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2005

THUS plc continues to experience strong demand for its MPLS IP VPN services, bringing new solutions to market over the coming year

THUS plc today announced  future plans for its Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) based IP VPN services that provide UK organisations with a flexible, secure and cost-effective platform for wide area voice and data communications.  As one of the first UK telecoms operators to use state-of-the-art MPLS to converge its customers’ voice and data traffic over a single network, THUS is taking a number steps to cement its reputation for innovation in the industry and will be rolling out a number of new solutions over the next year.

Customer demand for richer IP services over a converged network grew significantly in 2004, and one solution THUS plans to rollout is IP Centrex for voice communications.  IP Centrex will allow businesses to carry simultaneous voice streams across a single IP access facility - meaning that when calls are not being made, more bandwidth is available over the LAN for high speed data traffic, and capacity is used more efficiently.  THUS also hopes to deploy its Internet Telephony Exchange Line services in 2005, a replacement for ISDN 30, which will enable businesses deploying VoIP to achieve further cost savings in addition to those already experienced when using VoIP.

Another service implemented by THUS in 2004 which will be used to full effect by July 2005 is Softswitch. THUS installed Nortel‘s softswitch technology across its core MPLS network to handle the swell in demand for IP services and enable further convergence of voice, data and Internet traffic. Softswitch technology increases the voice capacity of THUS’s network and offers scalability, as well as allowing THUS to deliver further value-added services such as enhanced multi-media solutions. 

Sandra O’Boyle, senior analyst at Current Analysis, commented: “THUS’s MPLS IP VPN product poses a threat to the competition for several reasons. One is that the network supports six classes of service with separate SLAs on each class, and another is that THUS plans to launch a managed IP Centrex service later this year.  As well as a comprehensive network service, THUS has a strong reputation for quality, service innovation and reliability and that’s important to prospective customers.”

Part of THUS’s broader strategy is to strengthen its managed solutions offering – which the Softswitch implementation allows – as well as continue its development of innovative services well into the future. As THUS’s MPLS network continues to evolve, its QoS offering and overall performance will also be enhanced.  The latest upgrade to the network has already increased the reliability and performance of MPLS to a degree that it has allowed THUS to migrate its own voice traffic onto the network.  This upgrade has also made THUS’s MPLS network  accessible for all technologies so  that businesses can connect to it via leased lines, DSL and Ethernet, as well as allow TDM (time-division multiplexing) circuit switched services, such as PSDN (packet switched data network) voice, to be replaced through migration onto IP.

Phil Male, Chief Operating Officer at THUS plc, explained: “We successfully completed the build of our state-of-the-art MPLS network in 2002 and since then, we've been delivering innovative and ground breaking converged solutions to companies throughout the UK such as GWR Group. The further evolution of the network and the introduction of Softswitch technology ensures that we can continue our leadership in service innovation well into the future, including advanced technologies such as VoIP and more advanced voice applications.”

THUS has relied on MPLS technology for its own operations since 1999 and had extensive experience in this technology when it became part of its product portfolio in October 2003. THUS’s MPLS IP VPN simplifies the management of network traffic and offers its customers business grade Quality of Service (QoS) depending on the profile of the network traffic.   With MPLS, businesses can satisfy their connectivity and usage needs through several converged IP-based data, voice and video services.  MPLS is inherently secure and does not require firewall protection or encryption. The solution provides a single powerful network in which businesses with multiple site locations, spread over a wide geographic area and with high performance networks, can run demanding applications such as IP telephony as well as everyday e-business applications like email and file transfer to corporate information access.