Nortel (NT) has opened a sophisticated new facility in Beijing to strengthen its R&D capabilities in China and support the development of products for customers in Asia and global markets.

The facility will develop next-generation communications technology designed to help drive customer profitability and competitive advantage, and showcase them in Nortel's first Executive Briefing Center in Asia.

Located at Wangjing, in the Electronic City zone of Beijing's Zhoggnuancun Science & Technology Park, the new campus was officially opened by Mike Zafirovski, president and CEO, Nortel, in the presence of senior government officials and key China customers this week. The facility features a state-of-the-art R&D lab, the Nortel China headquarters and the new EBC showcase. The EBC will enable customers to meet with Nortel technology and solution experts to explore how revenue opportunities and increased levels of service can be achieved by eliminating barriers to efficiency, productivity and growth.

"This new Wangjing campus marks another milestone for Nortel in China," said Mike Zafirovski. "It signals a significant investment in the strong R&D presence we have developed in China over many years. And it demonstrates our continuing commitment to helping our Chinese customers realize the business benefits enabled by our technology and expertise."

R&D activities at Wangjing form an integral part of Nortel's core global R&D capabilities. They also complement projects underway at existing R&D facilities in Beijing and Guangzhou. Engineers and research specialists at these facilities focus on wireless data networking, next generation IP networking and applications, wireless operations, administration and management systems, and the localization of Nortel products for China and other Asia markets.

The 55,000 sqm Wangjing campus is equipped with the latest audiovisual, presentation and communications equipment, powered by high-speed broadband technology from Nortel's comprehensive enterprise portfolio. This includes a secure WLAN for anywhere, anytime indoor/outdoor Internet access and voice and multimedia services, a converged IP telephony network, IP and WLAN phones, and high-speed data for advanced multimedia applications integrating voice with video, collaboration and presence services.