BT migrates first customer lines to 21CN

bealtine

BT migrates first customer lines to 21CN
Published: Tuesday 28 November 2006 | 10:29 AM CET


UK phone company BT Group has transferred the first customer lines to its next-generation 21st Century Network (21CN). It has started to transfer customers in the Welsh village of Wick, near Cardiff, to the 21CN. This is the first phase of a nationwide 21CN roll-out. The transfer was made without the need for a vist from an engineer, a new phone or a new number. BT has rebuilt around 10 percent of the core national communications infrastructure in the UK, installed 21CN equipment at more than 100 sites, and laid over 2,300 km of nw fibre-optic cable in South Wales. Customers in Cardiff, Bridgend and the Pontypridd area will be the next ones transferred to the 21CN. Around 350,000 customer lines in South Wales are expected to have been migrated to the next-generation network by end-summer 2007. The rest of the UK will follow over the next few years.

smcelhinney

Nice, we're still waiting for 19CN from eircom.

What exactly is the upgrade for? Just exchange upgrades? Or is it different wiring?

bealtine

smcelhinney wrote:

Nice, we're still waiting for 19CN from eircom.

What exactly is the upgrade for? Just exchange upgrades? Or is it different wiring?

Well its more like a 20cn but I take the point....


Here are some links about BTs 21cn

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BT_21CN
http://www.btplc.com/21CN/

paulm17781

Did BT apply for a massive line rental increase to fund this?

Solair

No, it's not new wiring. They're shifting from traditional digital switching to a fully IP based network. It's not that big a deal from an end users perspective as for the majority of people it still just means they get a dial tone and DSL-type products.

The major step forward is for BT i.e. it's cost saving, etc
Local exchanges become a MSAN (Multi Service Access Node)

Other telcos already do this e.g. Smart and Magnet operate "21CN" networks/

Even eircom's network has aspects of 21CN networking to it. (they save eircom money)
e.g. MPLS (Multi Protocol Label Switching)

It's very clever marketing on behalf of BT though!

BT reckons it'll save £1bn / year with the new network when it's rolled out!!

bealtine

paulm17781 wrote:

Did BT apply for a massive line rental increase to fund this?

I'm not sure about that but then BT don't have a tame regulator on their side, so probably not.

Milking the consumers so a telco (or any private entity) can make profits and savings seems perverse but then this is Ireland.

paulm17781

bealtine wrote:

I'm not sure about that but then BT don't have a tame regulator on their side, so probably not.

Milking the consumers so a telco (or any private entity) can make profits and savings seems perverse but then this is Ireland.

I probably should have highlighted that it was a rhetorical question.

I was just pointing out how BT are doing a massive upgrade where as Eirscum cry for more money everytime their network is mentioned.

Solair

BT's 21CN wouldn't address eircom's faults anyway - these are mostly to do with local loop infrastructure i.e. the basic copper cables that run to houses/businesses.

21CN technology's all on the network side, it could still be connected to the same crappy copper network.

It would be like getting a HDTV and using a 1960s pair of rabbit ears on it

watty

It makes no difference in medium term to customer. It's only about backhaul/backbone/network costs and flexibility.

It would be like replacing analogue microwave and off air relay links to all the Analogue TV transmitters with digital fibre, which even in Ireland is largely done. (What you mean you never noticed the change?)