September 12, 2005 Milpitas, CA -- Vonage Networks, a provider of broadband telephone services to residential customers in the U.S., announced that it is deploying Force10 Networks' TeraScale E-Series switches and routers. Leveraging the Force10 platform's density and architecture, the provider says it is upgrading its network with a combination of Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and 10-GbE devices in order to accommodate increasing traffic demands. The provider says it expects the platform to increase the capacity of its nationwide network, while building scalability to support an increase in VoIP calls over the next several years.
"We currently complete a high number of calls per week and are seeing an increase that requires a scalable and reliable infrastructure that enables us to grow with demand," says Michael Tribolet, executive vice president of operations for Vonage Networks. "With Force10, we have a high density, resilient solution that gives us the capacity to support the growth of our VoIP network for years."
The provider says it is deploying the platform to increase network capacity in its points of presence (POPs) nationwide, including those in New York, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Nashville, Denver, and Atlanta. In addition to adding more capacity, Vonage says it is simplifying the architecture and management of its network by deploying the platform in the network's core, collapsing distribution and aggregation layers into a single layer. Force10 says its FTOS software not only enables network simplification by providing full Layer 2 and Layer 3 functionality but also delivers the fast convergence times the provider requires to complete VoIP calls.
According to Force10, with a 5-Tbit/sec backplane, the TeraScale E-Series supports 672 line-rate Gigabit and 56 line-rate 10-GbE ports, enabling Vonage to process more traffic on a single system. Additionally, according to Force10, the backplane provides the system capacity to accommodate future density increases as well as the transition to 40- or 100-GbE without a backplane or chassis upgrade.
"Vonage has pioneered the broadband phone industry, and its growth is driving demand for a scalable network that can efficiently accommodate significant increases in calls," concludes Marc Randall, CEO and president of Force10 Networks. "The TeraScale E-Series combines an innovative architecture with the industry's highest densities to bring Vonage a high level of investment protection, and ensure smooth network expansion well into the future."