May 27, 2008

BTC (Bahamas) goes NGN with Sonus and Calix

Sonus Networks, along with Calix have signed an agreement with The Bahamas Telecommunications Company Limited (BTC) to bring a next generation communications network to The Bahamas. This is a major advancement in the convergence of voice and Internet services that will give the people of The Bahamas a world leading communications infrastructure.

Sonus Networks has been chosen to replace the legacy technology across the entire wireline network, and will plan and manage the migration and implementation from core to edge of the new network, using its IP based technology. Sonus will also deploy equipment from market leading access solutions partner Calix, to manage and deliver advanced IP services from the central office to the network edge. BTC is making this investment in the
future of the Bahamian Commonwealth's communications industry to provide a network that will enable it to maintain a lead over future competitors and be responsive to subscribers' needs.

"The Bahamas Telecommunications Company continues to deliver on its promise to provide leading edge technology to maintain the competitive position of The Bahamas in the global marketplace. Our customers deserve the highest quality of voice and Internet services," commented I. Kirk Griffin, executive vice president at BTC. "By migrating from the traditional network to an IP-based infrastructure from Sonus Networks, we are bringing world class communications throughout our region. We are preparing for the future delivery of next generation network services, enabling our business and residential communities to remain globally competitive and connected." In addition, The Calix solution provides us with an access infrastructure on which we can grow—both in terms of bandwidth and services—for years to come while significantly reducing operating costs."

BTC concluded that the fully integrated IP-based platform from Sonus Networks will bring significant reduction in the amount of equipment needed to manage the growing traffic across BTC's network, when compared to their
existing legacy systems. BTC estimates that, by choosing Sonus technology, it will save over a million dollars a year in energy costs alone, and approximately another million dollars a year in maintenance and upgrades. The plan also includes a disaster recovery site located in Miami, to allow BTC to quickly recover the islands' communications network, should an unforeseen event such as a hurricane cause outages in Nassau.

Sonus is migrating the entire wireline network, which is spread across 16 islands. The Sonus components that will be implemented include the Sonus Insight Element Management System (EMS)(TM), Sonus PSX (TM), Sonus GSX9000 (TM) media gateway and Network Border Switch(TM), the Sonus ASX (TM) Class 5 feature server and Sonus SGX (TM). This advanced IP-based network also includes the integration of access solutions from Calix, including the Calix C7 Multiservice Access Platform (MSAP). The network components will be primarily installed in the islands of Grand Bahamas and New Providence. The other islands will be served by this centralized equipment over the BTC MPLS network. BTC will also have equipment located in Miami, to terminate traffic to local US carriers, as well as function as a disaster recovery site. If an unforeseen event occurs, the islands' communications network can be quickly recovered by the back up network components located in Miami.

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