "BT transforms phone network", BBC News, 9 June 2004
  • "First call on new phone network", BBC News, 28 November 2006
  • "BT inks 21CN supplier contracts", by Tim Richardson, in The Register, 22 December 2005