Birch Telecom Selects VINA's IAD

Kansas City, MO-based Birch Telecom Inc. will deploy the Multiservice T1 Integrator from VINA Technologies (Fremont, CA) as part of Birch Telecom's new combined voice and Internet service package. An integrated access device (IAD) designed for small- and medium-sized businesses, the Multiservice T1 Integrator is a single device that connects businesses to Birch Telecom's voice and Internet service networks. The new voice and data service makes technology that has been available to large corporations a realistic option for smaller businesses, Birch claims.

Called Integrator, Birch's service offering delivers local, long-distance, and high-speed Internet services through equipment that Birch provides and maintains for the customer. A business can quickly adjust the number of lines dedicated to voice or data through the flexible service. Available now to businesses throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area, Birch will introduce its Integrator service in other markets later this year. Formed in 1997 as a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC), Birch Telecom has grown to become one of the largest competitors to the incumbent carrier Southwestern Bell (St. Louis) in the Midwest.

VINA's T1 Integrator combines a 24-channel channel bank, a router, a multiplexer, frame relay or Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), a T-1 DSU/CSU, an high data-rate digital subscriber line (HDSL) modem, and an Internet firewall. The Multiservice T1 Integrator also offers dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) for Internet addressing, simple network management protocol (SNMP) for incorporation into network management systems such as HP OpenView, and HTTP for management through a standard Internet browser.