Telco Systems Looks to the Past, Future with T-Metro

Telco Systems, best known for its success in the TDM channel bank and IAD equipment space, today took another step into the next-generation networking world with the introduction of the T-Metro. This MPLS-based multiservice metro access platform can support both legacy T1 applications as well as new, IP-based services, allowing carriers to leverage existing infrastructure while upgrading their bandwidth and enabling new services.

“Today [service providers] may be delivering T1 services off of this box, but tomorrow they can switch interfaces on the box and deliver 100BaseFx or gigabit Ethernet,” says Dave Lee vice president of marketing and services. T-Metro supports both copper and fiber-based fast Ethernet, gigabit Ethernet as well as T1/E1 circuit emulation interfaces.

“T-Metro allows you to do pseudowire-type applications,” he continues. “So, [it’s] for those carriers that want to backhaul the customer’s traditional T1s, the PBXs or whatever T1-type devices – channel banks – over a metro Ethernet ring. So basically off a metro Ethernet ring that’s pure Ethernet you can now backhaul T1s, which is a huge step for the service providers because they want to move to next-gen networks, but they’ve still got all these T1, legacy interfaces out at the customer prem, and you can’t tell the customer to change out all [their] interfaces.”

Lee says T-Metro targets a variety of carrier applications, including cablecos that are moving to capture new business customers and need to support T1 services; 2G and 3G wireless providers that need to backhaul their new data services as well as pick up traditional T1 network devices; and RBOCs, CLECs and other service providers ready to move into next-generation services.

In addition to handling T1 services, the T-Metro supports MPLS, HVPLS and VPLS, which allows much more scalability in terms of the VLANs or VPNs that service providers can deliver.

Also, the T-Metro can be used to move control of the MPLS network out to the edge, Lee continues, allowing for more granular control of services, since moving that function to the edge allows the service provider to control traffic all the way to the port at the customer premises. The new platform, which is NEBS level 3-compliant, offers fault tolerance and capability to establish hierarchical Quality of Service (HQoS) attributes, and define and manage service level agreements (SLAs) throughout the network for each customer and service.

Lee adds that the T-Metro can operate at either Layer 2 or 3. It acts as either an edge device that interconnects with both a traditional PSTN TDM circuit-switched network and IP/MPLS core network or as an integral part of the MPLS network.

In a ring architecture, T-Metro provides a standards-based carrier grade ring solution with recovery from network failures in less than 50 milliseconds, providing switch recovery performance equal to SONET.

The T-Metro is available now and sells for “significantly” below $10,000, Lee says, noting the new Telco Systems solutions competes with such solutions as the Cisco Systems’ 3750 and products from companies including Atrica, Mangrove and Overture.

"Our new T-Metro redefines what a multiservice metro access edge platform should be in terms of cost, interfaces and variety of converged IP and TDM services it delivers," says Lee. "Its compact modular design reflects extensive input from our customers and partners."

Telco Systems was established in 1972 and got its start selling channel banks and later IADs, and saw significant success selling to the RBOCs. In 1982, the company bought a spinoff from Raytheon that moved it into fiber optics transport. Then, in 2000, BATM, an IP house based in Israel, bought Telco Systems, which helped the parent company makes its IP switch carrier class, says Lee. (And this summer, Telco Systems bought integrated access company Integral Access.)

At SUPERCOMM, Telco Systems announced metro Ethernet access ring capability using its T5 Compact and T6 (large aggregation switch). They are layer 3 products and run on the company’s OS, called BiNOS. “Telco Systems has been building metro Ethernet access ring technology over the last one-and-a-half years,” says Lee. “We take our Ethernet switching products and allow them to sit on a gigE ring, and if you take a fiber cut, if a switch goes down or if you’re adding switch to the network, you’re switching at sub 50 msec, and you can do hitless switching – which allows you to do VoIP, mission critical data applications or video.

The T-Metro, he says, is Telco Systems next step in its evolving metro Ethernet play.

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