Occam Networks Inc., a supplier of Ethernet- and IP-based loop carrier equipment, has added three independent operating companies (IOCs) to its list of customers: Long Lines, Partner Communications Cooperative and Western Iowa Telephone.
“As we continue to add new customers it is clear that our vision of an Ethernet- and IP-based access network is quickly becoming a reality," says Russ Sharer, vice president of marketing and sales for Occam. "These new customers are deploying cutting edge access networks that use a softswitch architecture, such as that provided by MetaSwitch, rather than a traditional TDM architecture. They are sold on the flexibility, cost-effectiveness and scalability that only Ethernet and IP provide."
Gilman, Iowa-based Partner Communications Cooperative worked with Goldfield Telecom, an IP equipment supplier based in Iowa, to select and install the Occam BLC 6000 System. It will deploy the BLC in two central offices and in four remotes. Partner has completed the first phase turning up the BLC to deliver POTS and ADSL2+ services to subscribers in the Gilman and Kellogg, Iowa, exchanges. The cooperative plans to incorporate the BLC with its MetaSwitch VP3510 Series Class 4/5 Softswitch along with its Lucent 5ESS VCDX traditional switch. Using the BLC, the IOC has also built a redundant fiber ring between Gilman, Kellogg and State Center.
Long Lines is using the BLC 6000 System to deliver POTS and high-bandwidth services such as DSL over its existing copper lines. The Sergeant Bluff, Iowa-based IOC has the Occam BLC 6000 deployed in its central office as a central office terminal and in five remote cabinets. Long Lines has been delivering service from one of the five remote sites for more than six months. The carrier plans to install Occam BLCs in additional remote locations over the next few years as it overbuilds the existing copper infrastructure in neighboring towns it serves as a CLEC.
Western Iowa Telephone is in the process of replacing its current digital loop carriers with the Occam BLC 6000 System and has deployed the BLC 6000 in its central office and seven remotes to date. Before selecting the Occam BLC, the IOC had transitioned its TDM architecture to a softswitch-based network. Currently Western Iowa uses IP to transport traffic from its remote cabinets to its MetaSwitch VP3500 Series Class 5 Softswitch.
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