AT&T MPLS in Europe - Your experiences please.

[freddiespencer]

We are deploying an IP telephony solution across many sites throughout Europe. We have a centralised Avaya s8700 with G700 Gateways at strategic offices with IP satellites hanging off the Gateway sites. The connectivity is being provided by AT&T using their MPLS cloud into Cisco routers which is dedicated to voice. Has anyone got anything similar that could share their experiences?

Fried Bread

 

[ISDNman]

All I can say is that this is what I would try if I were tasked with doing this.

IIRC correctly AT&T offers 3 classes of service. If I were implementing this I'd be doing high quality audio as well as VOIP so my prioritization would be

Audio Highest priority

VoIP

Egineering remote access and special use

Random WAN access Lowest priority

If you go this route let us know what you learn.

 

[Tatoin]

Excuse me for my poor english, I'm writing from Spain

First at all, I’ve done the same in Spain with Nortel’s PBX and BT’ MPLS

The experience was so hard because I've changed from a traditional PBX to Full IP, at this time everything is more o less O.K. but I’d like to make some recommendations.

- First at is very important to have the last patch or software release

- Headset must be configured like AUTO negotiation, if they select HALF or FULL computers and switching have to be in the same mode, if not C-Lan becomes to slowly.

- Have tested and/or certified Ethernet wires, path panels, etc. at least Cat 5e

- Set e-lan on CoS1

- Don't use HUBs in any case

- If they are going to use Power over Ethernet is very recommendable to install a UPS in ever switching panel.

 

[freddiespencer]

ISDNman/Tatoin,

Thanks for your comments but I am specifically interested in peoples experience of the AT&T MPLS cloud in Europe. We are live in about 12 sites with 3 times that amount to bring on. My enquiries are because of some unexplained occurrences that refuse to go away and I wondered if any others have had the same.

Cheers,

Fried Bread.

 

[ISDNman]

Freddie,

I expect to be involved in some project similar to this in the next year. I'll be watching carefully to see if other have had your problems, and if so what they were.

Sweden and France are discontinuing ISDN Basic Rate service shortly and reliable MPLS is going to be very important for certain customers to get similar functionality. In cases where customers were using ISDN Internationally they'll want an International MPLS offering to build a replacement, so any hint of unexplained occurrences is of concern.

Please keep us all posted.

Best of luck.