Welcome to the inter machine

Ariel's remote access system performs bypass on end office New Jersey-based Ariel gave Internet access providers a low-cost alternative for terminating dial-up Internet calls last week with the introduction of its BypaSS7 remote access solution. The Linux-based system can reduce access costs by replacing existing primary rate ISDN connections with less expensive inter-machine trunking.

BypaSS7 is an SS7-enabled remote access device that acts as a pseudo-Class 5 switch (see figure). By circumventing the need for switched-based connections on the terminating side of Internet access, the system could benefit traditional carriers by reducing the number of ports tied up in long duration data calls and competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) with circuit-switched infrastructures in place. For some ISPs, it could eliminate the need for a Class 5 switch altogether.

"The challenge ISPs face in getting positioning for their trunks has become a very serious issue in most of the country," said Dennis Schneider, president and CEO of Ariel. "ISPs just can't seem to get trunks fast enough. The notion of provisioning hundreds of T-1s for a single customer all at once is the challenge."

Part of the problem in getting access lines provisioned is the paucity of available ports. "Existing voice providers that also offer Internet that now say their networks are having capacity issues are asking themselves, `How can I make my existing investment last longer without deploying more Class 5 switches?'" said Tom Jenkins, director of consulting for TeleChoice.

BypaSS7 is designed to free voice channels of the end-office switch. At $200,000, ByPaSS7 starts well below the cost of deploying a Class 5 switch, which typically runs in the millions of dollars. With its own point code and connectivity into the SS7 network, BypaSS7 can pick up calls directly from the originating switch and bypass the circuit-switched network altogether.

More than just a product rollout, Ariel comes to market with an important SS7 network certification from GTE TSI, a leading SS7 hub provider. GTE TSI approved direct connectivity between Ariel's BypaSS7 and its national SS7 network after testing network Layers 1 through 3 and ISDN User Part functionality of Ariel's SS7 stack.

"The stack is more expensive as stacks go, but it is certified in 20 countries and extensively proven," Schneider said. The software stack is from ADC NewNet.

Other equipment vendors play a role in this solution as well. Ariel's RS4200 56K/ISDN access cards plug into IBM's Netfinity 4500R server to complete the remote access portion of BypaSS7. The remote access server can support up to 192 sessions originating from either V.90-compatible modems or 64 kb/s basic rate ISDN lines.

The system also includes an SS7 signaling gateway that connects directly to GTE TSI's network and supports up to 115 calls per second. The signaling gateway operates on a Sun Netra server running the Solaris operating system. An ISP can use a single gateway to connect to several central offices. Ariel's per-port price for its remote access concentrator ranges from $200 to $325. The company compares that to the estimated per-port price on a Class 5 switch, which it says is approximately $1100 to $1300.

"The signaling path is sent across IP to several locations so you can put our gateway on an SS7 network and run signaling paths to as many central offices as you can cover until you hit the maximum number of ports, before you need another gateway," Schneider said. "We think that this is fairly unique at this point in time."

TeleChoice's Jenkins agrees. "Just getting rid of [primary rate interface] links is something the market has touted for a long time, but the way this is being done is a little different," Jenkins said.

Ariel's way is by "getting rid of very expensive links from the carrier in exchange for inter-machine trunks, which are relatively inexpensive, even though they have the same amount of bandwidth," Jenkins added.

The market potential for this product is large, considering that nearly every incumbent LEC and most CLECs support Internet traffic and that "there is a large number of service providers that don't want to invest in Class 5 switches anymore," Jenkins said.

The solution would be particularly interesting to CLECs whose Class 5 switching infrastructure is stretched to capacity, he added. "But there is a lot of argument whether Class 5 infrastructures are really stretched. It depends on who you believe."