A Core Ethernet L2/L3 Switch communicates to Aggregator Switches using standard symmetrical GbE optical signals. The Core Switch interfaces multiple content and service providers over an MPLS-based Metro or Regional network to deliver data, video, and voice content to the users on the access network. Subscriber-to-subscriber intra-community voice communication remains within the access network, but voice calls to a subscriber on the Public Switched Telephone Network uses a Core Switch interface through a standard PSTN trunking

gateway, with a standard MCNP/NCS call agent establishing the call. Since the network interfaces are standard optical GbE packet streams, the Core Switch can easily switch these signals to individual GbE Aggregator Switch connections to deliver these services to subscribers through Premises Gateways.

The Aggregator Switch interfaces one or multiple GbE signals from the Core Switch and interfaces the traffic to multiple Premises Gateways using standard 100Mbps optical links. The AS5000 will also support DMT-coded VDSL line cards in order to provide standards-based Ethernet access over copper twisted pairs. Depending on the distance between the AS5000 and the premises, the VDSL-optioned configuration will be able to offer between 20 Mbps to 100 Mbps of symmetrical bandwidth.

The AS5000 switches traffic within its own Premises Gateway community with wire line performance. The Aggregator Switch can reside in CO-like buildings as well as in outside plant cabinets to meet the needs of the network operator. An AS5000 can support its Premises Gateway community independently, or multiple Aggregator Switches can be chained to provide increased concentration for the GbE signals. The Aggregator Switch delivers a 100 Mbps digital stream to each PG1000, but the traffic on these streams depend on the specific bandwidth and service guarantees to which the end customers subscribe for the delivered services. Thus, the end customer may subscribe for guaranteed bandwidth from 1 Mbps to 100 Mbps, best effort service with any of four priority levels, or bursty service guarantees, with any mix of these service guarantees for any VLAN.

Each Premises Gateway interfaces a 100Mbps transport stream and provides up to 100Mbps of full suplex symmetrical traffic bandwidth to its subscriber(s) with the mix of guaranteed, bursty, and best effort service guarantees that the end user requires for each VLAN. The PG1000 can interface separate premises-wired LAN connections for broadband data, video, and VoIP services, along with POTS telephones and appliances. In addition, the PG1000 introduces a residence or business 802.11 “hot spot” for wireless access within the premises.

Data networking services can be implemented with or without packets marked with Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN) tags. For tagged operation, VLAN tags are established at the PG1000 on the individual packet flows to create a virtual LAN within the home, across town, across the country, or around the globe. These VLAN tags allow user groups of PCs and servers to operate with isolation to all other traffic in the network. The VLAN can exist within an Aggregator Switch community, or a Core Switch community. Internet access is provided at Core Switch locations through a gateway.

For video services, VLAN tags provide complete isolation from user to user and service provider to service provider, ensuring that video content is distributed to only those end users that have subscribed for it. One video channel is sent for each television set at a given time, with fast-acting sessions between the video servers and Set Top Boxes supporting fast channel surfing and digital video recorder functions. An intelligent multicast structure closest to the end user makes optimum use of network resources, for example delivering only a single copy of a broadcast or PPV video channel by the Core Switch to the Aggregator Switches for distribution to those multiple Premises Gateways whose end users have selected that channel.

For voice services, the VLAN tags provide isolation for conversations involving any mix of VoIP and POTS telephones and appliances connected to Premises Gateways and the PSTN. For example, a neighborhood call can be completed entirely within an Aggregator Switch community or within a Core Switch Community. A PG1000 session with a standard call agent establishes and removes the connections, and the PG1000 provides the necessary BORSCHT and digital signal processing functions to support intra-community and PSTN calls using VoIP and POTS telephones in any mix at the various ends.

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