TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES

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1 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS VIDEO NETWORKING Current Network Overview Proposed Video Network LIST OF FIGURES Figure Video Implementation Using ISDN PRI at Type I Site Figure Video Implementation Using ATM at Type I Site Figure Video Implementation Using ISDN BRI at Type II LEC DS1 Site Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the 4-495

2 Intentionally Left Blank Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the

3 4.7 VIDEO NETWORKING BENEFITS All services delivered through a common infrastructure Common infrastructure simplifies management, lowers cost PA-Team positioned for convergence of video services onto a single platform CURRENT NETWORK OVERVIEW The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania currently has deployed compressed video systems within many agencies. These systems utilize both switched (ISDN 2B + D) and dedicated facilities (fractional T-1) to provide videoconferencing capabilities. A multiport video bridge is utilized to set-up videoconferences between 2 or more locations. The video bridge is managed by the existing service provider and is under contract until the year The video bridge is a PictureTel Montage MCU, Software Release Level 5.0 F, and can support a maximum of 24 sites as a combination of dial-up and up to 4 dedicated connections. Details regarding the current video networking environment are included in Appendix 11. The Commonwealth expects the bandwidth requirement for video networking to increase in the near future. The potential exists for many of the state funded universities and state school systems to require additional bandwidth to support video networking. These requirements will be driven by such applications as the Link to Learn initiative and the Pennsylvania Education Network. Additional information regarding these initiatives is included in Appendix 14. The Prime should consider network solutions, which will provide a cost-effective method of providing incremental bandwidth to all required locations for video networking PROPOSED VIDEO NETWORK The proposed CTS solution is based on a network architecture that is completely integrated. The PA-Team will deliver all services (voice, video, data, and Internet) over the same physical infrastructure. The benefits of using the same integrated network infrastructure are: We can more easily manage the network We can apply a very cost-effective pricing model to our solution We are well positioned for the inevitable convergence of services onto a single platform, such as ATM or IP The PA-Team views the offered video services as an application that rides on our network. The proposed video services are priced identically to the proposed basic digital transport, ATM, and ISDN enabled switched services because the services are exactly the same. All current and future Commonwealth video requirements will be met with the proposed video services. Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the 4-497

4 Initially, our approach will be to provide services similar to those being provided now. Today, either dedicated fractional T-1 services or ISDN services are in use to provide video connectivity. The proposed PA-Team solution will provide the same types of services. For sites served with dedicated fractional T-1 circuits, ABS offers dedicated point-to-point T-1 services. For sites served with ISDN services today, ABS offers ISDN services as well. The true benefit of our proposed video solution will be realized as the Commonwealth migrates towards a video strategy that relies on ATM as the transport vehicle. As defined in Section 4.6, the PA-Team offers high performance ATM services as a data networking platform that will support the evolving video needs of the Commonwealth. The proposed ATM-based data networking platform offers the following benefits in support of the Commonwealth s video requirements. Scalable Bandwidth is available in speeds ranging from Mbps to 622 Mbps in.5 Mbps and below increments. Self-Healing Two layers of redundancy are provided. At the transport layer, all signals are transmitted across two physically diverse paths. If a facility failure occurs, the signal is already traveling along the other path to its destination so no data is lost. At the ATM layer, virtual circuits are automatically re-routed in the event of an unlikely facility failure so that no data is lost. Any-to-Any Connectivity ATM is the best technology to support any-to-any communication. As the need for multi-location, simultaneous video conferencing grows; the proposed ATM network solution will fit the Commonwealth s needs well. Multimedia consists of voice, video, and data in the same application. When multimedia is transmitted over a network, video traffic consumes most of the bandwidth, and also requires a high level of quality of service (QoS) guarantee from the network. ATM provides several options for transporting video traffic. Of the five network services specified by the ATM Forum, two can be readily used for video transport: Constant Bit Rate (CBR) and real-time Variable Bit Rate (rt- VBR). CBR services provides a constant-bandwidth pipe that can be used to support stringent QoS guarantees on the cell loss rate (CLR), maximum cell transfer delay (maxctd), and cell delay variation (CDV). Resources are dedicated for each connection ensuring deterministic QoS guarantees (statistical multiplexing is not used). Rt-VBR service provides guarantees on the same QoS parameters, but since it optionally uses statistical multiplexing, the resulting guarantees are probabilistic in nature. For adaptive video applications, some industry experts suggest using available bit rate (ABR) service, which guarantees a minimum cell rate (MCR) in addition to CLR. It is assumed that in this case that video sources can adapt their rates according to network feedback that is conveyed using an explicit-rate-based congestion mechanism. Several advantages of deploying an ATM infrastructure are the ability to provision high trunk speed(s), low bit error rate, flexible service type (e.g. bandwidth on demand, ABR s feedback based dynamic bandwidth renegotiation), and high multiplexing capacity make it very suitable for transporting multimedia with QOS guarantees. Statistical multiplexing of bursty video sources in an ATM network improves bandwidth utilization of the network and lowers the service cost. Furthermore, the multiplexing of multimedia streams reduces burstiness and bandwidth requirement of the aggregate traffic Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the

5 In conclusion, our proposed video services are ample to evolve with needs of the Commonwealth. They meet the current requirements and will smoothly travel the convergence curve as video services migrate to an ATM/IP environment. The following paragraphs provide additional details Requirements The Prime should propose a network solution which can support increasing bandwidth requirements for video networking. These requirements range from 128 Kbps (ISDN 2B+D) to 45 Mbps (DS3) The PA-Team s proposed network solution can support increasing bandwidth requirements for video networking from 128 Kbps (ISDN 2B+D) to 45 Mbps (DS3) The proposed network must include the ability to set-up the required network connections at various bandwidth levels between all Commonwealth locations. The advanced network architecture being deployed by PA-Team will support various bandwidth levels from 64 Kbps through 45 Mbps for video conferencing using a combination of ISDN, inverse multiplexing, and ATM, based on the capabilities/requirements of any specific Commonwealth location The Prime must provide facilities within their proposed network to support switched and dedicated access requirements for video networking. The proposed facilities must be able to support multiple ISDN lines, fractional T-1 through full T-1 and fractional DS3 through full DS3 bandwidth being delivered to any location. The network must be able to allocate the required bandwidth and set-up the required connections. Both switched and dedicated access will be supported in the proposed network. Multiple ISDN lines and full DS1 will be supported at any location; fractional and full DS3 will be supported at all Type 1 Access locations. The network will allocate the bandwidth and set up the connections based on the access provided at each site. Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the 4-499

6 The Prime must be able to provision ATM service between Commonwealth locations to support videoconferencing requirements. The proposed ATM services must be able to support SVC s, Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities, multicast, multipoint and fully meshed multicast/multipoint for video networking. The PA-Team will provision ATM service between all Commonwealth locations served by Type 1 Access. The ATM service will support all required ATM capabilities defined above. In addition, ABS and the PA-Team will support ATM service to Type 2, DS1 provisioned sites using Permanent Virtual Circuits (PVCs) The proposed network must support the use of multiport video bridging. The PA-Team will support the use of multi-port video bridging, assuming the use of the existing bridge owned and managed by the Commonwealth. Please refer to our response in paragraph The Prime must manage and support the use of a multiport video bridge as part of the proposed video network solution. Within the PA-Team, ABS will support the use of a multi-port video bridge as part of the proposed video network solution, assuming the use of the existing bridge owned and managed by the Commonwealth. Please refer to paragraph The Prime must identify a centralized resource which will be utilized to schedule and set-up videoconferences using the multiport video bridge. This resource will be required to make sure the required network facilities are available on a 7/24/365 basis. The PA-Team NOC will be the centralized resource utilized to schedule and set up videoconferences. The PA-Team NOC will be available 7/24/365. Please refer to paragraph for additional information The proposed network services must support all video network standards which include, but are not limited to, the following: H.320 Videoconferencing over ISDN H.321 Videoconferencing over ATM H.323 Videoconferencing over IP/ Ethernet (Best Effort Quality) H.324 Videoconferencing over POTS (Low Quality) Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the

7 H.310 Videoconferencing MPEG-2 over ATM (Broadcast Quality) All video standards can be supported with the appropriate bridging and gateway equipment. The transport will provide the Quality of Service (QoS) of the H.xxx specifications. Please refer to paragraph Information Required From Prime Complete Attachment 11. Enter all information as required on the attachment. This includes the service proposed for each location, the recommended configuration to support the video networking requirements, and cost. The sequence number included on the Attachment can be cross-referenced to Appendix 28 to determine which locations require the use of multiple services. The Prime should evaluate the ability to integrate these services on a common network facility. Attachment 11 has been completed as directed. Equipment Required to Support Video over IP and its Cost H.323 defines four major components for an H.323 based communication system: 1. Terminals (client end points on the network) 2. Gateways (an optional element that bridges H.323 conferences to other networks) 3. Gatekeepers (map LAN aliases to IP addresses and provide address lookup) 4. Multipoint Control Units (MCUs) (support conferences between 3+ clients) Industry feedback reflects an approximate price of $15K $45K per room plus ISDN usage charges for an H.320 system as compared to a $15K Gateway/Gatekeeper one time charge and $500 $2,000 per seat (desktop) in the H.323 arena Identify and describe which network services will be made available for video networking as part of the proposed network architecture. Network services that will be made available for video networking as part of the network architecture include: ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI) ISDN BRI is a switched service that provides two 64Kbps B-channels, or bearer channels, and one 16Kbps D-channel for signaling. The B- channels are typically bonded to transport video signal at 128Kbps. ISDN BRI is frequently used in desktop video applications. ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI) ISDN PRI provides switched service over a DS1 access line. PRI provides Kbps B-channels and one 64 Kbps D-channel. Multiple Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the 4-501

8 B-channels can be bonded using inverse multiplexing equipment to allow for transmission at fractional DS1 speeds. This solution is frequently used in video conferencing room applications. The most commonly used speeds are 256 Kbps, 384 Kbps, and 768 Kbps. Internet Access Video conferencing units that support H.323 (video over IP) can be supported at locations that have IP. This service will be offered to the network in two distinct fashions. The video (H.323) can be statistically multiplexed via ATM cells with the existing IP traffic. This is an Unspecified Bit Rate (UBR) (best effort) class of service. Alternatively, a VBR PVC can be set up to create a guaranteed QoS and thereby segregate the video from existing (non-real-time) IP traffic. ATM ATM is a Fast Packet technology providing high bandwidth and high quality for video conferencing using Switched Virtual Circuits (SVCs) or PVCs. ATM will be used extensively by the PA-Team to transport data across the MAN and WAN, including the DWDM backbone network. Video services can be established at incremental speeds from fractional DS1 through DS Provide a detailed description of how the network services will be implemented to support video networking. Include any applicable network diagrams. The PA-Team s advanced network architecture will support voice, video, and data communications over a single integrated backbone. Video conferencing will be implemented on this integrated network using standards-based digital transport services. The primary technologies used to support video networking will be ISDN and ATM. Depending on the requirements at a specific location, video networking will be provided by ISDN BRI, PRI, or ATM. Sites supported by ISDN may be linked to the MAN/WAN by fiber or copper and may be provisioned as a PRI or by individual ISDN BRIs. Sites using ATM to support video service may be provisioned with fiber or DS1. Sites provisioned by DS1 will use an Integrated Access Device supporting ATM UNI 3.0. PVCs will be provisioned over the integrated access at sites served by DS1. Whether ISDN or ATM, the video traffic will be merged at the nearest Network Access Point (NAP) and carried across the network using switched ISDN or ATM SVC/PVC as CBR (Constant Bit Rate) traffic Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the

9 Figures , -2, and -3 illustrate how each option may be implemented. Figure Video Implementation Using ISDN PRI at Type I Site PSTN/ Qwest 5ESS Switch CTS Location T1.5 DS1/PRI Mux Mux Video Equipment Integrated Access Device Router Centrex or POTS 0164 Figure Video Implementation Using ATM at Type I Site PSTN/ Qwest CTS Location 5ESS Switch T1.5 ATM Switch Centrex or POTS NBS Mux Mux Video/Data Traffic Video Equipment ATM Switch Router / DWDM Backbone Network / DWDM 0163 Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the 4-503

10 Figure Video Implementation Using ISDN BRI at Type II LEC DS1 Site PSTN/Qwest Voice Traffic NAP= Network Access Point ILEC= Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier SLC Co-Location NAP (ILEC CO) T1.5 ILEC MDF PA-Team Mux Mux 5ESS Switch CTS Location NBS= Narrow Band Shelf NBS T1.5 BRIs Video Equipment IAD Centrex or POTS Router IAD= Integrated Access Device Will the video networking services be provisioned over a common network infrastructure utilized to provision other network services? What is the impact on network performance of using a common network infrastructure? Video will be provisioned over a common network infrastructure. Video services provisioned using ISDN BRI/PRI will be carried in the same manner as voice or data traffic carried over ISDN. Video over ATM may be provisioned as CBR traffic using SVCs or PVCs. Because of its QoS capabilities, ATM will provide reliable bandwidth on demand service for video sites that require the bandwidth that ATM can deliver. Since the PA-Team s pricing is port based, video can be carried at speeds up to the prescribed port rate. As a practical matter, the port speed will be defined to support the data and video requirements of the site while allowing sufficient bandwidth for both applications. Because of the PA-Team s robust network architecture, the inclusion of video traffic over the common public network will not have an adverse impact on network performance Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the

11 How will video connections be set-up between Commonwealth locations for each proposed service? Point-to-point video can be established between locations by dialing the number associated with the remote location. This will require coordination between the sites to ensure that the end equipment is setup correctly to communicate with the originating location. Calls between sites with video conferencing equipment supporting different network standards will need to be scheduled through the PA-Team NOC and routed through the video bridge. The PA-Team NOC will be staffed on a 24x7 basis to provide coordination whenever necessary. Point-to-multi-point calls and video conference calls will be scheduled through the PA-Team NOC and routed through the video bridge. IP-based video traffic will be aggregated with all other IP traffic but, given the best-effort delivery nature of UBR, there is no prioritization or guaranteed QoS. UBR, per Commonwealth option, will or will not be managed via ForeView. For guaranteed bandwidth and QoS, VBR will be invoked and managed via ForeView How will multiport bridging be provided as part of the proposed network? Where would the bridge be located? How will the bridge support multi-point ISDN video connections between Commonwealth and other end user locations? At the discretion of the Commonwealth, the PA-Team will provide switched and dedicated network facilities to the existing multi-port bridge as part of the network service proposed in response to this RFQC. The PA-Team anticipates that the existing bridge will continue to be managed by the current service provider through the end of the existing contract period. Prior to the expiration of the existing contract, the PA-Team will consider procuring a video bridge to offer a managed video solution. This will be handled through the Option to Order Additional Service section (Section 5.3) of the proposed contract. ISDN multi-point video calls will be supported on a dial-up basis by the video bridge. All major video protocols will be supported. Calls will be scheduled and coordinated through the PA-Team NOC whether the conference is between Commonwealth locations or other end user locations Identify the resource and process which will be utilized to set-up a video conference between two (2) or more Commonwealth end users. How will bandwidth be allocated on the network? How will the multiport bridge be managed? Who will be responsible for ensuring all required resources are available to set-up a video conference? Will this resource be available 7/24/365? The PA-Team NOC will be the single point-of-contact to set up a video conference between two or more Commonwealth locations. The NOC will schedule, coordinate, and provide technical Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the 4-505

12 assistance for video conferencing for all Commonwealth users. Conferences will be established by telephone or via , depending on the preference of the user. The PA-Team will work with the Commonwealth to ensure that the information required to establish a successful conference is available to the Commonwealth as well as to the PA-Team NOC. The PA-Team assumes that the Commonwealth will manage the current bridge. The PA-Team will consider offering a fully managed video service as a potential new enhanced service Can users be billed for use of bridging services? If so, how will usage be tracked and how will the billing process operate? Users can be billed for the use of bridging services. Usage will be tracked using an automated billing system located in the PA-Team NOC. Charges associated with video conferencing may be included on the monthly invoice created for the using agency, or billed to a central agency that is responsible for video conferencing expenses. Billing processes will be implemented based on the preference of the Commonwealth For each network service proposed for video networking, identify all applicable standards which are supported. The PA-Team s proposed video networking supports the following standards: ISDN BRI/PRI supports H.320, the most common family of video teleconferencing standards and all applicable H.2xx standards, such as H.244, that permits the bonding of two (2) 64Kbs ISDN channels to form a single 128Kbs channel ATM supports H.321, which is the adaptation of H.320 to ATM The PA-Team Internet services support H.323, which supports video over IP as a best effort service The PA-Team POTS service will support H.324 (video over POTS via modems). CPE vendor compatibility is sometimes an issue with H.324. H.310 is supported over ATM as CBR traffic only at locations provisioned with Type 1 access Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the