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Alameda, CA: February 10, 2004. MetaSwitch
today underscored its leadership position in the next generation Class 5
switch market with the news that two independent telephone companies are
deploying MetaSwitch technology to upgrade and replace their existing central
office digital switches. Idaho's Project Mutual Telephone and Tri-County
Telephone in Wyoming have selected the MetaSwitch VP3500 as their strategic
platform for their existing customer base and regional expansion.
Project Mutual Telephone selected the MetaSwitch VP3500
to avoid the cost of ongoing maintenance and required software upgrades
for its existing Nortel DMS-100 Class 5 switch and enable expansion of its
service area.
"For us, the decision was clear," says Karl
Searle, Senior Vice President and CFO at Project Mutual. "MetaSwitch
offered the most flexible and cost-effective solution for our CLEC (Competitive
Local Exchange Carrier) division, while retaining the proven reliability
that we need to seamlessly transition our existing subscribers. We expect
to see ROI on our investment within 6 months."
Similarly, Tri-County Telephone was looking for a viable
replacement for its Lucent 5ESS® central office Class 5 switch. Whereas most
softswitch deployments to date have been alongside legacy switches (often
called the "cap and grow" approach), Tri-County wanted to decommission
its Lucent switch and cut across all its existing 8,000+ subscribers as
soon as possible. This meant that support for all the traditional services
currently used by those subscribers was critical, as was the ability to
integrate with legacy Lucent access gear. In addition, as the company planned
the growth of its network and business, MetaSwitch's proven ability to deliver
Voice over IP was key.
"Throughout our in-depth RFP process, we were impressed
by MetaSwitch's responsiveness to our requirements, and their vision for
the future of the telephone network," said Randy Lowe, General Manager at
Tri-County Telephone. "The telephone industry is changing fast, bringing
both threats and opportunities for independent telcos like ourselves. We
believe MetaSwitch is the right partner to help us evolve our network and
thrive in this next generation world."
"These deployments demonstrate that MetaSwitch is ready
and able to become one of the major Class 5 switches in the network for
the next decade and beyond," said Mike Ward, MetaSwitch Senior Vice President.
"An important element in MetaSwitch's success is that we enable traditional
telephone companies to go beyond traditional services and deploy new capabilities
such as Voice over IP and Web-based subscriber control."
About Project Mutual Telephone Company
Project Mutual Telephone (PMT) is a full service communication
company, providing local telephone service and associated features, including
long distance, Internet, DSL, wireless Internet and Cable TV. Headquartered
in Rupert, Idaho, Project Mutual Telephone has been serving the Rupert area
since 1916. PMT expanded service to Burley, Oakley, and Heyburn, Idaho in
the late 1990s. They also provide Internet and wireless PCS service in Twin
Falls, Idaho. For more information, see www.pmt.org.
About Tri-County Telephone Company
In 1956 Tri County Telephone Association, Inc., a rural
cooperative, began delivering dial tone to four exchanges in the rural Big
Horn Basin area of northern Wyoming. In 1994, Tri County Telephone purchased
seven telephone exchanges from US West and formed the subsidiary TCT WEST,
INC., to serve these customers. Today TCT WEST, INC., provides voice, video
and data services to eleven communities. In 1997 TRI TEL, INC., a subsidiary
of TCT WEST, INC., was established as a long distance carrier as well as
an Internet Service Provider. For more information, see www.tctwest.net.
About MetaSwitch
MetaSwitch, a division of privately held Data Connection,
is the result of 22 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 widely deployed 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.
For more information, see www.metaswitch.com.
Data Connection and MetaSwitch are trademarks of Data Connection Limited and
Data Connection Corporation. Brands and products referenced herein are the trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.
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Copyright © 2000 - 2008 Data Connection.
MetaSwitch is a registered trademark of Data Connection.
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