Nortel introduces products to help small operators migrate to VoIP

Nortel Networks is helping rural service providers cost-effectively migrate their networks to voice-over-IP by using a series of new software and hardware to upgrade existing Nortel digital switches, communications servers and media gateways.

“Between CALEA requirements that came into play in June and local number portability, as well as some cable competition that’s now spreading into the rural space, these folks have a compelling reason to be more aggressively deploying a packet infrastructure for data and DSL services,” said Jenna Stanley, director of carrier voice-over-IP marketing for Nortel.

Stanley estimated that Nortel now provides equipment to about 70% of this market sector with either its smaller DMS-10 switch or the lager DMS-100. Using Nortel’s product strategy, DMS-10 users can upgrade to a new scalable softswitch and migrate their line investment to a processing node.

Those with DMS-100s can upgrade to a DMS-2000, which includes new hardware and upgraded software. Either way, the investment can be paid off in about four years, or sooner, depending on the service providers’ ability to develop and deliver enhanced features and accrue incremental revenues.

“We’ve found that bringing the softswitch into the Class 5 market for these service providers and allowing that product to leverage some of their existing line investment actually changes the landscape from the financial payback that they can obtain by moving to packets,” Stanley said.

“We’re not only giving them some enhancements to their existing DSS architecture that will let them continue profitably with their TDM, but we’re also working with them to put our scalable products out there as they start to build the infrastructure to offer broader-based DSL services.”

Several independent providers are already testing the products, she added, with adoption expected in a relatively short time frame.

“Independent service providers are actually much quicker to the punch,” she said. “These folks in a large majority of cases will rely on Nortel test labs to have done the validation and actually begin deployment in a first office application environment.”