With more than 200 carrier customers, MetaSwitch (News - Alert) can rightly claim success as a Class 5 softswitch provider in North America, where it claims to own the leading share of the market. As it continues to focus on bridging the gap between legacy TDM and next generation IP worlds, the switching solution provider has now also bridged a national divide, becoming the first non-Canadian softswitch provider to be selected by a Bell Canada affiliate. 

 

Québec’s Télébec has partnered with MetaSwitch as it seeks to deploy a new IMS infrastructure to launch new services, including VoIP. The multi-year partnership with MetaSwtich will ensure that Télébec is properly prepared to launch new unified communications services, including FMC and presence-based offerings, hosted solutions, and Web-based provisioning, which will enable it to upgrade its presence among business

customers.

 

“Télébec is committed to delivering highly innovative IP-based services to our business and residential customers,” said Sylvie Couture, Télébec’s chief technology officer.  “MetaSwitch is at the heart of this transition of our business. Thanks to its core technologies and deployment experience, we will have the service options and flexibility we need to build customer loyalty and stay ahead of potential competitors.”

 

This is clearly an milestone customer win for MetaSwitch, as it represents a breakthrough into the Bell Canada conglomerate, and though the company already has several other CLEC and independent telco customers in Canada, “the focus right now is on Bell and making them successful,” said Andy Randall, vice president of marketing for MetaSwitch.

 

In fact, in addition to the hardware it brings to the table, MetaSwitch also is providing Télébec with a range of professional services, including systems integration and complete project management, to ensure its migration to an IMS infrastructure is successful.

 

MetaSwitch CEO John Lazar confirmed that dedication: “Our commitment to Télébec is threefold: deliver leading edge technology; provide the industry’s most comprehensive system integration support; and ensure they can deliver the services they want to market quickly and cost effectively.”

 

One of the key elements that has contributed to MetaSwitch’s growing presence in Canada, according to Randall, is a qualified support team in market, including support staff in both Québec and Ontario, which ensures speedy response to customer needs.

 

“MetaSwitch has been focused and consistent in enabling carriers to migrate from legacy to next generation architectures, increasingly moving up into the larger Tier 2 and Tier 1 carriers,” he said. “This announcement shows we have the depth and breadth to handle these accounts.”

 

As for expanding its presence in the Canadian market, Randall says the changing dynamics that have made it possible for MetaSwitch to enter the market have created a similar communications landscape as he sees in the rest of the world. Telcos are not only seeing competition from other CLECs, but also from cable companies and other non-traditional players like Google and Microsoft (News - Alert). 

 

IPTV and triple play services are also gaining traction in Canada as well as the rest of the world, and several MetaSwitch customers have integrated their switched with IPTV (News - Alert) services — things like caller lists and caller ID in the screen. These advances are happening in Canada as well as the rest of the world.

 

Regarding Canadian deployments specifically, Randall concludes that, “We have everything in place to be successful in Canada, and this relationship with Bell Nordiq underscores that.”