Critical Telecom Infrastructure Convergence     
Entelec 2005

The utility critical telecom infrastructure will need to evolve from legacy equipment to Internet Protocol over a period of many years as resources, technology and budget permit. A hybrid network approach gives utilities this ability to extend their investment in legacy equipment, while providing a platform for introducing new technologies that meet the needs of the business - ultimately culminating in a phased approach to network convergence that makes both business and technical sense.

Hybrid Networks     
Telephonyworld.com 12-Nov-2004

While prevailing opinion suggests that pure IP is the way to go, we believe that organizations should take what they have today and migrate deliberately by cost-effectively, creating a hybrid network. Any converged network - whether a hybrid of legacy and new technologies, or exclusively IP must satisfy several key business requirements:

• It should support legacy voice and data, so that organizations can leverage these often-expensive investments for as long as possible, minimizing capital expenditures.
• It must support a multi-vendor environment, to allow organizations to transport all traffic, and use the solutions that best meet specific needs.
• It must provide the flexibility to support both bandwidth optimization (best effort) and guaranteed delivery.