Nortel flexes rural muscle

Nortel Networks, which has been facing a slew of competitors in the rural switch market, this week announced two new customers for the latest release of its DMS-10 software.

The decision by Oxford Networks, an incumbent in southern Maine that will use the DMS-10 504 software release in a fiber to the home build, and Rice Belt Telephone, an 1100-line telco in northeast Arkansas, prove that Nortel is still committed to the rural market, according to the company. Rice Belt, which had deployed a Taqua switch, plans to replace its existing Class 5 switches with a DMS-10.

More important, the announcement of additional customers gives Nortel some traction as it moves toward a rural version of its softswitch. In the upcoming 600 software release, the company will add a peripheral to its DMS-10 that can handle call control and circuit-to-packet interworking in an IP environment.

"It’s a very graceful migration," said Ron Kunkel, product marketing manager of wireline networks for Nortel. "There is no rip and replace because the DMS-10 feature set carries forward."

The current version of the software, which is RUS certified, has been deployed by 200 customers and more than 400 carriers are scheduled to upgrade. Similar to its Succession line, which is being deployed by larger carriers, the DMS-10 600 is being positioned as a migration that can be cost justified but for small environments.

"It doesn’t require [carriers] to collapse three or four switches to cost justify it," Kunkel said.