Zhone AccessNode Supports ESA

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Zhone Technologies, Inc., the first company dedicated to developing the full spectrum of next-generation local loop infrastructure solutions, today announced support for ESA (Emergency Stand Alone) for services on the AccessNode product family. The addition of support for ESA allows the AccessNode product family to provide intra-switching when links to the Class 5 switch are down.

"Emergency Stand Alone (ESA) capability provides a number of significant advantages for carriers and their subscribers particularly among rural and independent carriers," said David Misunas, vice president and general manager of access products for Zhone. "Zhone has allowed this functionality to be delivered cost-effectively on existing Digital Loop Carriers thereby extending ESA capabilities further to the edge of the network."

"By placing ESA in the UE9000, Zhone has provided CCI with an end office replacement solution that is compact, reliable and relatively inexpensive," said Tom White, senior manager of network engineering for Consolidated Communications in Mattoon, Ill. "This capability allows CCI to meet regulatory requirements while eliminating costly recurring investment in remote switches."

By moving basic carrier class levels of redundancy and manageability out to remote sites, carriers are able to increase their NECA settlement revenues substantially. Increased revenues of 15% per annum can be realized while simultaneously affording improved reliability for subscribers.

Carriers seeing revenue gains from ESA settlements are able to apply these incremental sources of revenue to deploy additional high-bandwidth services such as high-speed Internet access and video.

ESA capabilities are currently available on Zhone's AccessNode product family. The AccessNode and UE9000 products were acquired by Zhone from Nortel Networks in September of 2001. Zhone has continued to evolve the AccessNode products with a range of new capabilities that meet the specific requirements of our customers. These products have also been integrated with Zhone's Single Line Multi-Service (SLMS) solutions architecture to provide the foundation for a next-generation architecture. In a separate release:

Zhone Technologies announced today that envia tel GmbH (envia tel) a provider of local, long distance, Internet, and data services headquartered in Germany has selected Zhone's innovative Single Line Multi-Service (SLMS) architecture to support the company's comprehensive narrowband and broadband service offerings.

Using Zhone's SLMS architecture, envia tel is addressing the needs of a growing market that no other carrier has had the ability to successfully target. In this role, envia tel is providing services in its marketplace that were not previously available in its service areas.

"Zhone designed its Single Line Multi-Service (SLMS) architecture with a clear understanding of the business challenges service providers face in this rapidly changing telecommunications environment," said Ruediger Weckwerth, CEO of envia tel. "We need to make the most of current infrastructure investments and preserve our existing revenue, but at the same time we also must lay the groundwork for the broad set of future services enabled by packet- and cell-voice technologies. Zhone's SLMS architecture is designed to smooth this transition."

envia tel is serving business subscribers around the country. The network is now being further enhanced with the addition of Zhone's MALC product.

The MALC is the industry's first next-generation, high-density packet DLC specifically developed to support both traditional TDM and broadband access in a single platform, delivering any service to any subscriber over a single common infrastructure. Designed for outside cabinet deployments, MDUs and COs, the MALC product family was developed specifically to extend the multi-service network across the local loop / last mile -- combining traditional voice including TDM-based POTS, xDSL (ADSL, SDSL, G.SHDSL, VDSL), T1/E1, ATM T1/E1, CAS, ISDN and BRI voice-over-packet and broadband data in a true carrier-class access platform.

In envia tel's network, Zhone's MALC enhances the network by providing the highest available density and backhaul flexibility all with integrated management and provisioning.

"Zhone's SLMS Architecture enables our customers to offer diversified, toll-quality voice and new premium data services while substantially reducing operating costs at the same time," said Cesare Sirone, Vice President of EMEA Operations for Zhone. "As with all of Zhone's products, the MALC leverages the service provider's investment in existing legacy networks, while allowing flexibility to integrate seamlessly into emerging packetized voice technologies."

Zhone Technologies Inc.