NHC Communications Revolutionizes Telephone
Provisioning
New Automatic Cross Connect Switch for Local and Remote xDSL and PBX Line Management
Applications Eliminates Manual Cable Changes for Voice and Data
MONTREAL, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- NHC Communications Inc. (Toronto: NHC - news), the pioneer in physical layer
switch products, has introduced a groundbreaking new voice and data cross connect matrix switch called Switchex/DVS
that allows changes to phone lines remotely from an administrator's console. This eliminates the costly manual connects and
disconnects now required to move, add or change service, dramatically reducing network downtime and labor costs.
As the first physical layer switch to combine both voice and data and to support up to 5,400 lines, the Switchex/DVS
primarily targets Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs), inter-exchange carriers and RBOCs, particularly those
interested in adding faster Internet access through xDSL type services. By permitting electronic testing, provisioning and
management of xDSL lines, the switch frees carriers from the expense and time needed to manually connect test equipment
and hook individual lines into DSLAMs or other devices. It also supports analog voice, ISDN, Basic Rate, X.25, Frame
Relay, Fractional T-1, T1 and E1 lines, permitting instant connects and disconnects even to remote locations.
The Switchex/DVS is also designed for PBX line management, offering the ability to dynamically connect individual phones
to a PBX line without dispatching a technician. This capability is especially useful in remote sites without full-time
technicians and in convention centers, hotels and other applications with an ongoing need to reallocate individual telephony
lines to specific phones.
Huge market: The new switch arrives at a time when the Gartner Group is projecting an annual growth rate in the North
American DSL market of more than 300 percent, with more than 1 million DSL lines to be installed by the year 2001.
Providers will be under pressure to offer faster new ''a la carte'' type menu options to bandwidth-hungry corporate and
residential Internet users, producing a crushing workload at the central office as subscribers sign on for new services and
technologies. As the only solution available to ease the burden, the Switchex/DVS is expected to be rapidly embraced by
providers.
''Since we introduced our first physical layer solutions 15 years ago, we have enabled network managers at thousands of
companies to automate the hundreds of physical cabling changes needed every year to maintain corporate PCs and LANs,''
said Sylvain Abitbol, President of NHC Communications. ''With the combined voice and data capabilities of this new switch,
we offer the same automation capability to providers overwhelmed by the cost of the manual labor required both to maintain
existing services and add new services like xDSL.
''For telecommunications providers as well as network managers in other settings, this is a sea change that will improve the
bottom line by making it possible to make better use of human resources and minimize network downtime,'' Abitbol said.
Cutting-edge product: Replacing the traditional patch panel where manual moves, adds and changes typically take place, the
Switchex/DVS allows service providers to electronically control the provisioning and management of their digital and analog
voice and data circuits either locally or remotely. The switch resides at the central office, is transparent to a network
system's protocol, and in its largest configuration is housed in a 23-inch rackmount chassis, giving it a small footprint ideal
for telecommunication applications where space is at a premium.
The product supports up to 5,400 paired circuits, transparently connecting loop-side pairs to corresponding equipment side
pairs at the physical layer. It also allows pairs to be grouped for special line applications, and it has a built-in test port for
quick and easy connection of diagnostic test equipment to any line. Testing can now be done remotely, eliminating the need
to dispatch a highly trained and expensive technician to the site.
The product includes versatile GUI-based SNMP Connection Management software that allows for unattended local or
remote operation. An unlimited number of switches can be managed by one master VCCS 32 Operating System Software
residing on a PC platform. The software also supports both pre-configured and user-defined scenarios that allow complex
changes to be accumulated and initiated after normal business hours.
For more information, contact NHC Communications at 800-361-1965 or 514-735-2741 or visit nhc.com.
SOURCE: NHC Communications Inc. |
