The Medical Department of Japan's Saga University has deployed a secure, high-performance Gigabit Ethernet campus network from Nortel Networks. Rikei Corporation, Nortel Networks local systems integration partner, handled the network implementation. Nortel Networks solution for Saga University's Medical Department includes Nortel Networks Passport* 8600 Routing Switch at the network core, providing 10 Gigabit Ethernet support to ensure secure, high-speed transmission of mission-critical educational and research data. Each of the six campus buildings is equipped with Nortel Networks BayStack* 460-24T-PWR Power over Ethernet switch to connect such network edge devices as wireless local area network (LAN) access points and personal computers (PCs). "We are pleased that Saga University has chosen our 10 Gigabit Ethernet solution to meet its Medical Department's capacity and performance requirements," said Nick Vreugdenhil, country manager, Japan, Nortel Networks. "Our solution enables high-speed Internet services including e-mail and Medical Department website access from anywhere on the campus. The network also supports high-capacity data transmission and virtual LAN functionality to provide secure, PC-based roaming from one campus building to another." The new, star-shaped campus network connects the Academic Information Center and the Medical Sub-Center, where the Medical Department's mission-critical information system is housed, along with six other buildings on campus. Nortel Networks Passport 8600 Routing Switch delivers high-density, high-performance Layer 2-7 switching, routing and traffic classification for enterprises and carriers. Combining high performance with reliability, intelligence and security, Passport 8600 supports from eight to 128 Gigabit Ethernet ports, as well as connectivity for 10 Gigabit Ethernet, ATM, Packet-over-SONET and Wave Division Multiplexing (WDM) technologies. Nortel Networks BayStack 460-24T-PWR Switch is an IEEE 802.3af compliant 10/100 Mbps Power over Ethernet switch designed to connect and power devices like Internet Protocol (IP) phones and wireless access points. The stackable BayStack 420-24T-PWR 10/100 Mbps Switch offers a cost-effective desktop connectivity solution. It provides a superior price/performance solution, especially for growing networks with high performance requirements. Nortel Networks solutions are designed to provide the greatest customer flexibility available by ensuring the equipment can be easily upgraded in an evolutionary path to provide future capabilities seamlessly that enhance the performance, security and reliability of the network. In addition, the solutions are designed to accommodate future requirements, like provisioning of voice, wireless, multimedia and data over the same infrastructure. Saga University was founded in 1949 as a result of the merger of Saga High School, Saga Normal School and Saga Youth Normal School, with the amalgamation of Saga Medical University occurring in October 2003. The current Medical Department of Saga University began operation in February 2004. In addition to the Medical Department, Saga University has departments of Culture and Education, Economics, Science and Engineering and Agriculture. Nortel Networks is an industry leader and innovator focused on transforming how the world communicates and exchanges information. The Company is supplying its service provider and enterprise customers with communications technology and infrastructure to enable value-added IP data, voice and multimedia services spanning Wireless Networks, Wireline Networks, Enterprise Networks, and Optical Networks. As a global company, Nortel Networks does business in more than 150 countries. More information about Nortel Networks can be found on the Web at http://www.nortelnetworks.com .