General Bandwidth Launches The G6® Reverse Media Gateway
Austin, Texas – General Bandwidth, a leading Voice over IP (VoIP) equipment manufacturer enabling rapid deployment and new service revenue generation over broadband networks, launches its G6® Reverse Media Gateway (MG) for immediate availability. The G6 Reverse MG enables legacy remote terminals such as wireline Digital Loop Carriers (DLC) and cable Host Digital Terminals (HDT) to seamlessly migrate from Class 5 call control to IP-based softswitch call control.
Based on General Bandwidth’s “award winning” G6 Universal Media Gateway platform, the G6 Reverse MG solves a significant hurdle which service providers are faced with relative to seamlessly and economically converting their circuit-based remote terminals to packet. Remote terminals using GR-303, TR-08 or V5.2 circuit technology until now have been islands set apart with no effective means of connecting to the new IP-based features and benefits of packet switching technology.
“With the G6 Reverse MG, a major impediment to reaching the objective of an all-IP network has been removed,” said Charles Vogt, General Bandwidth’s president and chief executive officer. “The G6 Universal Media Gateway is the only NEBS-3, OSMINE, PacketCable and RUS certified media gateway platform enabling service providers to have access and trunking media gateway diversity on one platform.”
General Bandwidth’s G6 Reverse MG is a valuable asset to any provider’s network migration plans, enabling Class 5 decommissioning and augmentation, switching office consolidation, softswitch implementation, and allowing new IP-based services to be delivered over the circuit-based access plant. Today’s wireline network DLCs and cable network HDTs connect to Class 5 switches over standard GR-303, TR-08 and V5.2 interfaces so that dial tone and features can be provided to customers. With the G6 Reverse MG, these interfaces can be easily migrated to the G6 platform, using DS-1/E-1 or DS-3/STS-1 connections between the G6 and DLCs/HDTs. Due to the G6 platform’s extensive softswitch support and port capacity, thousands of customers on multiple DLCs/HDTs can be served from a single G6 platform and softswitch, creating substantial cost savings and enabling new feature functionality for customers, including web-based portal services. In addition, the same G6 platform can simultaneously perform as a trunking media gateway, further reducing the cost and complexity of elements in the softswitched network.
“The market potential for this product is significant,” said Kermit Ross, principal consultant at Millennium Marketing and co-author of An Excess of Access. “There are over 220,000 digital loop carrier remote terminals with over 40 million working lines in the U.S. alone. Most are connected to circuit switches via either GR-303 or TR-08 direct digital interfaces. Service providers want to migrate to packet-technology softswitches but they can’t justify replacing their entire legacy access infrastructure at the same time. The G6 platform will allow a carrier to accelerate its migration to softswitches while extending the life of its DLCs. It will provide a standard interface for virtually any legacy DLC to connect to virtually any softswitch. General Bandwidth’s is the first solution that logistically and economically makes sense. It looks like the right product at just the right time…a real winner.”
“Many service providers are seeking to upgrade their voice network from Class 5 switches to softswitches, yet legacy access can be a significant barrier in their upgrade plans given the softswitch’s inability to support legacy access gear,” said Kevin Mitchell, Directing Analyst, Service Provider Voice and Data, Infonetics Research, Inc. “One of the major drivers of next gen voice is network consolidation and opex savings, and without tying existing access networks to the growing VoIP infrastructure, carriers will be forced to run dual networks, which is costly and inefficient. Carriers cannot justifiably remove these legacy access networks and must bridge this divide. General Bandwidth’s G6 Reverse MG can serve as this bridge, enabling softswitch control of voice customers connected via legacy DLCs.”
About The G6 Universal Media Gateway Platform
The G6 Universal Media Gateway Platform is the architectural basis for the multiple media gateway products offered by General Bandwidth. The G6 platform is a true carrier class VoIP services platform with the capability to simultaneously support multiple service architectures including legacy Class 5 switches, SIP-based feature servers, and next generation softswitches. The platform supports a variety of packet and PSTN interfaces, scaling from 240 to 16,128 simultaneous DS0s in a single chassis. The company markets the following media gateway products globally:
G6 Access MG
Providing Class 5 services over VoIP and AAL1/AAL2 broadband networks using existing GR-303, TR-08, V5.2, or T1/E1 CAS interfaces; extending the life of the legacy switching network.
G6 Reverse MG
Proven interoperable with the leading wireline and cable-based softswitches via MGCP or H.248, the G6 Reverse MG enables new IP-based features on legacy remote terminals by enabling their call control to be softswitch-based. The product is applicable to most GR-303, TR-08, and V5.x remote terminals.
G6 Trunking MG
Proven interoperable with the leading wireline and cable-based softswitches, the G6 Trunking MG provides circuit-to-packet media conversion using MGCP, H.248, or SIP softswitch call control. The product is one of only a few media gateways awarded PacketCable™ Media Gateway qualification for the cable network infrastructure. The product also provides SIP to PRI interworking for hosted IP communications services.
G6 Universal MG
The industry’s first universal media gateway serving the ILEC/PTT, CLEC, and MSO networks, the G6 Universal MG provides simultaneous support for all access, reverse and trunking media gateway applications on a single G6 chassis. The product delivers seamless, risk-free migration to next generation services to address evolving broadband and voice service needs. The consolidation and management of voice services through a single G6 significantly reduces capital and operational expenses.
About General Bandwidth
General Bandwidth is a leading provider of Voice over IP (VoIP) infrastructure solutions spanning more than 40 service providers worldwide. General Bandwidth delivers broadband solutions addressing a full range of applications, including residential and business access, trunking and enhanced VoIP solutions. With eight patents issued and ten pending, General Bandwidth’s flagship G6 Universal Media Gateway and network management system are OSMINE, RUS, PacketCable™, NEBS-3 and TL 9000 certified and deployed in RBOCs, CLECs, RLECs and Cable service provider networks worldwide. General Bandwidth was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Additional information on General Bandwidth is available at www.genband.com.
Contacts:
Noah Sessions
GENBAND Inc.
+1.972.265.3664 (office)
noah.sessions@genband.com
Trademark notes: G6 and General Bandwidth are registered trademarks of General Bandwidth Inc.
