RNK Selects Siemens DCO Central Office Switch for CLEC Network Backbone; Emerging CLEC Targets Markets in New England States

Business Wire, Nov 11, 1998

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 1998--RNK, a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) operating in eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, has selected Siemens Information and Communication Networks Inc.'s DCO(R) Switching Platform as the backbone for its network.

RNK turned to Siemens when it needed a viable, SS7-compatible switch within a short time frame to provide telephone services and Internet access for an initial start-up of approximately 4,000 lines.

"We're a community-oriented local phone company competing directly with the incumbent local carrier. Friendly consumer-oriented service will set us apart from our competitors. Our goal is to provide a full array of local phone services utilizing Siemens switches as our foundation," said RNK President Richard Koch. "The Siemens switch generates revenue for RNK and greater reliability for my customers, but the thing I liked most is we were able to get it up and certified in a month. The people at Siemens really bent over backwards with amazingly dedicated customer service."

Siemens' DCO switching system is designed to serve the small- to medium-size markets, and it is an economic solution for CLECs. The DCO switch provides local service for both Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC) and Independent Operating Companies (IOC) across the United States. The DCO switch offers a full line of revenue-producing features such as custom local area signaling services (CLASS), Centrex and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN).

As demand increases, RNK plans to purchase a Siemens' EWSD switch, a move Koch said will enable RNK to expand up and down the East Coast.

"Siemens is very excited about the newly formed partnership with RNK. We're dedicated to providing RNK with a full network solution, which will expand their opportunities along the West Coast," said Hans vanWelzen, senior vice president of sales for Siemens' Carrier Division.

Siemens' EWSD Central Office Switch is the world's leading switching system, a robust platform with the flexibility and scalability to address the increasingly demanding and diverse voice, data and networking communications needs for a wide range of residential and business customers. More than 170 million ports have been installed and the system is used by more than 300 operators in more than 100 countries.

Siemens Information and Communication Networks Inc., headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., is a leading provider of information and telecommunications solutions to public network service providers and enterprise customers in North America. The company is a subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global business with $64 billion in sales in the fiscal year ended September 1997. Home page: www.icn.siemens.com.

Siemens and EWSD are registered trademarks of Siemens AG. DCO is a registered trademark of Siemens Information and Communication Networks Inc.