The AnyMedia® access system — Providing solutions for distribution and network independence

Today's network providers face a significant challenge in selecting and deploying access solutions that enable them to compete in an increasingly unpredictable and dynamic market. They must manage the uncertain interplay between the demands for circuit-based and packet-based services and, at the same time, avoid the possibility of being stranded with large unrecoverable investments in outmoded or incompatible infrastructure. The equipment deployed must ensure adequate capacity to support a complete set of applications and must maximize economies of scale. In response to these needs, Lucent Technologies has developed the AnyMedia® Access System, a platform for access network solutions supporting a full complement of telephony and broadband data services via standard, open network interfaces. This new fifth-generation access system builds on Lucent's heritage of high-reliability access network elements and leverages Lucent's Access Interface Platform (AIP) technology. The AIP is shared with the 5ESS® line units, AnyMedia Access Interface Units (AIUs), and other products to provide integrated voice and data access facilities for 24-channel and 30-channel markets. The new system can serve as a gateway between the circuit-switched telephony network and the ATM networks that transport telephony services over standard ATM format. We present here an overview of the AnyMedia Access System hardware and software architectures, system applications, and capabilities.