IP gateways evolve for carrier scale

For the few vendors revealing new developments in Internet protocol voice gateways at this week's ComNet show, the biggest news will be a dramatic increase in size.

No longer satisfied chasing after early adopters who need a few thousand ports, vendors are gearing up for the big carrier market where volume line counts are the name of the game.

Lucent Technologies will publicly show for the first time the third version of its PacketStar line. The new Gateway 1000, based on the company's PortMaster concentrator platform, can scale up to 28 T-1s while the latest gatekeeper can handle up to four fully loaded gateways.

Though still early, the company's PacketStar at some point could be integrated into Ascend Communications' access product line.

"The end game of this is not about converged products, but sort of the network of networks idea," said Kathy Meyer, general manager of Internet communications for Lucent.

3Com also is expected to announce that it is shipping its IP voice gateway to a number of carriers.

ECI Telecom will demonstrate its ITX I-Gate 180 IP gateway and gatekeeper. The ITX is the first solution that combines technology from NKO, a company ECI acquired late last year.

"It's the first child of a business and technology integration between the two companies," said Kevin Smith, director of applications marketing.

Aimed at small carriers, the I-Gate is designed to help network operators migrate to integrated voice and data networks. However, Smith anticipates smaller CLECs deploying IP telephony faster. "Smaller [carriers] are able to put up with the latest technology; they are willing to be on the bleeding edge. They can take more risk because they don't have anything to lose...but I don't count the big guys out."

RCN Corp. announced that by the end of 1998 it had received open video systems approvals to pass more than 6 million homes with its fiber optic network. The company also said it will expand its building access strategy.

MGC Communications Inc., a competitive local exchange carrier, launched services in south Florida. As part of the launch, the company is offering unlimited calls within its localarea, which ranges from Sebastian to Key West.

Northwestel picked Westell Technologies to provide asymmetrical digital subscriber line equipment for the deployment of high-speed Internet service in its operating area of Canada's northern territories.

Teligent launched high-bandwidth services in Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia and Wilmington, Del., raising its total to 19 markets.