Nortel switches on new 5600 Series

The product range will be available through local distributors Westcon Group and Anixter.

The network vendor’s new line of high-end, stackable switches were designed and engineered with real-time unified communications.

The five switches in the new ERS 5600 series are stack-compatible with the existing ERS 5500 switches, allowing a mix of port speeds and densities to meet any application while preserving existing investments.

The new models are integrated with 10 Gigabit uplink capacity and also includes a model with support for up to 96 Gigabit power over Ethernet ports.

A media representative at Nortel said the product range would suit resellers wanting to increase their range of mid-to-high end data products, especially those looking to specialise in unified communications.

“Nortel also has an "energy efficiency calculator" available for resellers that want to compare the potential savings,” claimed the media representative.

“For larger customers these savings can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, based on lower energy consumption alone.”

However Nortel wouldn’t disclose margins, but the media representative claimed it would expect similar margins to current Nortel products.