Verizon Communications Inc.

N Sharon Embrey

Robert D Farris

Dale Lee Bartholomew

R Andrew Poole

David Harold Cave

John M Carman

Raymond Ian Millet

Faye M Smith

Lin H Kerns

Kyle Vincent Evans

A communications network, for example forming a local exchange carrier telephone network, utilizes three layers of fiber optic rings. The point of demarcation between customer premises media and network media comprises an intelligent soft network interface device or 'soft NID'. First layer rings carry telephone and data communications between the soft NIDs and remote terminals. Several remote terminals in an area communicate via one of the next higher level rings to a host digital terminal. The host digital terminals communicate with each other via a backbone optical fiber ring, and a media gateway controller on this ring provides high level service logic. The remote terminals and preferably the host digital terminals are service switching points (SSPs), for intelligent services provided by the network. Local legacy switches connect to remote terminals, whereas a router on the backbone provides communications to other networks, including legacy long distance networks.

Multi-layer ring architecture for fiber-to-the-home telco carrier network

For communications interface across the line of demarcation between the customer premises media and a link of a public digital broadband communication network, a network interface device is 'soft' in that it is adaptable to different service applications and readily programmable from both the network-side and the customer-side. A network-side interface provides a communications connection to a broadband network link at an edge of the digital broadband network. A customer-side interface provides communications connection to one or more media in the customer premises, for example, to telephone and LAN wiring within the premises. The soft network interface device also includes a data processing system, for controlling at least some of the communications through the interfaces. The data processing system is capable of being programmed with network service provisioning data from the public network as well as with user programming received from the customer premises.

Soft network interface device for digital broadband local carrier networks

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Alexandria, VA, United States of America

N Sharon Embrey