ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 26, 2001--MetaSwitch today announced support for flow-through provisioning of voice-enabled Integrated Access Devices (IADs) in its VP3000 Broadband Voice Platform and Element Management System products.
With this enhancement, carriers can now seamlessly provision and configure derived voice lines directly from the MetaSwitch EMS client or other network management systems.
In contrast to the proprietary provisioning approach adopted by some vendors, MetaSwitch has fully implemented the standard management protocol defined for use within the ATM Forum Loop Emulation Service (LES).
MetaSwitch has already demonstrated interoperability with a range of IAD vendors both in its own Alameda, California interoperability lab and at the recent OpenVoB CallFest held at the University of New Hampshire.
"MetaSwitch has again shown leadership in introducing standards-based technologies that enable service providers to easily integrate next-generation voice equipment into their networks," said John Lazar, MetaSwitch's Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "The MetaSwitch VP3000 is now the first Class 5 Softswitch to provide broadband voice access with end-to-end provisioning capabilities based on the ATM Forum standards."
The ATM Forum Loop Emulation Service (LES) specification (ATM Forum af-vmoa-0145) defines an Embedded Operations Channel (EOC) for SNMP-based in-band management communication between an IAD and a Voice over Broadband access switch/gateway.
The ATM Forum has now defined the SNMP MIB used on this EOC channel, known as the CP-IWF MIB, which allows the switch/gateway to query and set the configuration of the IAD to ensure it is compatible with the subscriber's service options. This includes capability to set voice codecs via the AAL2 profile, and the number of active voice ports on the IAD.
To fully support the standard, vendors must support both the EOC and the CP-IWF MIB.
The net result for carriers is the ability to add, move, configure and remove subscriber broadband voice lines from a central network operations center with the same level of reliability as traditional POTS lines - and at lower cost.
The MetaSwitch VP3000 Broadband Voice Platform combines Class 5 Softswitch and broadband voice access in a compact, fault-tolerant chassis. The MetaSwitch Element Management System provides a single management interface with a combined view of multiple VP3000 chassis and associated IADs. Workflow templates enable operators to provision subscriber lines from an easy-to-use graphical Java-based client.
Alternatively, legacy and third party network management systems can be integrated via SNMP or Corba interfaces.
Support for the LES EOC and CP-IWF MIB will be generally available in both the MetaSwitch VP3000 and MetaSwitch Element Management System in December 2001.
About MetaSwitch
MetaSwitch is a division of Data Connection (DCL), a leading provider of communications technology including MPLS, SIP, MGCP, Megaco/H.248, SCTP, ATM, IP conferencing and unified messaging.
MetaSwitch and Data Connection have offices in Alameda (California), Reston (Virginia), and Enfield (North London), Chester and Edinburgh in the UK. For information, email contact@metaswitch.com or visit www.\b metaswitch\b0 .com.
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