VTc launches new video switch

VideoTele.com, a division of Tut Systems, is launching a video services switch aimed at telcos deploying digital TV over DSL networks.

The Astria VSS is a purpose-built video switch that lets carriers provide digital TV over their existing DSLAM and DLC equipment. The switch, which is undergoing testing by telcos in the U.S. and Europe including Heart of Iowa Communications Cooperative, is targeted as an alternative to the super dense DSLAMs now coming to market that can be used as either aggregators or as video service units.

“We don’t think DSLAM aggregators are enough to do video,” said Mark Carpenter, vice president of marketing for Tut Systems. “At the top level, video is about distribution. You’ve got to be able to deliver it within a specified time. DSLAM aggregators are designed to deal with traffic upstream.”

However, the company isn’t trying to replace existing DSLAMs. A single Astria VSS can deliver ATM or IP/ATM video to 48 DSLAMs. From a speeds and feeds perspective, the unit can support up to 600 channels and downstream multicast capabilities of up to 7.4 Gb/s. It’s also using Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) version 2.0 to provide fast channel changing.

At next week’s Supercomm show, the company will unveil a couple of business models that prove telcos can make a profit on video services, Carpenter said. In one model, which compares the VSS with a large DSLAM aggregator, telcos would spend 30% less on CO equipment.

“We’re going to be there to show that even their dumb DSLAMs can carry video,” he said.