The company said it hopes to double its research staff in China by the end this year. "China is extremely important to Nortel Networks, both as a market and as a source for technology talent," Frank Dunn, Nortel CEO, said in a statement.
Nortel also plans to construct a new 592,000-square-foot campus in Beijing's Chao Yang district, for which it has signed an agreement with the local government. The first phase is slated for completion by the end of the next year.
The site will augment the company's existing research activity in Beijing and Guangzhou. Its research focus is on developing Internet Protocol-based voice and multimedia services, 3G wireless services, next-generation networking, and other emerging technology products. The technology developed in China will be sold globally.
Last month, Nortel won a contract in China to supply equipment that can support broadband, voice, data and multimedia services. The equipment will initially be used in the cities of Qingdao, Jinan and Tai'an.