Sonus Networks isn’t a stranger to the rural market, but its status is. The company was bestowed with Rural Utilities Service/Rural Development Utilities Program RUS/RDUP acceptance for much of its core IMS-based product line.

RUS/RDUP provides funding to rural telephone companies for telecommunications initiatives in rural communities throughout the United States. These initiatives include financing construction, procurement of equipment, and enhancements to networks.
Acceptance will help Sonus take advantage of the new distribution chain of third-party resellers who directly address RUS-funded service providers. Sonus gained approval for its GSX 9000 Open Services Switch, PSX Call Routing Server, SGX Signaling Gateway, and the Sonus Insight Element Management System. One of those resellers is Embarq Logistics.

“There is a real value proposition to people like Embarq Logistics having access to some 1400 carriers and offering a whole portfolio of services. Now they can add VoIP to that bundle, with all our service and support as part of the package,” said Steve Edwards, chief marketing officer at Sonus. To address this market through a direct relationship would not be cost effective, he said.

The company also is pursuing acceptance of its GSX 4000 Open Services Switch, which is designed for smaller service providers. “Although we haven’t traditionally gone after rural service providers, a good part of our strategy is to pick those service providers that are shaping the future as early adopters [of next generation technology], Edwards said. “It is those smaller more entrepreneurial providers , those innovators, that often leads with new applications and services.”

Jim Kohlenberger, spokesperson for the Internet Voice Campaign agreed. He said in a statement that nowhere is the promise of IP-based voice communications as profound as it is in rural America. He added that the proliferation of VoIP into rural areas creates new economic opportunities by cost-effectively bridging the distance between urban and rural America.

Although Edwards said RUS/RDUP acceptance for Sonus' solutions provides rural carriers with the flexibility to invest funds in its IMS-ready core infrastructure, Sonus may have to tone down the heavily IMS-weighted message it uses with Tier 1 carriers.

“The whole rationale of IMS in terms of the architecture and principals gets lost. It is more important to some small carriers to know they can differentiate themselves, offer more services, drive incremental value per customer and do it cost effectively. They are very focused on the business,” Edwards said.

The timing of the certification is good, Edwards said. “We are really at a tipping point now where whether you are a small service provider or a large one, it is a compelling proposition to move away from legacy switches to next-generation platforms. We are seeing more customers realizing they need to move for financial reasons and to put a platform in place so they aren’t late to the game,” he said.