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Service Upgrade Solutions
555-230-024
13-2 Issue 5 January 1998
Connecting to a Network
Upgrading telephone service in remote areas sometimes requires adapting
equipment to work with unusual protocols. DEFINITY systems have been quickly
modified to be compatible with networks in the remotest parts of the world.
Lucent Technologies has been a pioneer in providing compatibility with the
Q-SIG global networking protocol. This protocol has been adopted by the Inter-
national Standardization Organization as a global ISDN-based private network-
ing standard. The DEFINITY ECS is thus not only adaptable to existing protocols,
but readily communicates with new systems throughout the world.
Amortizing Replacement Costs
Sometimes your budget may not allow for wholesale replacement of all telecom-
munications equipment at once. The aggregate replacement cost of telephones,
computers, and other desktop equipment can be high, even if the costs of the
individual items are low. Ideally, this equipment can be replaced in stages,
spreading the cost out over time. This requires, however, that the new switch be
compatible with the old equipment.
DEFINITY ECS allows you to extend the life of your peripheral equipment indefi-
nitely. It accommodates analog telephones, for example, and efficiently switches
analog data. In addition, various financing options allow you to synchronize
equipment payments with your cash flow cycles.
Ensuring Uninterrupted Service
An important consideration when upgrading service is, “How much time will our
employees lose while the system is being connected?” In most cases, the inter-
ruption in service is minimal because the system is designed to be connected in
parallel with the working switch. Even in a remote area where the equipment
being replaced is very old, the switching can be transferred in a matter of hours.
Another consideration is, “How long will it take our people to adjust to the new
system?” Again, this adjustment period is minimized by DEFINITY ECS’s adapt-
ability. Using the automatic route selection feature, the system can be configured
to imitate the old switching system for the user’s benefit. In a remote Russian
town, for example, a nurse at the hospital still dials the same six-digit number she
has always used to call home. What she does not know is that her home number
is now actually an extension on the DEFINITY ECS. A hidden translation has
allowed her to retain her home telephone number. DEFINITY ECS accommodates
users in such a way that there is no difference in dialing an inside or outside call.
Feature access codes can be assigned to mirror the old system as well.