Nortel reports it has been selected by Verizon Telecom to provide a new generation of switching equipment to help the latter expand its metro Ethernet backbone. The technology chosen is the Metro Ethernet Routing Switch (MERS 8600), a platform that provides Provider Backbone Bridge (PBB) technology, MPLS-related technology and the Metro Ethernet Manager (MEM) system. Verizon will be testing all the MERS technologies in its laboratories for use with its Ethernet-based networks, including the Switched Ethernet Services (SES) network.