Telecoms engineering company, Patapsco Communications,
has launched PacketBand ISDN, said to be the first Pseudo-Wire1
product to offer clear-channel ISDN tunnelling, so allowing users
to run switched and dynamic ISDN services over an IP/MPLS
network.
PacketBand ISDN is said to offer opportunities to transport
high value, high margin services over standard IP networks. It
allows on-demand synchronous services to run over IP, whilst
preserving the B channels and all the signalling and data
performance characteristics required by ISDN.
PacketBand places individual calls across an IP network
on-demand, with the added ability to break-out into national or
international ISDN networks, opening application and service
opportunities. PacketBand also supports non-switch T1/E1 TDM over
IP Pseudo-Wires and also offers opportunities for voice traffic
which is sensitive to quality and or delay.
Contrary to rumours of its imminent decline, Ovum estimates that by
2008 worldwide businesses will still be using 15 million basic rate
ISDN services and two million primary rate ISDN services. Many of
these will be serving legacy applications and terminal equipment
such as non-router based applications, Group 4 fax machines, secure
terminals, backup equipment and PBXs.
PacketBand ISDN enables these legacy applications to be retained
and transported over an IP network, instead of over expensive ISDN
switched circuits.