Network and Facilities

Integra Telecom is a facilities-based service carrier, operating its network from various switching centers throughout its operating regions. Integra implements only carrier-class equipment in its network operations. Integra's network equipment vendors include Lucent Technologies, Cisco Systems, Nortel, Tekelec, Cerent, Paradyne Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Carrier Access Corporation, and ADC/Kentrox, to name but a few.

Through it's acquisition of Electric Lightwave in 2006, Integra owns and operates an eight-market, 2,200 route mile (160,000 fiber miles) metropolitan area network, with direct fiber access into over 580 major commercial buildings. Many other competitive local exchange carriers are scrambling to find network alternatives in response to recent FCC rules that increase the cost of leasing network from the Bell companies. Integra, by acquiring Electric Lightwave's metropolitan area network, becomes one of the first to insulate itself from this unpredictable landscape of telecom regulation. In addition to the metropolitan area networks, Integra will also own and operate Electric Lightwave's unique 4,700-mile, long haul network - one of the largest of its kind in the western United States.

Integra's network operations are monitored 24 hours per day. Backup power sources, including battery and generator systems, keep Integra systems operational in the case of power outages. Integra's voice and data networks are connected to and from the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and the Internet via ATM over multiple fiber-optic SONET rings, ensuring failsafe operation in the event of carrier service interruption. Integra operates Lucent 5ESS® switching equipment to support all local and long distance voice services. Integra's product sets include Lucent's enhanced CLASS services like call waiting, caller ID, and more. Current and future investments in network switching equipment will emphasize a transition to next-generation, packet-switched network technologies. These build-outs provide the flexibility to handle any form of voice or data over an optimized network at lower cost.

With a customer base increasingly dependent on connections to the Internet, Integra Telecom has engineered its data network with virtually unlimited scalability, featuring several multi-megabit connections to Tier 1 Internet providers in each market. Integra's fiber-optic backbone feeds are designed for high burst rates and monitored usage for optimal bandwidth availability.

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