Cisco replaces Nortel in key 2012 Olympics role

In a statement last week, the London 2012 Organising Committee (Locog) said it had ended its contract with bankrupt infrastructure supplier Nortel "on good terms".

In January, Nortel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States and sent its U.K. operation into administration. The company is currently selling off its various divisions as separate businesses. Its wireless technology business has already been sold to Nokia Siemens Networks.

"Technology for the Games is a huge undertaking with a fixed deadline, relying on finalizing the design and building of systems now," Locog's statement read. "In order to deliver 'the most connected Games possible', Locog felt it was vital to work with a single business to cover the entire network infrastructure. As a result, Locog and Nortel amicably decided to bring the current agreement to an end."

Nortel was a tier 1 sponsor of the 2012 Olympics, but Cisco is apparently a tier 2 sponsor.

In a separate statement, Cisco's UK and Ireland chief Phil Smith said his company was "delighted" to score the 2012 deal.

"We will work hard to deliver the infrastructure for London 2012, which promises to be the most connected Games ever," Smith said.

This article was first published as a blog post on ZDNet UK.