Bring on the service: Unisphere lands RMI.Net

More is better, especially when it comes to value-added services. With that in mind, the self-proclaimed commerce solutions provider RMI.Net is planning to leverage the capabilities of Unisphere Solutions' ERX-1400 subscriber management system.

The ERX-1400 sits between DSL access multiplexers and Internet backbone routers, aggregating and terminating up to 32,000 DSL connections. That scalability and its ability to enable services were the primary reasons RMI.Net was attracted to the Unisphere product, said Jim Comstock, vice president of technology and operations for RMI.Net. RMI.Net looked at several different boxes and the Unisphere device fit its quality of service parameters and could deliver a variety of services," he said.

The Unisphere equipment also will enable providers to offer value-added services such as virtual private networks (VPNs) and service level agreements to its DSL customers, said Dana Rasmussen, vice president of product management and data for Unisphere.

But Unisphere cannot take full credit for the product. The company, which is owned by Siemens, gained the product with the acquisition of Redstone Communications earlier this year.

It will face tough competition, however. "Products such as Redback's [subscriber management systems] are really good at DSL aggregation, but the [Unisphere] product is built around a virtual router," Comstock said. The virtual router provides a better architecture for delivering applications and a total solution rather than just DSL, Comstock added. The virtual routers can run VPNs through the broadband network, which provides additional security for subscribers.

Beyond the security benefits, the Unisphere box tackles a quandary for ISPs, said Andrew Cray, research analyst for The Aberdeen Group. It solves the problem of providing mass termination for connections, Cray said.