TOLLBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES "UNLOCKS THE LOCAL LOOP" WITH TOLL-QUALITY MULTILINE VOICE SOLUTIONS OVER DSL FOR COMPETITIVE LOCAL EXCHANGE CARRIERS
IP-based Integrated Voice and Data Solutions Bring True Competition to the Last Mile Sunnyvale, Calif., May 24, 1999 - TollBridge Technologies, a newly announced company, introduced today the first IP-based solution that allows Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs) to deliver all current voice services over Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or any broadband access technology. TollBridge's TollVoice system works with any Class 5 switch and acts as a simple end-to-end overlay to broadband access networks. Designed for LEC bypass, the TollBridge product set consists of three elements: - TB50, Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) that converts voice samples from multiple calls into a single IP packet and prioritizes voice and data traffic for transmission over any broadband access network.
- TB200, a carrier-grade Voice Gateway that translates packets back into voice and connects to Class 5 switches using the Bellcore GR-303 protocol.
- TB-EMS, a graphical Element Management System (EMS) for end-to-end configuration, troubleshooting and performance management of up to 100 TB200 systems from HP OpenView or Solaris platforms.
TollVoice is the first IP-based voice system to deliver, using conventional telephones, the same high voice quality that businesses enjoy today and to provide support for all current voice services from the Class 5 switch. TollVoice works with any phone, fax, modem, key system or PBX, over any broadband access technology. First To Demonstrate GR-303 Interface to the Class 5 Switch
TollBridge is the first company to complete end-to-end testing of voice over DSL using the GR-303 interfaces to a Class 5 switch. Like Signaling System 7 (SS7) on the long-distance trunk side of a switch, GR-303 is the proven Bellcore standard on the access line side of Class 5 switches. GR-303 allows TollBridge products to support value-added Class 5 voice services, such as call waiting, call forwarding, caller ID, oversubscription, automated provisioning and other features. TollBridge has implemented a GR-303 interface supporting protected Timeslot Management and Embedded Operations Channels (TMC and EOC). "Customers do not want to change their behavior or to limit their service options when moving to IP-based voice solutions. That's why GR-303 support is important to us," said Colin Case, director of strategic technologies at ICG Communications (NASDAQ: ICGX). "TollBridge has successfully demonstrated calls to our lab switch using GR-303." TollBridge offers an overlay approach to voice services that requires no changes to the voice CLEC's existing networks or operations. Value-added features at the Class 5 switch are transported as part of the packetized voice information, meaning that end users enjoy the same voice services they have today. Kudjape Alojamiento en hotel barato"Small business represents over a third of the communications market. With our solution, CLECs can reach small-business customers anywhere in the Local Access Transport Area (LATA) where broadband services are available instead of being restricted to the reach of just one Central Office (CO)," said Gary Tauss, TollBridge president and CEO. "By allowing voice CLECs to take advantage of emerging broadband access technologies to deliver integrated voice and data services to the small-business segment, TollBridge has opened the small-business voice market to true competition and created a tremendous business opportunity for the competitive carrier." A New Market for Competitive Voice Services
The TollBridge solution allows CLECs to reach the over seven million small businesses in the US who collectively spent $46 billion in 1998 for voice and data services. Before the advent of TollBridge's TollVoice system, voice CLECs (Class 5 switch owners) were unable to serve the small-business market profitably. The old model involved purchasing dedicated voice facilities to the ILEC CO, limiting a voice CLEC's service to businesses whose revenue could justify the high cost of installing a T1 line. TollBridge's solution enables voice CLECs with Class 5 switches to take advantage of the order-of-magnitude reduction in access cost provided by DSL, cable and broadband wireless services. By partnering with data CLECs who sell broadband access and transport in the local loop, voice CLECs can expand their potential customer base and significantly increase revenues-filling their current switches with high-revenue customers from anywhere in the LATA. Data CLECs can sell more lines and increase profits. The end user benefits from increased competition in the local loop. Unlocking the Local Loop for Voice
TollVoice, TollBridge's innovative Any Service over Packets architecture, delivers toll-grade voice quality and comprehensive services at a low cost. The TollBridge solution has been tested with ADSL, SDSL, LMDS, T1, ATM and Frame networks, and enables CLECs to sell the same service over any broadband access technology. The end customer need not even be aware of the technology underlying the service, allowing the CLEC to select the most cost-effective transport technology appropriate for each customer. Any broadband access network carrying IP, the de facto convergence layer, supports the TollVoice architecture. "TollBridge has designed its products with the voice-CLEC business case in mind," said Kevin Dickens, Senior Vice President, Operations and Engineering, ChoiceOne Communications (Rochester, N.Y.). "TollBridge represents a cost-effective solution that can enable ChoiceOne to deliver the full range of telephony services to its small and medium business target customers as well as provide a clear path to converged voice-plus-data and other advanced IP-based applications. That's a real win-win for all concerned. ChoiceOne looks forward to the upcoming field trial of the TollBridge solution." Toll-Quality TollVoice System
To deliver full-featured, toll-quality voice, the TollVoice system uses only the voice coding standards and rates supported by the Class 5 switch. This means any phone, fax or modem works as it does today. The TollBridge TB50 takes inputs from phones, key systems, PBXes and the LAN and is easy to install and configure. Business customers connect their existing telephone equipment to the TB50 over standard interfaces. When a customer makes a voice call, the TB50 converts the signals to IP packets and then prioritizes the packets for transmission over broadband access networks. While Voice-over-IP products that rely on H.323 require a dedicated packet stream for every voice call, TollVoice technology enables the TB50 to transmit multiple calls in a single packet stream to ensure the most efficient use of broadband connections. The TB50 dynamically assigns any unused bandwidth to data. Models of the TB50 support from eight voice lines up to 24 voice lines and trunk ports and are fully TR-00057 compliant to ensure compatibility with all phones, key systems and PBXes. luxury hotels in AlicanteAt the Class 5 switch, the TB200 receives IP packets over the broadband network from the TB50, unpacks the voice channels and converts them back into circuits that connect to any Class 5 switch. The TB200 connects to a Class 5 switch using multiple DSL circuits running GR-303. The GR-303 interface allows voice CLECs to provide oversubscription, facilities protection and automated provisioning. Carrier-Class Reliability and Density
The TB200 Voice Gateway is designed for CO and CLEC point-of-presence (POP) applications; it offers full NEBS level-3 compliance and robust operations and maintenance. The solution is modular, carrier grade and fully redundant. The TB200 has separate and redundant traffic, control and management systems, allowing for hot swap and system upgrades without taking the system out of service. A high-density solution, a single TB200 Voice Gateway can support tens of thousands of voice lines and trunks. Pricing and Availability
The TB50 offers the lowest cost per port of any solution available today. The TB50 model supporting eight voice ports sells for less than $1,000. The TB200, scaling from 1,000 to 100,000 subscribers, offers quick reach to high-revenue/high-margin customers. The payback on investment is typically less than one year. CLECs can deploy these systems at $50 per subscriber (assuming 4X oversubscription) in configurations supporting a few thousand subscribers. Both products will ship in the third quarter of this year. About TollBridge Technologies
TollBridge Technologies was founded in March 1998 and has attracted engineering, marketing, manufacturing and business development talent from industry leaders in telecommunications and data communications. TollBridge's founders, executive management and engineering teams are industry veterans who have helped shape the infrastructure and services of today's telecommunications and data communications industry. They have held key positions at leading companies like BBN, GTE, Cisco, Ascend, Redback, Ramp Networks, AirTouch and Pacific Bell. TollBridge is a privately held company financed through venture capital funding provided by Communications Ventures, Matrix Partners, WorldView Technology Partners and Sutter Hill Ventures. TollBridge and TollVoiceTM are trademarks of TollBridge Technologies, Inc. All other service marks and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. | 
