|
Philadelphia, PA - July 19, 2002 - Comcast
Corporation today announced additional vendors for its
previously released plans for deployment of Voice over
Internet Protocol (VoIP) primary line phone service.
This announcement brings Comcast
one step closer to offering our customers another great
product residential voice service, said
Comcast Cable Communications President Steve Burke.
VoIP will play a significant part in Comcasts
future, and were pleased to help lead the way
in bringing this service to consumers.
Comcasts initial deployment of
its wireline VoIP voice service will run on Syndeos
Syion 426 Call Management Server. This core element
of the VoIP network will route packetized voice signals
over facilities originally designed for data transmission,
thus enabling Comcast to leverage its existing HFC (hybrid
fiber-coax) network and back office operations to deliver
both high-speed data and voice communications.
The additional vendors tentatively selected
to supply remaining network components for Comcasts
initial VoIP service deployment are as follows: IP Unity
Harmony6000 Media Server platform will be used
for automated announcements and to provide unified messaging
service; Lucent Technologies VitalAccess software
will provision the customer premises equipment; BayPackets
RSI Mediate Record Keeping Server will process
call events to create call detail records for billing
and revenue assurance; Convergys ICOMS will be used
for billing; Nuera ORCA® media gateway will provide
the interface for voice traffic between the cable network
and public switch telephone networks; Intel® SIU131
SS7 Signal Interface Unit will provide the interface
for signaling between the cable network and signaling
used by traditional telephone service providers. The
Sigma Service Management Platform from Sigma Systems
will seamlessly enable automated flowthrough service
provisioning between Convergys, Syndeo, Lucent and IP
Unity. Suppliers of the customer premises equipment
have yet to be announced.
Each of the vendors participating in the deployment
has committed to developing their respective products
in compliance with PacketCable specifications.
PacketCable is a CableLabs®-led initiative aimed
at developing interoperable interface specifications
for delivering advanced, real-time multimedia services
over two-way cable plant. By deploying a PacketCable
compliant platform, Comcast can ensure its IP phone
service has the reliability, features and fidelity to
which consumers are accustomed.
Previously Comcast announced that it
has selected ARRIS to provide DOCSIS 1.1 carrier
class CMTS equipment to manage the transmission and
routing of IP voice packets with other data packets
over the same cable network. Comcast plans to introduce
IP phone service in a portion of the Philadelphia market
in the second quarter of 2003. The exact location of
and prices for the phone service have not been announced.
Financial arrangements with vendors have not been disclosed.
Comcast currently offers circuit-switched voice telephone
service to about 40,000 customers in Michigan and Virginia.
About Comcast
Comcast Corporation (www.comcast.com)
is principally involved in the development, management
and operation of broadband cable networks, and in the
provision of electronic commerce and programming content.
Comcast Cable is the third largest cable company in
the United States serving more than 8.5 million cable
subscribers. Comcast's commerce and content businesses
include majority ownership of QVC, Comcast-Spectacor,
Comcast SportsNet, The Golf Channel, Outdoor Life Network,
G4, a controlling interest in E! Networks, and other
programming investments. Comcast's Class A Special and
Class A Common Stock are traded on The Nasdaq Stock
Market under the symbols CMCSK and CMCSA, respectively.
Back to
top
|