Net to Net Technologies offers 'comprehensive' QoS for IP DSL

Net to Net Technologies Ethernet enabled Video solution including the new IP QoS functionality is being demonstrated at ITU Telecom Geneva and can be seen at the US Pavilion, Hall 1, stand 1230.707.

13 October 2003 Newbury, UK, Lightwave Europe -- Net to Net Technologies has announced new IP Quality of Service (QoS) features for its family of IP DSLAMs. These new features deliver the tools needed to enable service providers to deliver quality of service sensitive applications such as the comprehensive "triple play" services of voice, IP television, and high-speed Internet.

The IP DSLAMs are utilised by incumbent and competitive carriers, ISPs and rural service providers to provide multi-service broadband access, delivering ADSL, ADSL2+, SHDSL, and T1/E1 technologies.

The company says that the new QoS solution enhances some of the existing features, such as 802.1Q VLANs, 802.1p priority, and IP Type of Service (TOS) support, to create a system wide solution to "guarantee"that IP data packets are given the appropriate handling through the DSLAM and out to the metro or core network.

This packet handling capability allows telecom operators and service providers to deliver multiple different services over a single DSL line, including voice, IP TV, and data.

Enhancements to the IP QoS offering include Differentiated Services support to maintain QoS parameters across both the LAN and WAN and the ability to prioritise packets based on IP address information for traffic control and engineering as well as additional security.

To deliver to the service provider control over each DSL port Rate limiting and enhanced VLAN capability have been added. These provide the ability to cap the amount of bandwidth a particular service can use, and allows traffic engineering and control to be extended to the access network.

In a competitive broadband market service providers are deploying value added services such as voice, gaming applications and Video on Demand and IP Television to enable them to compete with cable and satellite providers.

Net to Net claims its QoS solution provides the necessary mechanisms to guarantee specific service types, such as Voice over IP or IP television, have higher priority through the DSLAM than other lower priority services, such as high-speed Internet or gaming.

Ken Latimer, Chairman and CEO of Net to Net, says, "Our solution is will give providers the necessary capabilities to deliver carrier class 'triple play' services. Carriers need to guarantee that voice calls are crystal clear, and IP television is equal to or better than cable, while at the same time delivering other revenue generating services. Our solution aims to deliver this capability over a cost-effective, native IP and Ethernet infrastructure."

Net to Net's DSLAMs are based on native IP and Ethernet technologies, not ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode). ATM offers significant QoS capabilities, but also introduces considerable cost, complexity, and provisioning challenges. By contrast, native IP and Ethernet can deliver the necessary QoS at much better price points while simplifying the broadband network.

The Net to Net Technologies' QoS solution is available as a firmware upgrade for existing hardware, and will begin shipping in October, 2003. Existing customers may download the new firmware from Net to Net Technologies' web site. Initially available for our ADSL product set other technologies including SHDSL and T1/E1, will soon provide the same QoS features.

About Net to Net Technologies
Net to Net Technologies is a provider of Ethernet-based IP DSL broadband solutions, with over 600 customers in 50 countries worldwide. Its DSL products provide DSLAMs, CPE, and Backhaul solutions optimised for Internet Protocol (IP) transport over an Ethernet packet based architecture.

Deploying Ethernet based IP DSL solutions allow carriers and service providers to provide broadband access without the need to deploy ATM. Net to Net Technologies is headquartered in Portsmouth, NH, USA with EMEA Headquarters in Newbury, UK.