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This article, written by Bryan Richard, originally appeared in VoIP Magazine, August 30, 2006.
Facilities-based competition not quite dead yet? Broadview Networks, a communications provider that serves seven Northeastern U.S. states, announced this week that they had extended their IP network to nearly 80% of their customers. The IP-centric rollout included lines in both the New York City and Boston metro areas.
Broadview CTO, Kenneth Shulman, said the network upgrade to IP will allow the company to roll out a variety of new services -- including variable bandwidth T1s, hosted IP PBX functionality, and MPLS VPNs -- to their small and medium-sized business customers. Broadview currently has more than 400,000 lines in service.
MPLS-based VPNs were a hot topic at VoiceCon last week with AT&T saying that they would be pushing hard in this area in upcoming months. One representative with the telecom giant stated that, "Everything we send to businesses will have MPLS on it."
MPLS, or Multiprotocol Label Switching, is a standard that allows edge routers to "label" packets on an IP network. The technique can be used to ensure a high level of service quality by giving network priority to certain labeled packets and can also simplify the creation of secure IP tunnels for virtual private networks.
To achieve the network expansion, Broadview's network design employs technology from both MetaSwitch and Juniper Networks for softswitches and routers. MetaSwitch recently assisted another facilities-based service provider -- ComSpan, servicing the Northwest U.S. -- roll out an IP network to rural markets and an aging Baby Boomer population.