MetaSwitch Wins in Hawaii

HONOLULU -- Bridging the "Digital Divide" and offering advanced services and next-generation communications choices to customers are key objectives for Pacific LightNet, Inc. (PLNI). The Hawaii-based company, which offers a full range of integrated telecommunication products including the state's first voice over broadband phone service, "808NetFone," has teamed with MetaSwitch, a leading vendor of carrier switching and applications solutions, to make the next-generation infrastructure transition, delivering on these customer-focused goals in the process.

Since its inception, PLNI - which owns and operates Hawaii's largest inter-island fiber-optic network with more than 10,000 submarine and terrestrial fiber miles connecting the six major islands - has used Nortel DMS digital switches. During the past two-and-a-half years, PLNI has been updating its network, including deploying Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) on its fiber optic network, increasing the bandwidth to allow 400GB of connectivity. MetaSwitch allows PLNI to leverage this increased network bandwidth and end-to-end Gigabit Ethernet architecture, by moving to an all-IP infrastructure and providing next-generation advanced services to its customers, including hosted PBX functionality for businesses and enhanced PC-based calling features for residential consumers.

"Our business mantra is 'Connecting Hawaii, Connecting Hawaii to the World,' and an integral part of this commitment is providing customers with the most up-to-date, innovative technologies and services," said Pat Bustamante, President and Chief Operating Officer, PLNI. "MetaSwitch empowers us to do just that - for residential and business customers - and once installation is complete, we'll be the first company in Hawaii to deploy these types of next-generation service offerings."

Pacific LightNet selected MetaSwitch last month, and is currently installing products from MetaSwitch, including the VP3510 Class 4/5 Softswitch and the UC9000 Unified Communications System, a suite of extensible applications built on IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) standards including Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). The deployment will be the first implementation of an IMS service delivery architecture in Hawaii.

"MetaSwitch understands Pacific LightNet's plan to be the 'premier integrated communications provider to Hawaii,' offering the latest telecom services to the islands' businesses and residents," said Mike Ward, MetaSwitch Senior Vice President of Sales. "We are pleased to work with Pacific LightNet to make this goal a reality, delivering innovative telephony solutions that enable carriers such as PLNI to more quickly and cost effectively offer new multimedia-enhanced IP services."

Metaswitch Networks