On November 4, Hitachi's Information and Telecommunication Systems Group and Hitachi China began marketing the GR4000 Series of high-end gigabit routers in China.

The IPv6 router offers 640Gbps back-plane switching capacity with 10Gbps Ethernet connectivity support. Hitachi will supply the router to HCH, and provide consulting and technology support in development and management of network systems.

The companies plan to sell a total of 2,000 routers of the GR4000/2000 Series over the next three years, targeting telecom carriers, government offices, and corporations. The number of Internet users in China is expected to reach 100 million by 2006.