José Ribamar Smolka Ramos
Telecomunicações
Artigos e Mensagens
WirelessBrasil
Fevereiro 2014 Índice Geral
03/02/14
• Sugestão de leitura: "Migração para
serviços all-IP"
Fonte: Fierce Telecom
FCC begins voluntary TDM-to-IP transition experiments, measuring consumer impact
January 31, 2014 | By Sean Buckley
The FCC is getting ready to conduct IP service transition tests, a move that was
lauded by U.S. incumbent telco AT&T (NYSE: T), which says that current
regulations don't apply to the emerging IP-based wireline network environment.
The new order considers a broad set of voluntary experiments to test what impact
the migration from TDM to IP-based technology will have on various sets of
end-users.
"Driven by developments in the marketplace, technology transitions in
communications networks are already well underway," the FCC said in its order. "They
include, for example, the transition from plain old telephone service delivered
over copper lines to feature-rich voice service using Internet Protocols,
delivered over coaxial cable, fiber, or wireless networks."
Through these experiments, the FCC said it will gather information in three
broad areas: service-based experiments; targeted experiments and cooperative
research; and data improvement.
Incumbent telcos such as AT&T and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) still have to abide by the
Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) rule from 1913 that says that every American
household should have access to a phone line.
However, both telcos have continued to see their traditional POTS revenues and
overall subscriber bases decline as customers replace their landline phones with
wireless or a VoIP line. AT&T's consumer POTS access lines declined from 15.7
million to 12.4 million lines between 2012 and 2013. Likewise, Verizon reported
that voice lines declined to 11.3 million in Q4 2013.
In a blog post, Jim Cicconi, AT&T's senior executive vice president-External and
Legislative Affairs, praised the FCC's move.
"Beginning the process for achieving this transformation is overdue, and all of
us should recognize the sense of urgency Chairman Wheeler and his team have
brought to this issue," wrote Cicconi. "They quickly recognized and credited the
leadership shown many months earlier by Commissioners Rosenworcel, Pai, and
Clyburn, as well as the clear public support of Commissioner O'Rielly, to build
a unanimous vote for moving forward. This is visionary both for its break with
the past, its recognition of the future, and its unanimity in a time of partisan
strife."
Following a call last year by former FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski to conduct
trials, Wheeler cited the TDM-to-IP migration as one of his initial priorities
when he became the regulator's chairman in November. Calling it the Fourth
Network Revolution, he proposed the regulator put out an order addressing the
matter at its upcoming meeting in January.
Wheeler's quick call to action got the attention of AT&T, which has set 2020 as
the year when it wants to transition off legacy TDM to all IP networks. It has
asked the regulator for permission to conduct IP trials in two of its 4,500
wiring centers and had expressed frustration over what it called the regulator's
lack of action.
Proposals from AT&T and other interested parties are due by Feb. 20 and will be
followed by a public comment and reply period ending on March 31. The FCC will
make the final decision on the proposals at its meeting in May.