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Nortel's sprawling campus in Ottawa may become the future headquarters for the Department of National Defence.CHRIS WATTIE

It's the end of an era in Ottawa, as Nortel Networks' iconic research and development headquarters has been sold to the federal government in a $208-million deal.



The Nortel campus is on 370-acres, with 11 buildings and 2-million square feet of space. The site housed the company from its earliest days as Northern Telecom, and was instrumental in drawing high-tech companies to the city's west end.



The space has been on the market since the company declared bankruptcy, though it still houses Ciena, the company's optical networking and carrier ethernet business. The company's lease will be shortened to five years from 10.



The deal closes at the end of the year. The sale is still conditional, and must be approved by the courts.



It's expected the government will relocate the Department of National Defence to the site.

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