Here you go!- A quick "snapshot" of how this works. I hope this helps!

Option 11C
MGC Card provided by E-MetroTel
E-MetroTel will provide the Flash card with the firmware required.
Install UCX MGC Flash Drive as needed
Point T-LAN and E-LAN settings to UCX server

MGC Flash drive available from E-MetroTel
Digital Line Card available from E-MetroTel
(NT8D02AA NT8D02BA, or NT8D02EA release 5.0
Each Digital Line Card can support 16 Meridian 1 digital phones

For M1 / CS 1000 Customers:
Step 1: Customer orders UCX server appliance (min. UCX50/450/1000)
Rls.4.5 software, MDSE and MASE keycode, and appropriate trunking (PRI, etc.)
Step 2: Customer orders total number of extension licenses
Include all IP and Digital sets
Step 3a: For M1 / CS 1000 that do not have installed MGC cards
Order MGC card with either the 96 / 128 port DSPs from E-MetroTel
Step 3b: If already have MGC card installed
Order MGC Flash Drive firmware as needed
Step 4: If need MGC Cabinet
Order an MG 1000 / MG 1010 from E-MetroTel
Step 5: If need Digital Line Cards
Order Digital Line cards from E-MetroTel

No matter how you look at it, the emetro solution is way cheaper than the cost to upgrade that old of a release to the current release 7.5. You will have to get MGC cards anyway because the latest release does not support SSC cards. You will laso have to contend with licensing on the upgraded system that you didn't have to deal with on the older releases.

Without question, if you want to keep your Nortel sets, the Emetrotel system is the only way to go. I did a 2-cabinet option 11 not too long ago and the difference was about half of the cost to upgrade it. Their provider wanted 75K to upgrade it and we provided a UCx1000 with a 2-span PRI card, turnkeyed for 42K. Needless to say, the customer is tickled pink and loves his UCx. He wouldn't trade it for anything now.

Good luck with your choice.

Thanks, I had assumed we had to go to Avaya first to get the MGC upgrades. I did not realize eMetrotel had their own version of the pack.

We currently have CLink doing our support. They are OK, but they seem expensive. Would an eMetrotel provider have similar ongoing support costs as CLink/Avaya or could they be less as well ? We would like to do our own adds and changes but want to be able to call in someone if the system runs into trouble.

We currently have leased PRI spans between the systems and they are all in the same State. CLink proposed to combine them all into one central system connected by IP. They would add the MGCs to each system and then a new call server at one site. Seemed to make sense in the diagrams. We also asked them to just quote upgrading the existing seperate systems as they are. Guess we will have to see how their upgrade quotes comes in.

Thanks for the feedback.

/G

You would have to check with your reseller concerning support\maintenance costs. Concerning connecting the systems together via IP, this can be done with either two UCx systems utilizing a Coordinated Dialing Plan, OR a centralized UCx with the remote site registered to the main Host site. The main thing would be how much bandwidth you have. If you are using the leased PRI Spans for voice only, this may be able to be eliminated all together IF you have bandwidth to facilitate the systems because you can use Peer to Peer SIP Trunking to do the voice communication between the systems. If you choose the Centralized UCx and a remote site, the bandwidth would be used for voice with no Peer to Peer SIP Trunks involved.

Your Authorized UCx Reseller should be able to answer questions for you and if not, they cna contact their E-Metrotel representative.
I hope this helps and have a blessed day!

Also works great for analog phone. I have an Opt.11 with about 75 - 2500 sets, and with both MDSE and MASE keycodes, you can reuse all the NT8D09AK as well and leave jumpers in place.