What a bunch of dung! They never cease to amaze me. The area where we just moved our office is just about completely transitioned over to fiber, in fact when we got our temporary POTS lines, their technician said that they won't deploy any new services over copper. I informed him that we have a pending order for a PRI from a CLEC and he told me that we probably won't get it since their FiOS network doesn't support it. I can't wait to see how this goes.
ED, I hate to say "I told you so" (not to you, personally) but as a former employee and student of their Machiavellian policies in the past, long ago I told anyone who would listen that introducing FiOS (with the resulting tear out of the copper network, block by block) would spell the end of competition from CLECs who need copper to survive.
Indeed, it will be interesting to see what the PUC/PSC in your area says about this industry-busting tactic. Will you be the first test case? I hope so, and I hope you win!
Technically, there is no reason FiOS can not support CLEC PRI. As Arthur indicated, this is a market ploy to muscle out the competition.
Here in western PA, Verizon sings the same song, however, in a large fiber only area, Verizon will supply CLEC services over fiber. I don't know if there is some kind of rate provision or it may be that if Verizon only serves an area with fiber, they have to support CLEC as well.
I'm not sure, Paul. As I mentioned earlier, the VZ tech who came out to deliver us three temporary POTS lines wished me luck in getting a PRI in the wire center that he works. He shook his head when I told him that we have a PRI from a CLEC on the way. He said that they aren't jumping through any hoops to deliver anything but POTS via FiOs.
Is it possible that the ONT deployed for FiOS service does not support PRI/ISDN service?
FWIW...
Several months ago I was sent for training in "Enterprise" FiOS (as in voice/data but no video) and specifically asked about "other" types of circuits being provisioned over the FiOS network and was told "No way, no how". It's not really a question of whether ONT supports it, because in "business" environments you pretty much pick up your DT/data signal from a "block" (for a lack of a better word) the same way you'd do it with conventional copper/SLiC, and the end user doesn't have a dedicated ONT.
My hunch - although this is something that would be better addressed by dexman or someone else who holds a deep knowledge of the "inside" world - is that the entire CO provisioning of the FiOS circuitry is closer to the conventional OE dialtone world than to hi-cap carrier circuitry.
Now, I know for a fact that in Sandy-trashed Southern Manhattan they did replace a number (Hundreds?Thousands?) of muxes in order to be able to supply T-1/PRI type of service to zillion of businesses/government entities that still heavily rely on those.
I've asked several people holding different positions withing the company how one provisions a conventional radio line - which were dime-a-dozen downtown - over anything but copper, and have yet to get a straight answer...
As much as I hate to admit it, I'm pretty darn confused...but the future doesn't look bright for any type of circuitry sitting on copper, that's certain...