MetaSwitch And Woodwind Communications Conduct First Interoperability Tests Of ATM Forum BLES Specification.Business Editors/High Tech Writers ALAMEDA, Calif. & GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 2000 Standards Compliant Broadband Products Offer Service Providers Flexible Solutions For Deploying Broadband Services. MetaSwitch (tm) and Woodwind Communications today announced they are the first companies to complete successful bilateral interoperability testing of the approved ATM Forum A membership organization founded in 1991 to promote ATM networking technology. It worked with ANSI and the ITU to set standards. Its first specification in 1992 defined the User-Network Interface (UNI). In 2004, the Forum merged with the MPLS and Frame Relay Alliance. Broadband Loop Emulation Service (BLES BLES Broadband Loop Emulation Service (DSLF) BLES Buffer Layer Engineering in Semiconductors (ESPRIT Project 6854) ) specification. By deploying the standards-compliant MetaSwitch VP3000 integrated Broadband Voice Platform in the Central Office (CO) and the Woodwind Clarinet integrated access device An IAD is a customer premises device that provides access to wide area networks and the Internet. Specifically, it aggregates multiple channels of information including voice and data across a single shared access link to a carrier or service provider PoP (Point of Presence). (IAD (Integrated Access Device) A device that multiplexes a variety of communications technologies in the customer's premises onto a single telephone line for transmission to the carrier. It also demultiplexes the incoming streams into their respective channels. ) in the customer premise, service providers can now deliver voice over broadband services including both voice over Asynchronous Transfer Mode See ATM. (communications) Asynchronous Transfer Mode - (ATM, or "fast packet") A method for the dynamic allocation of bandwidth using a fixed-size packet (called a cell). See also ATM Forum, Wideband ATM. ATM acronyms. Indiana acronyms. (VoATM) and voice over Digital Subscriber line See DSL. (communications, protocol) Digital Subscriber Line - (DSL, or Digital Subscriber Loop, xDSL - see below) A family of digital telecommunications protocols designed to allow high speed data communication over the existing copper telephone lines between end-users and (VoDSL) solutions to their enterprise customers. The ATM Forum's Broadband Loop Emulation Service (BLES) specification enable several channels of voice, voice band data and fax traffic over a broadband subscriber line The line from the customer site to the local telephone company. See subscriber network. connection such as xDSL. It uses AAL (ATM Adaption Layer) The part of the ATM protocol that breaks up application packets into 48-byte payloads which become ATM cells when the 5-byte headers are attached. The AAL resides between the higher layer transport protocols and the ATM layer. 2 (ATM adaptation layer 2) for narrowband services to provide an efficient transport mechanism between the customer premise and the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) The worldwide voice telephone network. Once only an analog system, the heart of most telephone networks today is all digital. In the U.S. . With compliance and interoperability between the two products, the two companies offer a highly flexible solution that will give service providers a competitive edge through the ability to easily deploy services to the customer premise over existing copper loop. Further, by supporting the ATM Forum's standards-based approach, the MetaSwitch-Woodwind solution offers service providers a more cost-effective and scaleable solution. The MetaSwitch VP3000 is an integrated Broadband Voice Platform, combining broadband voice and Class 5 switch functions in a high density, carrier class system. It offers service providers an immediate solution to their VoDSL switching requirements and a future-proof Softswitch-based architecture, with a clear upgrade path to VoIP and other broadband voice services, including wireless. Woodwind's Clarinet Integrated Access Device (IAD) - the first "Soft IAD" - is a software driven customer-located network edge platform that distributes intelligence and services from the central office to the customer location. It offers software-based CLASS and Centrex features, software configurable access interfaces and a software migration path, which enables Service Providers to easily and cost-effectively offer new services to their customers without the costly and cumbersome provisioning and deployment associated with other IADs. The combination of the MetaSwitch VP3000 and Clarinet Soft IADs in a broadband network allows service providers to deliver a broad range of integrated voice and data services, in particular VoDSL and VoATM, to small and medium-sized business customers over existing subscriber line infrastructure. "This is the first serious interoperability testing that has been conducted since the approval of the ATM Forum BLES specification in July," said John Palombo, Vice President of MetaSwitch Development. "And the great thing is that we've been able to run the testing solely by reference to the published specification. Neither of us did any specific development activity to get through the tests. We just shipped systems, and tested - and it worked. We are extremely pleased to add Woodwind Communications to our list of interoperability partners." "With the launch of the Soft IAD concept and its first implementation in the Clarinet, Woodwind demonstrated its commitment to leading the industry with highly flexible standards-based customer premise access devices. Our early completion of interoperability testing of the ATM Forum's critical BLES standard further demonstrates our commitment to giving service providers the solutions they need to deliver their customers cost-effective and reliable next generation services," said Parag Sheth, Vice President of Marketing for Woodwind. About MetaSwitch and Data Connection MetaSwitch was formed by Data Connection (DCL (1) (Digital Command Language) Digital's standard command language for the VMS operating system on its VAX series. (2) (Data Compression L ) to build best-of-breed solutions for Voice-over-DSL and other broadband voice requirements, based on the unrivaled software and hardware experience, expertise and technology that Data Connection has built up over nearly twenty profitable years supplying the most demanding Service Provider and equipment vendor customers. MetaSwitch builds on the powerful foundation created by Data Connection, pulling together its massive ongoing investment in the technology required to build converged network The integration of the telephone system with IP-based data networks. See softswitch. (networking) converged network - A single network that can carry voice, video and data. solutions (ATM, SS7, MPLS (1) (MultiProtocol Lambda Switching) The earlier name for GMPLS. See GMPLS. (2) (MultiProtocol Label Switching) A standard from the IETF for including routing information in the packets of an IP network. , MGCP/H.248, SIP...), and new revenue-generating services (directory, unified messaging Having access to e-mail, voice mail and faxes via a common computer application or by telephone. For example, unified messaging may send faxes and digitized voice mail to a mail server that turns them into e-mail attachments. , data/audio/video conferencing). The MetaSwitch support and customer management infrastructure taps right into the deep reservoir of professionalism and experience Data Connection has developed by helping its large strategic customers deliver successful products and services. 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, call 510 748 8230, or visit www.metaswitch.com. About Woodwind Communications Based on the 270 High Technology Corridor, Woodwind Communications is focused on delivering "intelligent" Soft integrated access devices (Soft IADs) that host unique capabilities such as software configurable access interfaces, "toll-quality" voice and a variety of software driven CLASS 5 and Centrex features for the Voice over Broadband (VoB) market. Woodwind's family of Soft IADs enables service providers to easily deploy VoB services to small and medium-sized businesses without the costly and cumbersome provisioning associated with other customer premise equipment (CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) Communications equipment that resides on the customer's premises. CPE - Customer Premises Equipment ). Woodwind's unprecedented deployment ease and superior ability to interoperate with multiple vendor equipment (DSLAMs, Voice Gateways, ATM switches) and multiple infrastructure technologies (ATM, Frame Relay, IP) protect the service provider from technology obsolescence ob·so·les·cent adj. 1. Being in the process of passing out of use or usefulness; becoming obsolete. 2. Biology Gradually disappearing; imperfectly or only slightly developed. while maximizing their access to the broadest possible market. Additional information on Woodwind Communications is available at www.woodwindcom.com. Brands and products referenced herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. |
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