US network equipment vendor Cisco Systems and telecomms carrier Cable & Wireless (C&W) HKT have agreed to extend an existing communication services partnership, the two companies announced this week. The move is aimed at both widening customer choice for advanced communications services and making such services cheaper.
Under the terms of the agreement, C&W HKT (formerly known as Hong Kong Telecommunications Ltd) will bring its broadband and interactive multimedia capabilities together with Cisco's know-how in the areas of IP (Internet Protocol) and electronic commerce, according to a Cisco statement.
Details of the agreement were not disclosed.
The move towards providing a wider range of cheaper telecomms and interactive services will be speeded up by the use of Cisco's packet switching technology which should improve network efficiency, network management as well as quality of the service, Cisco officials said.
C&W HKT in March became the first teleco in the world to launch a video-on-demand services. The carrier continues to make great play of its range of broadband-based interactive services. Earlier this year Microsoft and C&W HKT teamed up on a broadband initiative, but full details of the arrangement which is to include video-on-demand have still to be disclosed.