AT&T stopping support on PRI ISDN Services 2015?

[Funk49]

Did anyone else get a letter from AT&T regarding PRI services and the end of sales AND end of service and support for voice PRI services?

I haven't contacted our account manager yet but I'm shocked that they are just dropping PRI service and support (if I read this correctly).
This just doesn't make sense. I googled a little but couldn't find anything.

One of the billing reps told one of our supervisor's during a conversation "that we'll need to order VoIP services soon to replace all of our PRIs because PRIs will no longer be supported in 2015."

Has anyone in the AT&T region heard of this and what exactly does it mean?

When they simply state "switch to VoIP", are they referring to SIP Trunking and does AT&T provide SIP trunking? Do you replace your PRI with a MPLS circuit?

For example, we have (4) PRIs and (1) T1, would these be calculated out and converted to the appropriate sized MPLS circuits? At least (2) separate circuits for redundancy?

Sorry, I do not have much experience with SIP trunking or all of the VoIP options.

Thanks

 

[KCFLHRC]

I would find this very hard to believe.

 

[ItRollsDownhill]

Im 50/50 as to whether this is a scam, or more stupidness on the part of ATT. I do know that for the last 2 years they have been pushing customers in the columbus ohio area to switch their DSL service to uVerse.

 

[Funk49]

I'm at a remote site right now but I will scan the letter and attach it when I get back.

 

[Funk49]

@ItRolls... Yea, I have been reading about AT&T's big push (and all of its promises) for their U-Verse VDSL. We had a couple really small sites that had DSL as our data backup and AT&T came in, changed the equipment and IP addresses for their free U-Verse upgrade. They didn't even tell us. It was a month later that we found out.

So I get it, really pushing their u-Verse, their wireless, etc., and getting off the copper as much as they can but cut off PRIs all together?

 

[KCFLHRC]

uVerse is just an AT&T service, phone, internet, and TV all bundled together riding on DSL or in some markets fiber to the prem. uVerse isn't a switch from DSL, it's just AT&T marketing at it's finest. Now the PRI service going away n 2015, that's just silly. More than likely the billing rep heard something and has lost a lot in the translation.

 

[SSJVirus007]

Funk49 - confirmed, your ATT letter is correct. ATT will stop all new PRI install on 2015. But, no sure about services on the old PRI yet. The new way is SIP/IPFlex, we all know fax and SIP does not play well. Until ATT gets this fix, we're not switching to the new IPFlex.

 

[Funk49]

My company's surf control is blocking hosted photo sites but I transcribed the letter verbatim (except their IP Flexible Reach promotions);

"Due to a number of business reasons, including life cycle constraints in expanding ADL (AT&T Digital Link) and technology advancements in voice communications, AT&T has decided to grandfather ADL service nationwide for existing ADL customers effective June 1st 2015.

As a current AT&T customer with ADL Service, this decision means you may retain your existing ADL service(s) subject to the following changes:

Effective June 1st 2015, AT&T will no longer renew or auto-renew existing service agreements for ADL Service. Following the expiration your ADL Service agreement(s), you may continue ADL Service under month-to-month service arrangement at the prices, terms and conditions in effect on the last day of the ADL Agreement.
AT&T may change such prices, termsor conditions on 30-days' prior notice.

Effective June 1st 2015, New, Moves, Additions, and Change orders for ADL Service will no longer be accepted. After May 31st, 2015, new order requests for ADL service including but not limited tothe installation of new or additional ADL service or capacity expansion of existing trunk groups that include ADL service, moves to different facility or service address, or ADL service changes will not be accepted or provisioned. Only requests to port-out ADL telephone numbers and/or completely remove the ADL service will be allowed.

Any ADL service order requests for new services, additions, changes, or moves submitted prior to June 1st 2015 must have a Customer requested due date of June 30th 2015 or earlier. Any customer requests to modify the due date may result in the cancellation of the order without recourse.

Depending on your application and use of ADL service, it may be possible to replace ADL Service with AT&T IP Flexible Reach.

AT&T currently plans to discontinue ADL Service nationwide as of June 1st 2017. Since it takes time to change local service, we recommend you begin work with your AT&T Account Team immediately to consider alternative AT&T products and local service options for your business applications and plan accordingly in order to transition either to AT&T IP Flexible Reach or an alternate service arrangement before June 1st 2017.

When ADL Service is discontinued, in June 2017, the following calls or features will be impacted if alternative arrangements are not in place:

- Outbound calls made to toll-free numbers (originating toll-free) will not complete. To avoid this impact you must ensure you have adequate capacity on your other local service facilities, and instruct your customer premises equipment (CPE) vendorto re-route these calls over those local service facilities.

- Outbound calling party number will not be sent. If you have AT&T long distance (LD) ISDN PRI facilities, you may be able to send calling party number using your CPE. If you have LD non-ISDN facilities, you should consider whether converting to ISDN facilities and using your CPE to send calling party number is an option.

- ADL telephone numbers will be disconnected and inbound calls to those telephone numbers will not complete unless you change your local service and port you numbers prior to the ADL disconnect. In order to determine if you can retain your existing local phones numbers, you will need to work with AT&T (or another local service provider) to request a migration of these inbound numbers.

As a reminder: The removal of ADL Service from your AT&T long-distance facility will not affect the completion of your outgoing calls, but will affect the rates applicable to them. Outgoing local calls can still be routed over AT&T facilities; however, once ADL is removed, calls that were previously rated as "local" with ADL will be rated as "local toll" (intraLATA) calls and your business will be assessed the appropriate usage charges."

Sincerely, AT&T Business Services

And of course after all of that typing I see this pdf about the same thing in Oregon with AT&T ADL retirement Link

 

[hawks]

I think ADL is AT&T's standard T1 service not PRI. I don't see PRI being discontinued in 2017 at least the carries I use have no plans to.

 

[hawks]

They stopped servicing Oregon back in 2013

http://www.puc.state.or.us/telecom/Letter_to_OPUC_regarding_ADL_retirement.pdf

 

[Funk49]

@hawks, my apologies, I should have included the first paragraph of that letter;

"Our records indicate you currently utilize ADL local service which is provided over AT&T long distance or Primary Rate Interface PRI connection.

 

[hawks]

I know some guys at AT&T I'll give them a call and see if they can shed some light on it also.
Thanks,

 

[Funk49]

Thanks. I called AT&T customer support and they had no idea what I was talking about and recommended talking to our account manager. I will send him an email and see if he responds (which typically unless there is sales revenue expected, he wont return calls or emails).

 

[KCFLHRC]

I cant imagine them giving up that revenue. They would be fools to do this.

 

[AJ9U]

AT&T made a presentation to us in July 2013 about discontinuation of 8 different services. They stated that new ISDN PRIs will stop being sold on 6/30/14 (last week). Existing PRIs can remain in service until Oct 2019, when they will be turned off. Yes, TURNED OFF. Their replacement product is IP Flex, their marketing term for SIP trunks.

One of the other services disappearing is any sub-T1 rate services such as analog circuits, trunks or POTS. This affects us big time - we have LOTS of it. Obsoleting them will cost us in the 6-figure range, as the end equipment will have to be updated or replaced. Replacement for those circuits is MPLS. Turn-off date is Nov 2019.

They want to get off copper as much as possible. It is high expense / low revenue for them. They have redeployed personnel to put in other services, and repair service for analog circuits has gotten worse. As an example, my home phone was just out for three weeks - two due to high static followed by a week of no dial tone. They said it was the best they could do. We see similar issues here. There are few techs who know what to do with analog services - the one who do (did) have mostly retired and AT&T has not replaced them (per my neighbor who is an AT&T outside plant guy). Their focus is U-Verse, cellular, and migration to IP-based infrastructure. The rest goes.

 

[KCFLHRC]

All I can say is WOW. I work for a large Telco and this quite honestly surprises me. However, if AT&T is doing it I would suppose it is in our future also. Lots of expense to go fiber to the prem. Copper is already in place but can be a maintenance nightmare depending on aerial, buried and age.

 

[janaya]

I asked my AT&T rep and they confirmed, but with a 2020 date. By 2020 they will be out of the TDM business and we will be on SIP trunking. Bell South area will not be impacted. That means we will get started early. Don't want to be the last one at the party.

John Anaya
Amdocs Inc.
ACSS/ACIS - CS1000 Rls 7.5/Call Pilot 5
ACSS/ACIS - SME - IP Office 8.0
APSS/APDS - Avaya UC Services

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