[isp-clec] Re: Virtual NPA/NXX

[Roderick Beck <rodbeck@...]

Fred,

I wasn't trying to address Larry's particular concerns. I just noting that IP or packetized neworks 
more generally do reduce grooming requirements. Nor were the comments particularly addressed towards 
small CLECs. I was thinking more of a major IXC or ILEC network.

You've been in end central offices many times. They're jammed full of grooming and muxing equipment.
The equipment is not only expensive, but requires a lot of operational overhead. I bet there are 
armies of techs involved in circuit configuration.

Provisioning circuits still appears to be a nightmare and a lot of that is configuration.

And yes, an IP router is simple than a big TellLabs DACS that takes two racks and requires 
disaggregating circuits down to the DSO level and then aggregating back up.

I look at your beautiful TDM network from the point of view who sells circuits and has to endure the 
agonies of provisioning. It's ugly. It was not meant for rapid scaling. It was designed for gradual 
2% to 3% growth each year and is one of the most customer unfriendly creatures every built. It works 
very well once you have a service, but getting the service is another matter.

Look at the PSTN less as an engineering marvel and more in terms of getting things done. Obviously 
packetized networks running on SONET still run into grooming challenges. That's why although 
Next-Gen SONET equipment is definitely the way to go, carriers still express interested in something 
that can streamline aggregation and disaggregation. Something like RPR.

The PSTN is like a highway every car has to stay in a particular lane. It's high inflexible and 
although that was the price for granular dedicated bandwidth and the benefits, it still gives anyone 
pause who works in this God-forsaken industry.

- R.






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