MetaSwitch and Big River Deploy VoIP Softswitch in Record Time

Successful "heart transplant" of over 1,000 trunks to MetaSwitch VoIP Softswitch completed just 20 days after purchase decision

 

Alameda, CA, and Cape Girardeau, MO: August 3, 2004. In what could be a record for the softswitch industry, Big River Telephone has completed the hot cut-over of 1,000 trunks - a "heart transplant" of its network - just 20 days after making the decision to purchase a MetaSwitch Class 5 softswitch. Big River, a locally owned telecommunications provider in the Missouri-Illinois-Kentucky region, is now carrying 30 million minutes of VoIP traffic per month through its MetaSwitch VP3500 Class 5 Softswitch.

Big River Telephone is one of the oldest competitive telephone providers in the country, with over 20 years of experience. Now live for three months, its MetaSwitch is serving over 4,000 lines and trunks, a number which is expected to increase as Big River uses the switch for new applications including VoIP over Cable, DSL and Fiber to the home (FTTH). The company was also recently one of the first to deploy Broadband over Power Line (BPL).

"We turned to MetaSwitch because we needed something that worked, that we could deploy quickly," explains Kevin Keaveny, Big River Telephone's Vice President of Engineering and Operations. "I'm pleased to say that MetaSwitch has delivered, and exceeded all our expectations."

Jerry Howe, Big River Telephone's CEO, was particularly impressed by how closely the MetaSwitch team worked with Big River to ensure a successful deployment: "The support is what really sets these guys apart. They sold us a product and hung around and became part of our team to make it work."

Keaveny expands on Howe's comments: "It is great to call the MetaSwitch support team and find a wealth of knowledge and understanding not only of what their product does, but of the environment in which it operates, whether it is SS7 signaling, call record processing, or the myriad other interfaces in which a telephone switch operates. While many vendors have great technical staff, very few have the positive, helpful attitude and dedication to supporting the customer found across the MetaSwitch support team. This, in itself, puts MetaSwitch head and shoulders above their competition."

In terms of technology, MetaSwitch's key advantage was its ability to act as a robust "traditional" Class 5 switch with protocols such as SS7 and ISDN, while enabling a smooth migration to a next generation network architecture based on SIP, H.248 and MGCP. In fact, Big River is already exploiting its flexible feature server interface with an IP-based conferencing and voicemail system developed in-house. The company plans to build on that application with call management, follow-me, click-to-dial and other advanced capabilities.

"Apart from the accelerated deployment schedule, this was a very straightforward deployment for us," says Bob Harvey, MetaSwitch Regional Manager. "With the growing acceptance of VoIP, we are installing at least one switch every week at the moment. The success of Big River's deployment, one of more than 50 to date, serves to solidify our reputation as the proven solution for Class 5 VoIP softswitch."

For more information, including a network diagram, please visit www.metaswitch.com/rescenter/bigriver.htm.

About Big River Telephone

Big River Telephone Company is a full service telecommunications provider serving the local needs of Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois, and Western Kentucky. With more than 20 years of experience, the company is one of the oldest competitive telephone providers in the country and the largest locally owned regional carrier.

Based in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Big River Telephone provides local service, long distance calling, Internet, 800, data services, calling cards, international, wireless, high speed Internet services, conferencing, and consulting services.

About MetaSwitch

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.