Cirpack

Cirpack develops local exchange and transit switches for telecom operators to deliver all the primary line voice services over legacy TDM networks as well as new broadband local loops using VoIP protocols.

Cirpack switches started to be developed in 1997 as an R&D project within alternative operator Kaptech (acquired by LDCOM now part of the SFR Group). At this time, market deregulation stimulated the founding of many telecom operators looking for TDM Class-4 and Class-5 switch alternatives. Cirpack was the first voice switch on the market to use off-the-shelves hardware and open-source software to replicate the features of old proprietary switches at a fraction of the costs.

Cirpack was founded in 1999 as a spinoff of Kaptech and was acquired by Thomson SA in April 2005. In 2003, Cirpack enabled the Triple Play revolution in France by adding VoIP support on its voice switches. The reliability and scalability of the Cirpack platforms enabled Free.fr to launch the first primary line VoIP services in Europe and change the consumer broadband market for ever. In 2004, all other French alternative operators deployed Cirpack switches to deliver broadband telephony services as well. By 2005, about 4 million French households were relying on Cirpack platforms for their primary line telephony services.

Today, over 120 telecom operators in 35 countries on 3 continents are using Cirpack switches for maintaining legacy POTS and ISDN services, deploying broadband telephony, offering IP Centrex and Fixed-Mobile Convergence services, connecting value added services platforms to the PSTN and managing their long distance traffic over TDM or IP networks. The Cirpack platform also enables them to smoothly migrate to an IMS core and application architecture.