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NEC installs, develops and maintains the NEAX telephone exchanges and the Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN), that form New Zealand's telecommunication backbone.
The Telecom New Zealand Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) backbone is powered by the NEC NEAX61 series digital telephone exchanges. The NEAX series supplies voice and data (Integrated Services Digital Networks - ISDN) access to nearly two million users from Cape Reinga to the Bluff. The NEAX series is also complemented by other NEC networks and servers such as but not limited to Intelligent Networks, Number Seven Signalling transfer points, Protocol Converters and Billing Mediation systems.
The first NEAX61K digital telephone exchange was installed in 1981 by Telecom New Zealand at Lower Hutt and its successor, the NEAX 61E, was first installed at Auckland's North Shore in 1987. The NEAX61E series also provides the voice portal in and out of the PSTN to other countries around the world, for Telecom New Zealand International. There are more than 600 NEAX series exchanges throughout New Zealand which continue to reliably handle all fixed line calls made in the Telecom Network.
NEC's Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) platform compliments the NEAX series feature set by delivering many additional value added services such as but not limited to geographic routing, time of day routing, 0800, 0900, Virtual Private Networks, Tele Voting and Number Portability.
Since the early 90's the AIN has provided a cost effective way to extend the feature set of NEAX without the service actually having to exist on the NEAX. Strategically placed AIN servers around New Zealand provide service for the whole PSTN.
These services are delivered to the PSTN in real-time around the country via a high speed Number Seven Signalling (SS7) network.
Although the AIN services are delivered by NEC designed, developed and supported software, the underlying high availability hardware platform is provided by Hewlett Packard (HP) New Zealand. Refer to the case study for more information on the NEC and HP partnership.
The original backup storage medium for many telephone exchange networks and main frame computing systems were magnetic tape "reel to reel" decks. Either 1/2 inch reels, or cartridge variants. Over the years sourcing of parts and tape media could no longer be assured so NEC in collaboration with a local electronics company designed and built a fully solid state emulation device that is plug and play compatible with the NEAX series and other none NEAX systems using Magnetic Tape Units (MTU) or Cartridge Magnetic Tape Units (CGMTU). The DSU have now replaced all tape backup systems on the NEAX.
The Charge Data User Part (CDUP) Mediation Service provides a highly secure and reliable method of delivering customer call billing data from the PSTN to backend systems used for customer bill processing. The CMS software was designed developed and installed for Telecom by NEC in 2004 and from that time has been running without failure (100% reliability).
In recent years there has been a large increase in ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) circuits, primarily been driven by analogue to digital PBX upgrades and call centres. Due to the global shortage of NEAX ISDN terminating equipment NEC in collaboration with a third party supplier developed and integrated a Protocol Conversion solution to provide ISDN terminations over standard digital trunk interfaces (E1) thus enabling the growing ISDN demand in the PSTN to be met.
The advent of Next Generation Networks has seen a need for their integration with the PSTN. To fill that gap for Telecom NEC, working with a third party supplier, integrated a system called the MACH-iSTP to provide connectivity between the networks. The MACH-iSTP platform converts PSTN SS7 signalling to SIGTRAN (and visa versa) for Telecom New Zealand International (TNZI) points of presence around the globe. This same platform is also integral in providing the Roaming capability for Telecom XT network.
Telecom New Zealand provides the first point of contact for all National Emergency calls (111, 911) before they are routed to either the Police, Fire or Ambulance services. This service must be 100% reliable available 24/7 and able to meet the emergency service requirements of the public and Telecom. Telecom provides this service using an NEC designed, developed, installed and supported state of the art system.
