Yukon Tel opts for MetaSwitch

Yukon Telephone said today that it will deploy a MetaSwitch VP 3500 next-generation Class 5 switch in its Whittier exchange as part of a program working towards an all-IP network. The deployment also will serve as a test of the switch for RUS acceptability.

Yukon, which provides local, long-distance, Internet access and wireless services in the rural Alaskan communities of Whittier, Tanana and Ruby, initially is using the MetaSwitch in an effort to lower interexchange costs.

“What we’re trying to do is centralize one switch,” said Don Eller, general manager of Yukon Tel. “I’ve got three exchanges located 300 miles apart.”

Currently the company has Mitel and Redccom TDM switches in all three exchanges. Using a centralized MetaSwitch in Whittier to feed DSLAMs in Tanana and Ruby through a packet connection, the telco is able to eliminate two Class 5 switches almost immediately, Eller said. Additionally, because Yukon Tel also owns parallel cable franchises, it opens up a number of options.

“I can, if I choose to, get a blade, plug it into the MetaSwitch and because it’s got RF out, tie that into my cable systems,” Eller said. “I put IADS out there and I’ve got another distribution system.”

The MetaSwitch unit was chosen after a side-by-side evaluation, conducted by Reeve Engineers in Anchorage, of the VP 3500 and switches from Taqua, Gluon and CopperCom. Whitham Reeve, a founder of Reeve Engineers, undertook the evaluation on behalf of 10 Alaskan telcos over a six-month period.