One of the Nation's Largest Rural Communications Companies Chooses MetaSwitch Unified Communications Solution for Energy-Efficient Next-Generation Messaging
NXTcomm 2008 -- MetaSwitch today announcedthat Citizens Communications Company (NYSE: CZN), which provides servicesunder the name Frontier Communications, is deploying MetaSwitch's unifiedmessaging solution to deliver voicemail and fax services to business andresidential subscribers. Following an initial roll out in select locations,Frontier plans to expand the service to more than 2 million subscribers in24 states. The centralized MetaSwitch solution will replace 55 older, lessfeature-rich and less efficient legacy regional voicemail solutions from avariety of manufacturers. In addition to standardizing these services, thesolution will result in significantly reduced energy requirements,supporting Frontier's commitment to environmental responsibility and towise use of resources for the best customer experience.
"As one of the largest rural telephone companies in the nation, we needed aflexible solution that could immediately scale to millions of subscribers,"said Michael Golob, vice president, engineering & technology for Frontier."Intense due diligence led us to select MetaSwitch. It has the services wewant to offer our customers. In addition to streamlining businessoperations and upgrading seamlessly into Frontier's network, MetaSwitch'scentralized unified messaging system enables us to significantly reduce ourcarbon footprint."
MetaSwitch's IP-based voicemail system reduces hardware costs byeliminating the need to support dedicated TDM facilities, enabling Frontierto consolidate real estate resources and reduce "windshield time" and fuelcosts to travel to various sites for technical maintenance. Centralizingnetwork support and maintenance for remote locations lets Frontier maximizeservice continuity by leveraging its existing network infrastructure ofoff-the-shelf servers as opposed to proprietary hardware. Built from theground up as a next-generation messaging platform, theIP-based solution is pre-integrated with the company's class 4/5 softswitchvia SIP, but also supports Simplified Message Desk Interface (SMDI) andVoice Profile for Internet Mail (VPIM), enabling the solution to seamlesslyreplace legacy voicemail systems. Electronic faxing will also reduce paperconsumption and landfill dumping and preserve natural resources. Manyorganizations have reported decreased operating costs resulting fromreductions in paper, ink and extra phone lines often required to run atraditional fax service.
"As companies continue to seek new services in order to increase revenueand customer retention, they are also mindful of discovering ways to reducetheir environmental impact," said Graeme MacArthur, chief executiveofficer, MetaSwitch.
