Versatility for Class 4 switch: Software transforms standard into 'mini local exchange switch'

Carrier Access Corp., a local loop and central office equipment maker, last week said it can help interexchange carriers bypass local exchange carrier charges by bundling local, long-distance and data service over one T-1 line. Its Access Exchange nodal switching software can save long-distance providers 45 cents on every dollar they spend on connection fees, according to company officials.

The software acts as a tandem switch to a Class 4 toll switch, providing local number translation for subscribers' local calls. Class 4 switches, sold by major telecom vendors such as Northern Telecom, Alcatel and Lucent Technologies, are used mainly in IXC networks and are optimized to understand 11-digit long-distance numbers.

When subscribers dial local seven-digit numbers, Class 4 switches cannot process the information and must pass it on to a LEC. The LEC makes its money from access and termination fees for processing these calls.

"Now Access Exchange transforms Class 4 toll switches into mini local exchange switches," said Christopher Rust, director of product management at CAC. It condenses the telephone handshaking and call connection functions into the software, he said.

The nodal switching software provides an auxiliary switching function so the toll switch can understand local numbers. It adds the number 1 and the area code so the IXC's switch can process the number.

"It's a harbinger of things to come," Rust said.

The digital signal processor-based product keeps hardware costs down, requires less power to operate and occupies less space in the network.