MetaSwitch Press Release: TCT West to Launch VoIP with MetaSwitch

MetaSwitch, the leader in Class 5 VoIP for independent and competitive telephone companies, today announced that Wyoming's TCT West, a division of Tri County Telephone, will introduce Voice over IP (VoIP) services based on its VP3500 Series Class 5 Softswitch platform. The move follows the company's decision to deploy MetaSwitch to serve its existing 8,000 subscribers, and is designed to position the rural operator for the increasingly competitive environment opened up by VoIP technology.

"We have now been working with MetaSwitch for several months, and have been impressed by their technology and the depth of expertise they have applied to our deployment," said Chris Davidson, General Manager at Tri County Telephone. "Our experience has validated our selection of MetaSwitch as the leading Class 5 softswitch vendor for both TDM and VoIP, a strategic decision that directly translates into our ability to introduce packet-based services today."

TCT West will initially be deploying VoIP to deliver innovative subscriber services including IP Centrex, both to meet customer demand in-region and to expand into other markets. The VP3500's built-in support for CALEA ensures that the deployment will be fully compliant with the latest FCC ruling that VoIP traffic is subject to lawful interception. The company also plans to take advantage of the increasing availability of SIP interfaces from incumbent and alternative interexchange carriers (IXCs) to reduce long distance trunking costs, as well as leveraging the flexibility of SIP-based application servers. In addition to significant cost savings, TCT West expects the adoption of VoIP to double its subscriber base to 16,000 over the next few years.

"Independent operators are faced with a variety of challenges - such as the emergence of unregulated Internet-based phone services and threats to their current funding structures," said John Lazar, CEO of MetaSwitch. "Tri County Telephone is at the forefront of those taking proactive steps now to ensure their long-term viability. Enabling service providers to do this, to look beyond traditional assumptions about business models and networks, is what MetaSwitch is all about."

The MetaSwitch VP3500 Series Class 5 Softswitch delivers more than 100 features, including residential and business group services, over both circuit and packet-based networks. With integrated and distributed softswitch options, the platform enables service providers to easily migrate to VoIP and softswitch technology. Moreover, MetaSwitch's innovative media gateway design combines TDM and packet processing onto a single card, scaling from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

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.

MetaSwitch is the industry's leading independent broadband Class 5 softswitch vendor. Its widely deployed VP3500 Series Class 5 Softswitch supports over 100 Class 5 features including CLASS services, IP Centrex, E911, LNP, 1-800 and CALEA, and scales from a few hundred to half a million subscribers. Customers include incumbent and competitive local exchange carriers, as well as operators of broadband wireless, cable and fiber networks.

MetaSwitch is a division of established telecom technology provider Data Connection (DCL). The company is consistently profitable and privately held, with US locations in California, Virginia, Texas and Florida, and European headquarters in London, UK.

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.

Press Release: TCT West to Launch VoIP with MetaSwitch

Wyoming ILEC plans to double subscriber base, building on successful Class 5 Softswitch deployment