Recently my company, ZT Technology Solutions, and I have come to the inevitable conclusion that the process of migration from the existing TDM to the IP world must begin. Consequently, we have partnered with TelcoBridges to assist our customers to migrate to IP SBC Solutions like Metaswitch. Our role has shifted to focusing our energies in helping our customers with that migration. Many of our customers have lost the internal expertise to support the existing TDM base and migration efforts due to layoffs or retirements of the existing expertise. To help better quantify the magnitude of the task, I have created a list of tasks that need to be addressed to affect a smooth transition. The issues that require addressing include the following:
Current Environment:
Quantify the embedded base of current Legacy TDM switches (DMS, 5ESS, DCO, EWSD)
Is there sufficient technical staff to support the embedded base?
Does your staff have the expertise to implement the National Suicide Hotline (988)?
Do you escalate Assistance Requests to the OEMs (i.e., Ribbon, Nokia)?
What are the main obstacles in supporting the current legacy environment?
Future Environment:
Have you done the necessary business case to justify migration (Energy savings, floor space
reduction, etc.)
Have you selected an IP SBC vendor?
Do you have plans to migrate to an IP solution and what time frame (2, 5, 10 years /include
number of switches to retire per year)?
Can your internal staff support the migration and do the necessary translations to an IP SBC
product?
Would you consider utilizing a 3 rd party (non-OEM) to help with current legacy TDM support and
migration support?
What are the main obstacles in migration?
As the need for migration has taken more of center-stage, others have begun the same thought process. A good article I read recently discusses some of the same issues:
https://inform.tmforum.org/features-and-opinion/how-to-implement-an-effective-transformation-
from-tdm-to-ip-services/
This is an excerpt from this TM Forum article:
What does the future hold? The move from TDM to IP has a certain inevitability associated with it and simply can’t be ignored forever. That said, the migration from TDM to IP services has been effectively slowed by a handful of factors. For the most part my suggestions are a combination of starting with a precursor analytics project, making sure the business case included the full TCO and highlighting any potential opportunities for cross selling and up-selling new IP features. For the culture issues the solution lies in education and gaining experience and familiarity with the new IP services which unfortunately will take time. For the fast follower business strategy, we suggest using small geographically contained or limited technologies
projects done as part of an overall transformation program.
In summary, when the time comes for your company to migrate their TDM network to an IP SBC
solution, we can help you address these issues. And the time is NOW.
Sincerely,
Mike Dazio
CEO ZT Technology Solutions
www.zttechsol.com
(908) 403-0610