Nassau, The Bahamas, May 26, 2008 - In its unending quest to develop and maintain the most modern, cost effective telecommunications solutions for its customers, The Bahamas Telecommunications Company Limited (BTC) has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Sonus Networks and partnering firm Calix to deliver a Next Generation Network (NGN) at a cost of $55 million dollars. As a result in the months to come, BTC will begin to replace its existing fixed voice network with the ultra-modern IP based core network. The new network has many advantages including increased reliability, speed and flexibility, over a highly secure core.
Executive Vice President, Mr. I. Kirk Griffin said “We at BTC take very seriously our corporate responsibility to the entire populace of The Bahamas to provide the most modern, most reliable service delivery platforms. In moving towards an IP based infrastructure, we are establishing the most ultra modern operating platform that will allow residential and commercial customers to connect in ways that could not have been imagined just a few years ago.”
This NGN is yet a further step in the build-out of an ultra-modern national communications infrastructure that will position the company and the country to keep pace with the needs of sophisticated consumers and enterprises.
In 2006, BTC commissioned its Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network in Inagua, which was designed to keep the entire Bahamas connected. In this tropical clime, the country is always affected by the winds and flooding brought on by hurricanes, which leads to outages that in some cases can take weeks to repair. This new solution is designed with a disaster communications recovery site in Miami, Florida to assist in times of natural disasters. The IP based network is built and managed to swiftly communicate so that services are restored. This provides greater assurance to the company’s residential and enterprise customers.
Bandwidth will increase in volumes that have not been heard of before in the country. With the Next Generation Network, our DSL subscribers will be introduced to a variety of new packages, offering more speed, on a highly secure network.
Security has become a mammoth issue with the daily increases in identity theft and fraud. BTC currently offers the most secure DSL network in the country as each customer is connected to the Internet through their own private link, unlike other companies where several customers share the same link. NGN will increase the level of security, and offer greater peace of mind for customers when exploring or conducting business transactions via the Internet.
NGN allows for greater flexibility. The country is at a stage where the need to be connected constantly is second nature. This is evidenced in the 300,000 plus cellular subscribers, and the scores of VoIP customers. When completely functional this solution will allow customers to keep connected using a wide range of applications.
The new network will certainly keep the Bahamas on the cutting edge of technology, a characteristic that is looked upon strongly by foreign investors. Investors in islands as far south as Inagua will have access to world renowned telecommunications services. This keeps the country on par with the rest of the hemisphere.
This new network is also energy efficient. BTC stands to save substantial amounts in energy costs, as this network is less bulky and converges all of the company’s fixed line offerings on a single platform.
The NGN will be implemented over three phases. Phase one will covers the installation and testing of NGN Equipment. Interconnection will be made to US Carriers and Haiti from a location in Miami called NAP of Americas. A geo-redundant node will be installed in Central Gateway in Nassau along with a lab for continuous testing. Phase two will include installing and testing interconnection of Sonus NGN equipment in Freeport and the Core Soft Switch Elements, and the migration of subscriber lines from TDM equipment to Calix equipment for certification. Phase three covers the installation of Calix equipment in all exchanges that presently house DMS switches. These switches will be replaced with the new Sonus Soft Switch at Poinciana, Eight Mile Rock and NAP of Americas Miami. Calix will also replace some of the outdoor cabinets including OPM’s, OPAC’s, AFC’s and Siemens.
Sonus Networks has built similar solutions for scores of other international telcos including AT&T, Carphone Warehouse, Global Crossing and Cable & Wireless. Calix has deployed millions of ports and tens of thousands of systems into hundreds of service provider networks throughout North America.
BTC continues to be progressive in its forward thinking approach for the country. The company remains dedicated to providing efficient and competitive telecommunications services. The goal is to serve clients throughout the islands while enabling the nation to maintain its competitive advantage in the areas of tourism and financial services.
|