Small telcos struggle to transition from TDM to IP, claim large ILECs are price gouging

Ribbon Communications, a vendor that does IP routing, is working with MGW Telephone, a third-generation ILEC serving communities across Virginia, to help it transition from legacy TDM infrastructure to an all-IP environment. MGW is using Ribbon's Circuit Emulation Services and NPT platform. The transition MGW is undergoing is something that other telcos are trying to do, as well. And while one might think that transitioning from legacy TDM networks to all-IP infrastructure is a no-brainer and should have happened by now, that is not the case. Joni Roberts, SVP and chief marketing officer of Ribbon, said, “For many carriers, the challenge is not simply deploying IP technology; it's maintaining service continuity while modernizing networks that have been in place for decades. Most operators need to support existing services and customers throughout the transition. That's why many providers adopt approaches that allow legacy TDM services and modern IP networks to coexist during the migration process.”