Newsroom 2009 | ||
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Pseudowire Lowers the Cost of Voice Traffic Transmission and Fulfills the Most Exacting Requirements October 14, 2009 – During missions in outer space, voice communication between the aeronautics agencies around the globe must fulfill the most exacting requirements. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) proves that the voice quality and fault-tolerance of conventional networks such as ATM can be maintained after the migration to packet-switched technologies such as MPLS. SCALTEL AG, a Europe-wide network provider, and a German sales partner of RAD Data Communications, implemented a solution for the emulation of circuit-switched services in IP/MPLS networks, so-called pseudowires. RAD’s IPmux series of TDMoIP (Time Division Multiplexing over IP) multiplexers and DXC multiservice access nodes are used. These support traditional E1/T1 and X.21 interfaces and enable the interconnection of the existing communications systems that are indispensable for space flight monitoring. By using a single global voice-over-MPLS solution, DLR saves one third of the costs of voice communications. The German Aerospace Center works closely in concert with its American, Japanese and Russian counterparts. In this way, for example, the space flight control center in Oberpfaffenhofen, Bavaria monitors the activities of the astronauts in the Columbus module of the International Space Station. In addition, DLR’s approximately 6,200 DLR employees at 13 sites are involved in astronomy, geographical and climactic research and the development of navigational and energy technologies. DLR has been using a high-performance MPLS network for worldwide data communications for some time. Voice communications, however, have been running over an ATM backbone. Cost savings were a major factor in DLR's decision to route voice communications over the MPLS network as well. Markus Trost, DLR's project manager, explains “ATM is extremely expensive, and will not be supported by our service provider in the long term.” TDMoIPDLR was impressed by TDMoIP as the method of connecting voice systems at the main sites. An IPmux TDMoIP multiplexer was installed at every DLR site, as well as those of its international partners. These convert circuit-switched voice traffic to IP packets for transmission across packet-switched networks, and emulate the qualities of voice transmission over dedicated lines. The delay easily falls below the 20ms mark, which is an excellent value for transatlantic voice connections. SCALTEL ensured fault tolerance through redundancy by placing IPmuxes in the main and backup data centers. Investment Protection: Supporting Existing InterfacesConnecting NASA was simplified because the IPmux devices support both European E1 and American T1 interfaces. The migration of the existing X.21 interfaces, which connected the communications systems between ground control and flight control centers at DLR’s sites, posed an additional challenge. This was successfully overcome because IPmuxes at the DLR sites were paired with RAD’s DXC-series multiservice access nodes. “By intelligently combining the DXC and IPmux products with robust TDMoIP technology, our partner SCALTEL has managed to fulfill a mission-critical voice communications requirement over IP/MPLS, while also supporting synchronous and plesiochronous (i.e. quasi-synchronous) interfaces,” states Volker Benduzweit, General Manager of RAD Data Communications GmbH. Return On Investment in Only Three YearsToday, IP voice communications between the DLR sites, as well as the European Astronaut Center (EAC), the National Center for Space Exploration (CNES) in France, the Russian federal space agency Roskosmos, and two NASA sites in the U.S., take place without interference or interruption. The economic effects are particularly pleasing. “By migrating voice to IP/MPLS, we save one third of our annual communications costs,” notes Markus Trost of DLR. “The solution amortizes itself in less than three years.” About SCALTEL AGSince its founding in 1992, SCALTEL has developed into a nationwide network equipment supplier and has assumed a pioneering role in the implementation of information technology, covering the entire communications spectrum. It maintains close relationships with its strategic partners in order to professionally implement its product and services portfolio in the network market. The experience and high standard of training of its employees are the basis for the development of customer-oriented IT solutions. SCALTEL is a European-wide provider of information technology and classifies itself as a “network equipment supplier.”
SCALTEL site: www.scaltel.de
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