ECI's 9700 series was selected for this prestigious award for its highly innovative proposition and considerable value it offers service providers as they migrate to next-generation networks. The state-of-the-art 9000 family of Carrier Ethernet Switch Routers, part of the company's recently announced 1Net business framework, provides operators with an optimal solution for Carrier Ethernet metro network deployment.

Commenting on the awards, Rafi Maor, President and CEO of ECI Telecom, said: "The Leading Lights award for Best New Product recognizes the very best in innovation, engineering and technical excellence. ECI's 9700 series enables the deployment of profitable next-generation telecommunications services, and we are honored to receive this award. This recognition from Light Reading is further validation that our solutions provide outstanding value for our customers."

The platform's advanced feature set enables service providers to deploy a cost-effective Carrier Ethernet metro network infrastructure for efficient transport of Ethernet and IP-based services. The 9700 series was designed for delivery of business and residential services in metropolitan core networks. The 9700 combines transport-like ease-of-use with carrier grade reliability, providing industry-leading wire-speed Gigabit Ethernet density while meeting performance and quality of service requirements for metro networks. The 9000 family is managed with ECI's LightSoft unified, multi-layer network management system, providing operators with a simplified solution for the management of Ethernet-based networks.

Light Reading's annual Leading Lights awards recognized the top private and public companies and their executives for their outstanding achievements in the communications industry.