MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Cable and Wireless: ?we're working hard to improve telecoms'

AFTER 17 years of running constantly the Cable and Wireless at the Falkland Islands exchange will soon be shut down as all users are moved on to a new system.

Housed in a purpose built, thermostatically controlled building, the new exchange will offer an extended service but is physically much smaller than the present one. With the company moving closer to the change over and the gradual introduction of broadband, Penguin News enjoyed a tour of the premises with Manager of Network Services Justin McPhee and Traffic Manager Brian Summers to see what exactly the change over will entail for the customer.

The recent introduction of mobile phones was quickly embraced by consumers and may have given customers a misconception that the new system will be presented at a similar speed. This will not be the case and Mr McPhee and Mr Summers explained that for the transition to take place with the least disruption to the customer blocks of 200-300, depending on how many staff can move in a night shift, will be changed over and then tests carried out on each block.

Much background work has gone on. It has taken Cable and Wireless two years to be in a position to begin changing customers onto a system that will provide voice and data share on the same line with a filter to separate them. This is known as ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) and is the most commonly used DSL service - or broadband - for residential customers.

Business users will be offered SHDSL (Single Pair High Speed Digital Subscriber Line which is also sometimes called SDSL (Synchronous Digital Subscriber line); this is a data-only service and is not shared with the voice service. Just as the technology and acronyms were getting the better of me Mr McPhee threw in one that I could understand and remember -POTS - Plain Old Telephone Service, this is used to describe the basic analogue line that we presently use. Our hospital can go on line for specialist opinions on x-rays and receive other advice with ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)

This is a system of digital telephone connections which allows multiple digital channels to be operated simultaneously through a single, standard interface but requires specialised telephone equipment. ISDN can be used for video conferencing or sending broadcast quality images over the telephone network with two simultaneous calls being made down the one line. Mr Summers said that this system is used within the court room worldwide for witnesses to give evidence.

Sourcing and installing the equipment has been an "epic task" said Mr McPhee, with a particular interface to connect to the Camp system being a specific requirement. Although the contractors, Ericssons, have overcome this problem of the Falklands Camp customers will not enjoy the same level of service as Stanley. This, Mr McPhee said, is because the Camp system is still basically designed around the delivery of telephone services, so there are still limitations.

Customers are well aware that there have been delays; these, can be attributed to the fact that brand new equipment is being utilised. Mr McPhee described it as "cutting edge stuff" with some of the items being only the 10th manufactured.

However the manufacturers/installers, Ericsson, have experienced development issues which were unforeseen when the project was launched in September. "We have tested very thoroughly and have raised issues with Ericsson; some have been technically difficult to resolve," explained Mr McPhee.

"The document provided to the contractor that we test against before we will move real customers on to the system is some 300 pages of tests, he added, "...every single call scenario has to be tested against this."

Part of the Falkland agreement is that 20% of customers will be moved on in one batch with a 28-day reliability run when all the services are monitored to these customers to ensure that they are happy and that they are working correctly. Broadband will be used by some of the customers in the first move however a cross section of customer types have to be tested which includes business line groups, payphones, fire alarms etc. All customers will be worked closely wit has a form of market research. A feel for how much data customers intend to shift needs to be established so that package deals can be constructed. At the end of the 28 day test period remaining Stanley customers will be migrated to the system, probably over a week of nights, estimated McPhee.

He said that during this trial period broadband can be rolled out to business customers who will make use of the SHDSL (data only service).

There are likely to be separate packages dependent on usage as with the mobile phone system. Mr Summers said that they have outlined some indications to FIG which suggest a "starter pack" at about £25which would include several hundred megabytes of traffic, a mid range at£40 and another at £70.

Mr Summers said Cable and Wireless is keen to ensure that usage included would be the correct size for each package, "...we don't want customers to find they have used it all up within the first week."

There will be a section on the Cable and Wireless web site for users to log on and keep a check on their usage. Mr McPhee said they will also recommend software that will alert to levels of use and warn when a prearranged setting is reached. Mr McPhee said their primary job is to ensure that everything works the day after everyone is changed over. "People rightly expect to get a dial tone when they pick up the phone and for the billing system to work correctly."

Mr Summers said that things could start to move before the two month period suggested in a press release last week, however they have been deliberately conservative with their time estimations in case there are any further problems.

At present, the peak hour for calls at Cable and Wireless sees approximately3,000 calls; the new exchange is capable of handling150,000 per hour and has been tested at a rate of 6,000 calls per hour for the last three months.

With regard to recent Penguin Newseditorial comment that Cable and Wireless had failed to reduce Camp rates as recommended by FIG-appointed telecommunications expert Dr Chris Doyle, Mr Summers said that once Mount Pleasant customers have been moved on to the new exchange they can then start looking at becoming a "little more generous with Camp tariffs. "We are looking at it right now...and will be able to announce within the next couple of months that there will be a reduction in charges, particularly with internet, in the Camp."

Almost half the Camp customers are MPA-based so once they are moved off to the new exchange the company will get away from the problem of having the capabilities for only 60 calls at any one time -the West only has 30 lines to their system.

"The Camp network can basically be reconfigured when we take MPA off, to give a more even distribution of capacity," said Mr McPhee.

Various trial equipment is planned to push broadband out into the Camp. A system called WiMAX,(Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is being looked at, which is a bit like the wireless network that is used around town with a longer range. It is used in other countries as a broadband wireless access network for an ADSL-type connection; however it can also be used to deliver traditional voice services.

"It is very much an emerging technology and the range issue is being worked on," explained Mr McPhee. "There are a number of Camp sites that are going to trial it that are within range. It's very interesting from our point of view if we can push the Stanley-type next generation of services, out through the Camp where we can."

The quality of the internet in the Camp can be dependent on where you are, said Mr Summers, who added that speeds as good as Stanley - and better at times - had been recorded in the Camp. He said that some of the links can have up to 20 "hops" from station to station and a problem at any one of these can create "noise." When this happens there it interferes with internet connections and can be difficult to track it down.

Mr McPhee pointed out that the age and quality of the users PC can play an important part in internet performance. He added, "Broadband is the service that captures the customers imagination, but we also have a whole host of other things to test." The plan is to move with the minimum level of disruption to the customer." (PN)