Coherent's c/mor Network Management System Adopted
by BT
LEESBURG, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--August 12, 1997--Coherent Communications Systems
has installed its innovative c/mor(tm) (Coherent's Management Observation and Response) system
at the BT Card Services Network Operations Unit (CSNOU), based in Worthing, UK. c/mor
enables the BT CSNOU team to control remotely the Coherent EC-6000 Series 2 Digital Echo
Cancellers, deployed at its two main switching centers - in Crawley and Newcastle - which
provide echo cancellation for its BT Chargecard, Concert and Ring me Free services. The BT
installation is the first in Europe for Coherent's recently-launched c/mor system, which can be
regarded as one of the most exciting developments in the field of non-intrusive monitoring.
BT operates under a centralized maintenance policy, into which the c/mor concept fits neatly -
Kevin Lane, BT Card Services Implementation Manager, explains: ``The Worthing-based
CSNOU is part of the overall BT Chargecard organization, which operates on The Card Services
Platform. Our maintenance policy involves reducing the need for on-site maintenance and with our
original selection of the Coherent echo cancellers, we wanted to make provision for this facility.
Quality is a paramount consideration and we are continually looking for ways of improving call
quality - the EC-6000s provide us with industry-leading echo cancellation performance, and with
the availability of the c/mor software, we were able to fulfill our requirement for remote monitoring
capability. c/mor enables us to configure, monitor the performance and fault-find the echo
cancellers direct from CSNOU. Although we are only operating a small number of echo
cancellation groups at present, the installation will increase in line with business demand and as a
result, the importance of being able to manage the Crawley and Newcastle sites remotely becomes
even greater.''
Customers making calls from outside the UK with their BT Chargecard - or the new BT Concert
global calling card - are routed into one of BT's seven Digital International Switching Centers
(DISC), which are connected to the two Card Services Switching Centers at Crawley and
Newcastle. The call is then routed through the Card Services Platform, which utilizes a
combination of Ericsson AXE10, NORTEL DMS250 and DMS100 switches. At this point, the
CSNOU team commences monitoring the call, with BT's ISN computer system (developed and
supported by business partner MCI) automatically conducting a standard identification and
verification process. Once this has been completed successfully, the ISN drops out and the call
proceeds normally, routing back out to the PSTN from the Card Services Platform, or in the case
of an international call, out via the echo cancellers to the DISC, and finally out of the network. The
Card Services Platform went live with the ISN system in February 1996 and is currently
connected directly to three of the DISC exchanges - Keybridge, Madley and Kelvin - for
international call activity. Plans are in place to extend this to the remaining four DISC sites in the
near future.
The objective behind c/mor is to improve the operator's ability to monitor its network and control
the quality element more effectively. Utilizing a sophisticated, windows-based graphical user
interface (GUI), c/mor monitors alarms, performance statistics and configuration information, as
well as displaying additional windows for shelf details, channel details, and alarms for both E1 and
T1 channels.
The overall aim of this approach is to ensure the faster identification and resolution of problems,
with a comprehensive report generation feature is also provided. The c/mor system is part of
Coherent's comprehensive family of application-specific software sets, designed to optimize echo
cancellation performance and offer voice enhancement capabilities. Coherent's focus is to provide
telcos, PTTs and network operators with the tools to maximize network performance and voice
quality, on wireline and wireless networks, across the full range of applications. The Company
specializes in providing a complete turnkey service, encompassing all aspects of design, supply,
Installation and maintenance of the cancellers and associated network equipment.
Designed to exceed current ITU-T standards, Coherent's products provide a flexible operating
platform which can be tailored for a range of applications and network environments. At their core
is a combination of Coherent's state of the art ASIC devices, patented Non-Linear Processor
(NLP) techniques, as well as fast and stable convergence (50mS for combined ERL and ERLE of
35dB) - prerequisites for modern network applications.
Coherent Communications Systems Corporation is the world leader in state of the art voice
enhancement technology, spanning echo cancellation platforms and associated network software.
The Company's products are used globally by major wireless and wireline telecommunications
companies and network operators, including AT&T Wireless, BT, Cable & Wireless, Cellular
One, Cisco Systems, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, KDD, Mercury, Nokia, NORTEL,
Telia, and Telmex, among the extensive list. Coherent is a fully accredited ISO 9001 company,
dedicated to maintaining the highest quality standards at every level. The company's US
headquarters is located in Leesburg, Virginia, with European activity conducted by Coherent
Communications Systems Ltd, based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK.
Also available via Coherent's Web Page: coherent.com
Contact:
Diane McClelland at Coherent(tm) +1-703-724-7311
Georgina Garrett at Garrett Axford +44 (0) 1273-441200
E-mail: dmcclelland@coherent.com |
