Steve Owens of Verizon Discusses TDM Switch Decommissioning at Ribbon Insights 2024
The video discusses Verizon’s strategic approach to accelerating the decommissioning (decom) of legacy Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) switches. The speaker emphasizes the importance of TDM switch decom in reducing power consumption, cutting expenses, complying with regional climate regulations, and reclaiming valuable technical space. A key driver for Verizon is the steep costs associated with maintaining aging infrastructure under increasingly stringent local carbon emission laws, particularly in the Northeast Corridor.
The presentation outlines Verizon’s transition from legacy architectures—such as DMS10s and tethered remote switches—to a modern end-to-end Ribbon architecture. This new architecture supports voice network modernization and enhances reliability. Verizon has prioritized selecting vendors that can scale production to meet ambitious decom targets, aiming to decommission hundreds of switches annually to avoid a generational delay.
Process improvements have been essential to accelerating decom timelines. The company eliminated the traditional fiber build step linked with decom, which used to take 18-48 months for completion, and instead focused on investing in additional Ribbon hardware. This shift compressed the decom process interval to 6-12 months, with recent proof points showing that Verizon successfully cut over several switches within months, validating the accelerated process.
The partnership between Verizon and Ribbon Communications is highlighted as a crucial factor for success, with ongoing commercial model adjustments and supply chain coordination enabling scale. While the approach is tailored specifically for Verizon’s networks, the speaker notes that other carriers face similar challenges and might adapt the model accordingly.
Ultimately, the video stresses the critical importance of decommissioning legacy infrastructure as a vital phase of network lifecycle management. With many TDM platforms at or near end-of-life, the industry must focus on sustainable decom strategies alongside deploying new technologies, ensuring legacy networks remain reliably managed until fully retired.
Highlights
⚡ Verizon is accelerating TDM switch decom to reduce power usage and costs.
🌍 Switch decom helps meet strict local climate emission regulations in key US regions.
🏗️ Transitioning to Ribbon’s end-to-end architecture enables scalable, cost-effective decom.
⏳ Eliminating fiber build steps compresses decom timeline from up to 48 months down to 6-12 months.
🔄 Verizon has already proven the new process with multiple successful switch cutovers.
🤝 Strong vendor partnership with Ribbon Communications is critical to scaling decom.
🔧 Legacy network decom is a crucial but under-discussed part of network lifecycle management.