Re: Non-Bell ESS?

snipped-for-privacy@bbs.cpcn.com wrote about Re: Non-Bell ESS? on Date: 12 Jul

2005 12:11:16 -0700:

I'm very sure it was a non Western Electric switch. It was made in
> Plano Tx (forgot the maker's name) and it was used for local calls.... > ... The basic pattern was the same-an unexplained deluge of > electronic messages shutting down a computer built by DSC > Communications Corp. of Plano, Texas ...

To the best of my memory, DSC, whose name was mentioned in the archive you added (above), never made any type of an ESS switch, which the original essage questioned a non-Bell switch. DSC, now owned by Alcatel (France), made a whole line of CPE including multi-line systems and even some FO based equipment.

Back before all of the acquisitions and mergers of the late 90's when Alcatel picked them up, DSC had a fairly strong presence at the "Baby Bells" but not much at the ILEC's. I was working for one of Lucent's major competitors then calling on the ILEC's and saw very little of DSC at the ILEC's.

I never directly worked for DSC but I did once interview for a job with them for which I did a detailed study of their products and markets so I could talk intelligently with the interviewer. I do not remember seeing any local Teleco type #5ESS switches in their product mix.

So I'm pretty sure in relating again that the (only) non-Bell #5ESS switch back then was made by AGCS which was the creation of GTE and AT&T to get around the FCC regulations about Bell selling their equipment into the ILEC market. I do remember something about a couple of CO fires which were attributed to these switches but seem to recall there was some lightening connected with the stories.

In later years just before divestiture, Nortel got into the local Teleco type switch business.

John Stahl Telecom/Data Consultant Aljon Enterprises