Changing BRIs to PRIs with the Adtran Atlas 800
For a long time I'd been looking for a way to get digital services from the phone company without getting raped by their billing department each month. PRIs and CT1 have been seriously overpriced by Bell Atlantic in Maine. Many places, but not all places, have overly expensive PRI service also. If you choose to live and do business in those areas, this document is for you.
We originally bought USR mp8i and mp16i ISDN modem pools to fit this need for 56k service via BRI lines which are very similar in cost to normal business lines in Maine. BRI lines are more, but you get two lines out of it, so all things even out. This did X2 nicely, but the units have had some software problems USR wasn't willing to fix as the software is only warranted for 90 days, despite the vague multiyear warranty which they prominently proclaim. This wouldn't be a problem if you only had one or two boxes, but if you have lots of these like a growing ISP, the complexities multiply as the hunt group gets larger. Not wanting a service contract and having no promises of getting a resolution after buying a service contract, We looked for other solutions.
Since I'm a Livingston fan, I thought a PM3 would be neat. Someone on one of the lists alluded to an Adtran box which has both BRI and PRI cards. I visited their website and they do show drawings of it converting between BRI and PRI. I ordered an Adtran Atlas 800 chassis, which comes with two built in PRI/T1 ports, and ordered two Octal-BRI cards. Each card takes in 8 lines, for 16 channels per card. I also ordered a PM3 with 48 modems in it. Once I got things working well, I ordered more Octal-BRI cards, and eventually, another PM3 and a Quad-PRI/T1 card, and more Octal BRI cards.
Here's how it's done:
If you are persuing this route for low priced digital lines, be sure to check with your favorite reseller(s) for prices, as the prices quoted on the Adtran page are a little high. I paid a little over $3k for the chassis, and a little over $2k for each Octal-BRI card. This can pay itself off quickly if PRIs are twice as much as BRIs in your area. This route is not as dead-end as using a Netserver or something like that either, as when digital access via PRI/T1 comes cheaply in my area, I won't have to buy more equipment. I can sell the Atlas if it makes sense, and keep the PM3. Other people will have to sell their Netservers and buy something elses. Do Not hold your breath waiting for the phone company to give you a good deal on something.
Also, I'd appreciate it if you do as best you can and not call on me for technical support. If absolutely necessary, I can help (we take Visa and Mastercard), but with my busy schedule, it might require a couple days notice and some scheduling flexibility on your part.
Most of all, the phone company does not need any more of your money, so this might come in handy for medium sized internet POPs (23-112 lines), and save gobs of money. Money that can be used to help customers, hire staff, buy cars, or anything but line the pockets of the RBOCs. We hope this website makes things a tiny bit better for small ISPs everywhere.
