The importance of interop

The goal of transitioning to an all-IP network is an admirable one, but it's also a goal that even the largest and most resource-rich telcos know will take many years to achieve. Though independent telcos most often have smaller networks, the technical nature and importance of the transition to IP demands that any carrier take a step-by-step approach that involves getting multiple vendors' systems to work together quickly and seamlessly.

Openness is one of the ultimate promises of IP, but the early reality of introducing the technology into networks hasn't been so simple. First-generation softswitches, media gateways and other IP gear from one vendor were, in some cases, difficult to mix with that of other vendors. Also, gradual, phased deployment strategies might mean that a softswitch from one vendor might be chosen and deployed first and then the pressure will be on the carriers and vendors to make sure the softswitch and subsequent network elements can work together. Vendors of access systems might typically partner or certify with multiple softswitch vendors as part of their sales strategy to get into telcos' networks, but they also occasionally are called upon to work with softswitch-makers with which they aren't certified.

Pannaway Technologies has encountered that situation with several carriers. Arvig Communications Systems in Perham, Minn., currently uses Pannaway's DSLAM gear and routers from Cisco Systems together in some of its markets in rural Minnesota. The telco wants to be ready to eventually roll out triple-play services and evolve to a passive-fiber architecture. However, it could get started early with an active-fiber approach using Cisco and Pannaway.

“We were looking at a lot of other options, but actually circled back to Pannaway because we heard they had a strong ability to support a real high-speed deployment,” said Andy Klinnert, director of engineering for Arvig.

More recently, Pannaway worked with Ntelos, an independent telco operating in markets in northern Virginia. “As an industry, we once thought everything was going to jump to all-IP, but service providers don't really want to jump right into it,” said Kevin Brown, vice president of marketing for Pannaway. “They might want to begin to support SIP or MGCP on a per-port basis and adopt it more broadly when they are ready as a company to do that.”

Ntelos wanted access gear that could work with the softswitch it had already deployed as a spot solution from a single vendor (which Ntelos declined to name) to support voice over IP service. The telco also was looking at supporting video and other services. However, the telco encountered problems with various access routers that it tried to deploy and interoperate with the softswitch, said Brown, a view corroborated by Ntelos.

Pannaway brought in its BAS-300 broadband access switch and broadband aggregation router to interconnect with the softswitch, and Ntelos was able to get it deployed smoothly with only a few software tweaks. “There was a large vendor in there that couldn't make it work, and we were able to come in and tweak a few codes and make it work under some pressure to do it quickly,” Brown said. “The funny thing is, we are certified to work with a lot of softswitches, but not this particular one. But sometimes that will happen. We're proud of this deployment because it was a situation where we could go in without our own softswitch partner and make it work.”