Yukon Telephone Selects MetaSwitch Following Independent 'Bake-off' of Four Next Generation Class 5 ...
By Metaswitch on Apr 22, 2003 8:00:00 AM
Yukon Telephone Selects MetaSwitch Following Independent 'Bake-off' of Four Next Generation Class 5 Switches - MetaSwitch VP3500 Completes Reeve Engineers' Rigorous Testing.
ALAMEDA, Calif.-(BUSINESS WIRE)-April 22, 2003-MetaSwitch today announced that Yukon Telephone, the incumbent provider for the rural Alaskan communities of Whittier, Tanana and Ruby, has selected its MetaSwitch VP3500 Next Generation Class 5 Switch to replace its existing Mitel and Redcom TDM Class 5 Switches.
The decision follows a side-by-side evaluation, conducted by Reeve Engineers in Anchorage, of the VP3500 and switches from Taqua, Gluon and CopperCom.
Whitham Reeve, a professional engineer and founder of Reeve Engineers, undertook the comparative evaluation on behalf of 10 Alaskan telcos over a six-month period. The evaluation included installing each switch in the Reeve Engineers laboratory and connecting them to systems inside and outside the lab with SS7 and CAS trunks.
The evaluation's purpose was to determine whether these end office switching systems are suitable for deployment in rural Alaska.
The MetaSwitch VP3500 Next Generation Class 5 Switch provides both legacy and broadband interfaces, including GR-303, VoATM and VoIP as well as advanced Web-based subscriber services. Yukon Telephone is deploying the VP3500 in its Whittier Central Office as a first step towards an all-IP network.
Given the uniquely challenging Alaskan environment, the company's remote locations will be served via a satellite link.
"As a forward-thinking service provider, we are looking to a future with voice services delivered over a distributed, IP-based architecture. The MetaSwitch VP3500 is a great solution for us, because of its ability to replace the TDM capabilities and custom calling features of our existing switch, while also providing next generation interfaces and services today," said Don Eller, General Manager of Yukon Telephone. "Our own experience with MetaSwitch, backed up by Whit Reeve's extensive testing, convinced us that it is the leading next generation Class 5 switch on the market today."
About Yukon Telephone
Yukon Telephone provides local telephone service in the communities of Ruby, Tanana, and Whittier Alaska. In 1960, Yukon started providing telephone service to Tanana, making it one of the first villages to have local telephone service. In 1980, Yukon was requested by the residents of Ruby to provide telephone service and in 1984 Yukon purchased the Whittier exchange.
Yukon Telephone Co. Inc., Tanana Power Co. Inc., and Supervisions Cable TV are affiliated companies managed by the Eller family.
About MetaSwitch
MetaSwitch, a division of Data Connection, is the result of 21 years of experience supplying leading-edge technology to the telecommunications industry. Data Connection's track record of consistent profitability ensures long-term commitment to product development and customer support.
The MetaSwitch VP3500 Next Generation Class 5 Switch offers service providers an immediate solution for broadband (VoIP and/or VoATM) and POTS service and a future-proof "softswitch" architecture for enhanced applications.
MetaSwitch has offices in Alameda, CA, Dallas, TX and Reston, VA in the US and London, Chester and Edinburgh in the UK.