Techwatch --
My posts re: the strength of the T announcement were based on what I was told at the show. I've put in a call to NN's CFO to see if I can get clarification on size and which part of the network is involved.
The NN press release says:
This solution set includes the 3600 and 3645 MainStreet bandwidth management products and the MainStreetXpress(TM) 36170 Multiservices Switch, 36150 Access Switch, 36100 Access Concentrator, and 36035/75 Local Area Network Service Units. The family of network and service management systems includes the MainStreetXpress 46020 Network Manager, 45020 Element Manager, 48020 Multinetwork Service Controller, 56020 Routing Services Control Point, Connext Exec, and Customer Service Management.
This clearly includes NN's ATM switches. The 36170:
newbridge.com
The 45020:
newbridge.com
The 48020:
newbridge.com
The AT&T press release says:
"This new service provides a single, managed-network resource that provides access to data, video and voice services and can be reconfigured to respond to changes in technology and evolving customer bandwidth requirements," he said. "No other provider in the industry offers as much in a comprehensive, managed-network package."
AT&T Solutions Vice President Ed Nalbandian, who has responsibility for MNS, said that deploying AT&T Managed Bandwidth Service with the Newbridge(R) Global Services Management Platform, MainStreet(R) and MainStreetXpresst(TM) products enables AT&T to offer the industry's most comprehensive suite of services that are managed and able to be reconfigured end-to-end.
Depending on a customer's hardware, dial-backup, configuration and transport service designs, AT&T will provide individualized performance-threshold metrics based on specific customer network designs, he said. AT&T Managed Bandwidth Service is currently in controlled introduction and is scheduled for general availability later this year.
AT&T Solutions manages the networks of clients who subscribe to AT&T Managed Bandwidth Service and other offers from Global Network Management Centers in Durham, N.C.; Coral Gables, Fla.; Toronto; Redditch, U.K.; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Singapore; Bangalore, India; and Shanghai, China.
AT&T has invested more than $100 million over the past two years in the sophisticated AT&T Solutions networking-management platform and tools that provide its customers a differentiated level of managed-services quality and performance.
AT&T Solutions, through its outsourcing, networking integration and call center practices, provides linked professional service and seamless solutions that maximize the competitive advantage of networking-based electronic commerce applications.
The AT&T unit provides clients with customized information technology solutions using state-of-the-art tools to operate and manage voice, data, video and internet / intranet services, including local and wide area networks, PABXs, voice-processing systems and voice and data terminals.
And a separate NN press release explains what's involved in their Managed Bandwidth Solutions:
Unlike the industry's earlier xDSL platforms, which employ separate DSL line multiplexers and ATM switches, Newbridge(R) DSL offers unparalleled scalability, manageability and support for value-added services, integrating high-density DSL line cards into the proven MainStreetXpress 36170 Multiservices Switch. The MainStreetXpress 46020 Network Manager provides unified end-to-end management of DSL and other access technologies with ATM backbone networks. Supporting value-added services and profitable deployment of DSL infrastructures, the MainStreetXpress Service Subscription Manager (SSM) facilitates flexible wholesale/retail business models.
The initial phase of extending the broadband managed services via DSL access technology and enhanced services management is available today. The Newbridge solution includes an eight-port ADSL Line Card for the MainStreetXpress 36170 MultiServices Switch, a family of ADSL modems and corresponding POTS splitters, the MainStreetXpress 46020 Network Manager, and the MainStreetXpress Service Subscription Manager.
"The Newbridge ADSL products and our collaborative development of a unique service subscription management application, definitely set this solution apart from competing vendor offerings," said Rita Brown, Assistant Vice President, Marketing, BC TEL Advanced Communications. "This solution provides customers with the ability to dynamically select content provider services and enables BCTel and content providers to work in a very flexible management model. Service subscription management reduces operations costs and provides greater visibility and control to BCTel content and VPN provider partners."
You say that NN can't put a dollar amount on the contract. You may be right but I suspect they have some idea and don't include it in the press release because of legal reasons. [TI estimates the DSP portion of the DSL market at $6 billion within a decade. ]
It's true there are no guarantees how far this contract will take them. Every vendor has to prove its worth over and over. That's true of NN, ASND, CSCO, or anyone else.
And as for the 36190, NN's said it'll be available by the end of the year. Perhaps they didn't include a demo in order to give DSL center stage. I honestly couldn't say.
Okay, while writing this my call to NN came through and I learned the T contract includes:
* a suite of network manager software including the 46020 and 48020.
* CrossKeys's Resolve
* a full array of hardware products, including the 36170. 3600, 3645 TDM muxes, a suite of CPE access muxes, as well as ADSL line cards.
Clearly, the contract is for both software and hardware, and for LAN and WAN, as well as for customer premise equipment.
Later --
Pat
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