Coventry-based Marconi has landed a £6 million contract to expand the network of a German telecommunications operator using fibre-optic technology.

The company, which has just won planning permission for a £200 million research and development site near Ansty, will supply NetCologne with the capability of reaching four million potential new customers.

This latest contract brings NetCologne's spending with Marconi to almost £24 million in the last five years. 

The network expansion will be installed through 2001. Control will be provided by a Marconi network management system, and a squad of fifteen Marconi Services engineers will provide NetCologne with round-the-clock support.

NetCologne has used Marconi's AON (Active Optical Network) and SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) technology since 1997, the year after it became Germany's first telecommunications company to win a city licence.

It currently provides telephone services to over 60,000 premises, while its internet and cable TV services are each taken by 40,000 subscribers.

Commenting on the decision to go with Marconi, NetCologne chairman Hanf Werner, said:

"This contract is the result of our experience with Marconi over several years.

“We were encouraged by its demonstrable technical strengths, its ability to blend narrowband and broadband interfaces, and the fact that it was able to offer us a complete technical package."

Coventry-based Peter Brown, President of Europe, Middle East, Africa and Australasia (EMEA), Marconi Communications, said:

"I believe that these supply, install, commission and maintenance contracts will become more prevalent as new-generation telcos enter the market.

“Our technical expertise and tight cost controls allow our customers to concentrate on their service offering, marketing, and customer services."