Splittting 'pipe-capacity'?

I've seen a couple of references recently to exchanges waiting on the
installation of either an 'ESE switch' or an 'ASDH2 unit' at an existing
enabled-exchange. As I understand it both these units perform a similar
function, and enable BT to
'aggregate network traffic from a number of exchanges within an area
and pipe it back to the core network.'

Questions
1) Is this a correct description of the role of both devices.

2) These devices appear to be relatively new - what did BT do
previously?

3) My impression is that up until recently, any exchange which 'made the
cut' (apart from a few small ones which were 'subtended'), got a full
170Mbps pipe to the core network. Now it appears, many of the existing
links will be shared using these devices. Is this a sign that BT
believes that the actual capacity of the full pipe is not needed at many
of these exchanges, (some of them medium-sized market-towns of 10,000
subscribers apparently).

--
robert w hall

"robert w hall" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)
> I've seen a couple of references recently to exchanges waiting on the
> installation of either an 'ESE switch' or an 'ASDH2 unit' at an
> existing enabled-exchange. As I understand it both these units
> perform a similar function, and enable BT to
> 'aggregate network traffic from a number of exchanges within an area
> and pipe it back to the core network.'
>
> Questions
> 1) Is this a correct description of the role of both devices.

You can read about the "ESE" that BT are likely to be deploying at
http://www.alcatel.de/doctypes/opgda...ESE_R22_ds.pdf

They are also deploying
http://www.alcatel.de/doctypes/opgda...esPlatform.pdf
within their network

Its all part of what is called moving the network intelligence to the "edge"
of the network

> 2) These devices appear to be relatively new - what did BT do
> previously?

BT used to deploy similar devices but many more of them - these new ones
consolidate many tasks into one unit

> 3) My impression is that up until recently, any exchange which 'made
> the cut' (apart from a few small ones which were 'subtended'), got a
> full 170Mbps pipe to the core network.

155Mbps?

> Now it appears, many of the
> existing links will be shared using these devices. Is this a sign
> that BT believes that the actual capacity of the full pipe is not
> needed at many of these exchanges, (some of them medium-sized
> market-towns of 10,000 subscribers apparently).

No, its a sign that BT have been planning/following their "21C Network"
plan - officially launched publically last week - for quite a while

These new boxes allow BT:

- to use the new equipment for multiple tasks, rather than as in the past
when they would have a different "box" per task
- to have the same/more functionallity then previously
- make future upgradability easier (upgrading the network to VoIP etc)

Regards
Sunil