Minnesota CLEC makes softswitch jump

Jaguar Communications, a CLEC based in Owatonna, Minn., said today that it has deployed MetaSwitch’s VP3500 Class 5 switch in its regional switching center, replacing an existing TDM switch.

Jaguar, which provides services to rural towns in southern Minnesota, will migrate existing customers from its TDM switch in the next phase of the project. The VP3500, offers more than 80 Class 5 services over legacy and IP/ATM networks.

For Jaguar, the decision was simple economics.

“It cost a lot less to do this than it would to put a new release in the existing switch,” said Donny Smith, CEO of Jaguar.

Additionally, the new softswitch architecture is more efficient and allows the company to migrate to a more IP-oriented environment. Jaguar, however, will continue operating in the TDM world though its tandem switch and a TDM-based voice mail system, Smith said.

“Other than that, we run IP through our whole network,” he said. “Ethernet is just a lot cheaper to run than T-1.”