re: MetaSwitch Gears Up for VOIP BoomDisclaimer: I'm a happy Metaswitch user, going back to some beta testing.
Metaswitch isn't designed for RBOCs. The VP3-series switches are designed to be cost-effective for smaller carriers. A CLEC, a rural IOC, a cable company, or a VoIP operator -- these are companies who need a switch that comes in for the lowish six figures, well-supported. Coppercom and Taqua/Tekelec are the two main competitors with Class 5 capabilities. Lucent's Telica can probably do the job too, but to some potential users, Lucent is a scary prospect. Also, the Telica box is larger; it will grow bigger in one chassis for the big users (vs. multiple Metaswitch gateways, for instance) but probably costs more to say hello.
re: MetaSwitch Gears Up for VOIP Boom If Metaswitch is the "only true" Class 5 replacement as implied by partner Fujitsu, why would Metaswitch target Tier 2 vendors?
Just what is a 'true class 5 replacement'? Does it appear to be a class 5 to the rest of the carrier's network. If so, what is the point of having it? "Come get your new IP switch. It is just like your TDM switch." Where is the benefit in that to either the carrier or its customers beyond putting some IP trunks on the class 5? Is it the idea of having colocated media gateways and central call controllers? This does not sound like a class 5 replacement
re: MetaSwitch Gears Up for VOIP BoomIf Metaswitch is the "only true" Class 5 replacement as implied by partner Fujitsu, why would Metaswitch target Tier 2 vendors? Seems to me as though if they were indeed the only game in town, they would not have TIME for these folks.
re: MetaSwitch Gears Up for VOIP Boomdljvjbsl, Most large carriers sent out RFPs for these Class 5 and Class 4 replacements more than a couple of years ago. The most poular carrier contract was for Siemens (I have no interest in them). Besides being cheaper than upgrading class 5 switches, this arrangement allowed the carriers to migrate to new technologies, such as VoIP. Now I thought that VoATM made more sense for this application because it scaled for the large class 5 switches(>100k subscribers), had better QoS (separation), and at the time priced better. But good gateways, like those mentioned in the article, could be configured either way and be economically placed in a POP from 100 to 500k subscribers.
Metaswitch isn't designed for RBOCs. The VP3-series switches are designed to be cost-effective for smaller carriers. A CLEC, a rural IOC, a cable company, or a VoIP operator -- these are companies who need a switch that comes in for the lowish six figures, well-supported. Coppercom and Taqua/Tekelec are the two main competitors with Class 5 capabilities. Lucent's Telica can probably do the job too, but to some potential users, Lucent is a scary prospect. Also, the Telica box is larger; it will grow bigger in one chassis for the big users (vs. multiple Metaswitch gateways, for instance) but probably costs more to say hello.