Time Warner Cable Partners with MCI and Sprint for Nationwide VoIP

Time Warner Cable, the second- largest cable operator in the U.S., announced strategic partnerships with MCI and Sprint for the nationwide deployment of Digital Phone residential VoIP service. Specifically, MCI and Sprint will assist Time Warner Cable in the provisioning of Digital Phone service to customers, termination of IP voice traffic to the public switched telephone network (PSTN), delivery of enhanced 9-1-1 service, local number portability and carrying long distance traffic.


Time Warner said the multiple-year deals with MCI and Sprint will help enable it to launch broadband telephony services across its cable networks nationwide. Partnering with Sprint and MCI eliminates the need for Time Warner to invest in a build out of new network infrastructure. The agreement also marks a major expansion for MCI and Sprint into the cable wholesale market.


Specific to the agreement, Sprint said it would provide the interconnection facilities between Time Warner's switch and the public telephone network for local and long-distance calling in 17 markets across the country. Sprint will also provide support for cable voice telephony through E911 management, directory assistance, operator services, voicemail and other local exchange carrier services. Sprint said it intends to expand the marketing of its telephony services to the cable market as an alternative to cable operators building their own voice infrastructure.


In addition to providing local points of interconnection to terminate IP voice traffic to the public switched telephone network, MCI will also deliver enhanced 9-1-1 service, local number portability as well as manage network integration and electronic bonding of both companies' order entry systems.


Time Warner Cable recently launched its own VoIP service in Portland, Maine and in parts of North Carolina. Its "Digital Phone" service provides unlimited local, in-state and domestic long distance calling for a fixed price.


"We are pleased to partner with MCI and Sprint and benefit from their experience in delivering high quality phone service, their focus on customer service, and desire to be at the cutting edge of VoIP network development," said Time Warner Cable Chairman and CEO Glenn Britt. "Capitalizing on their local points of interconnection, our broadband cable system and the efficiencies and flexibility of IP technology, Time Warner Cable is now poised to deliver consumers local and long distance telephony services more efficiently, at a lower cost, and with the reliability and quality of service that customers require."


Jonathan Crane, MCI executive vice president of Corporate Development and Strategy, said "This relationship represents the next evolution in consumer communications -- leveraging the added capabilities of cable and the global reach of the MCI IP network to create services that leave the old public switched network behind."http://www.mci.com
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