CLEC News Briefs

• Mediatrix Upgrades VoIP Offering
• Independent Iowa Telco Offers Cable Alternative
• US LEC Moves to SmallCap Market

by ISP-Planet Staff [October 16, 2002]

Mediatrix Upgrades VoIP Offering
Mediatrix Telecom, Inc., a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) equipment maker, recently revealed the Mediatrix 1000 series of access devices and gateways for service provider applications.

The Mediatrix 1000 series consists of the 1102, 1104, and 1124 models which correspond to two-, four- and 24-port FXS analog access devices; as well as a four-port 1204 FXO analog gateway. The complete product portfolio maintains backward compatibility while boasting enhanced security and interoperability features for deployment in a wide range of environments.

Product improvements include SNMPv3, extended country fit, international certifications, and greater interoperability across all three VoIP protocols: Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), H.323, and Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP/NCS). Also, onboard Flash memory capacity has been doubled to 4 MB to accommodate future upgrades and an integrated universal power supply has been added, simplifying installation.

Marc Shapiro, Mediatrix vice president of marketing, said the Mediatrix 1000 series products have undergone extensive testing in the lab and in the field.

"We have worked with close to a dozen business partner and channel partner customers running four different software loads to test interoperability," Shapiro said. "The products have been extremely well received by our Alpha/Beta test site partners. The VoIP market is beginning to take shape and we're pleased to have the Mediatrix product portfolio ready for deployment."

The Mediatrix product line is targeted at telecom equipment vendors developing next-generation VoIP network solutions for incumbent and local carriers, as well as application and Internet service providers. In addition to their function of offering IP connectivity to analog phones and fax machines, the 1102, 1104, and 1124 FXS access devices can also be deployed as gateways linking key systems and PBXs to a VoIP network. The 1204 is a gateway offering Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) connectivity to a VoIP network or enterprise IP system, as well as VoIP connectivity to legacy Public Branch Exchanges (PBX).

The 1000 series product branding also serves to replace some existing Mediatrix product lines. The 1104 replaced the Mediatrix APA III-4FXS and the 1204 replaced the APA III-4FXO product line.

Units will begin shipping for commercial deployment in October. SIP and MGCP/NCS software loads will be available in November 2002. Standard list price for the FXS 2-port 1102 is $275, the 4-port 1104 is priced at $650, the 24-port 1124 is $3250 and the 1204 FXO gateway is $750 USD.

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Independent Iowa Telco Offers Cable Alternative
Clear Lake Telephone Company (CL Tel), an independent local telephone company serving Northern Iowa, has seen a rapid increase in subscriptions to Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) since the first of the year. Next Level Communications contends that much of CL Tel's growth is the result of deploying its Full Service Access Platform that offers a streamlined path toward integrating multimedia services, including broadcast digital television services and high-speed Internet access with conventional voice services.

CL Tel is the first of the 128 telephone companies, part of 150 Iowa Network Services (INS) companies, to begin offering video services using the centralized video head-end that INS purchased from Next Level last year. CL Tel began deploying Next Level's full service platform for video after local residents voted in favor of a referendum to grant a video franchise license to the phone company to allow it to compete with incumbent cable provider Mediacom.

Tom Lovell, CL Tel general manager, said Next Level's platform was the obvious choice once residents granted the video license.

"It's the only platform that has proven its ability to deliver digital video reliably to paying subscribers," Lovell said. "The response to the video offering has been fantastic, and includes the added bonus of driving adoption of our other services. Since we began offering digital TV, our number of high-speed Internet customers has quadrupled, and the majority of those subscribed to both services."

Using Very-high-speed DSL (VDSL) technology in its Full Service Access Platform, Next Level integrates voice, data and multi-stream video services into a single-access system that operates over subscribers' existing copper telephone lines. This integration makes possible new capabilities that blur traditional boundaries between the television, telephone and computer, by allowing, for example, the on-screen display of such telephone information as caller ID.

CL Tel is a part owner of INS, a consortium of telcos that owns and operates a statewide high-speed fiber optic network. Last year, INS purchased a head-end capable of transporting video content to the central office of any of its member telephone companies and their 280,000 subscribers in over 330 communities. Next Level's equipment allows the telco to combine entertainment content distributed via this network with data and voice to provide as a service bundle over the last mile of copper that extends to subscribers' homes and businesses.

Bill McGowan, INS vice president of customer products, said the future of telecommunications lies in the ability to provide video, voice, and Internet services.

"Clear Lake Telephone is the first of our member companies to deploy video services, but with Next Level's help, we expect many more to follow," McGowan said.

CL Tel, a 107-year-old independent local exchange carrier, began offering services just two years after the telephone was invented. Now the Iowa telco finds itself once more on the cutting edge of communications technology, joining more than 45 telephone companies around the country who are offering customers a packaged solution of voice, high-speed data services, and broadcast video using Next Level equipment.

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US LEC Moves to SmallCap Market
US LEC Corp. shares begins trading on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market this week, moving off the Nasdaq National Market due to its dwindling share price.

US LEC says it does not currently meet the $3.00 minimum bid price requirement of the national market. According to company officials, the move to the SmallCap market is in the best interest of the company and its shareholders at this time.

The company continues to be traded under the symbol CLEC.

The Charlotte, North Carolina-based telecom carrier's shares have traded between $1.50 and $6.90 over the past year. US LEC's shares closed at $1.61 on Oct. 11, the last day the company's shares traded on the Nasdaq National market.

US LEC is an integrated telecommunications carrier providing voice, data and Internet services to over 9,000 mid-to-large-sized business customers throughout the southeastern and mid-Atlantic United States. The US LEC local service area includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and the District of Columbia. US LEC also offers select voice and data services in Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and Texas.

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