atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Telecom Service & Providers Frontier Fios ONT to analog trouble

Hi Everyone,

I have a client in Orange County, CA, using Frontier Fios for Internet and phone. The phone service is delivered by the ONT as analog. I have a Nortel Meridian MICS installed for the phone system configured to support the analog lines.

The client is experiencing intermittent (about every tenth call) dropped calls, one-sided audio, the caller can hear the ring but not ringing at the ONT. These are all of the issues that pop up randomly during the day. I tested the lines at the ONT and found that it was on Frontier's side. I have changed out the KSU twice to appease the client, no change.

I asked the client to contact Frontier to have the ONT tested and hopefully replaced. The client told me that it was replaced but he is still experiencing the same problems. I would expect this with SIP Trunks and an IP PBX with a CODEC mismatch.

Does anyone have an idea of what might be causing this?

A couple of questions:

When calls drop off or experience audio issues, does the customer lose the Internet connection?
When the problems surface, does the ONT physically indicate any alarms (red LEDs illuminate)?
If there are other Frontier Fios users in the building area, are they experiencing similar troubles?

Frontier should be logging into their ONT to pull error logs to see if it is detecting anything unusual. My guess is that the problem is back in the Frontier Central Office, most likely something to do with the switch that is providing the telephone service that the ONT is utilizing.

Hey Dexman, Thanks for the reply. No dropped Internet and no alarms or red LEDs. The client is the only business off of that ONT. Unknown about any other companies in the immediate area that are having the same trouble, that would be a good thing to check out.

I didn't think about the error logs and your guess is the same as mine, most likely at the CO.

I have heard of this same issue with other providers as well, it makes me wonder if there is a CODEC problem between providers. God only knows how many hops and switches the call has to go through to complete the call.

Anyway. Thank you very much for your input. I will have the client contact Frontier again.

Thanks again!

Has this issue persisted since the ONT was installed or something that just recently began? If it is just recently, I would suspect a firmware issue from an upgrade on the ONT or its associated OLT.

Do you know what protocol Frontier is using from their switch to the ONT? Is it SIP, GR303, MGCP?
If using SIP, should be simple for them to grab some captures and see where things are failing.

Hi ffejo1o, thanks for the reply.

Here's the whole scoop. The client is running a Nortel Meridian and getting analog trunks from Frontier ONT. Unknown if they are SIP, GR303, or MGCP. There was an unwitnessed power event that damaged the Nortel KSU. This was a few months ago and my first time at their office.

I replaced the KSU and it checked out ok after the installation. The client started calling me almost daily to report the above-mentioned issues. I replaced everything that I installed at least twice, no change.

According to the client, Frontier changed out the ONT a few weeks ago, no change.

I recently found out that the client is using a third-party advertising company that provides phone numbers used in advertising in various publications. When someone calls those numbers, the call goes first to the advertising company, which forwards the call to the client. I am sure the advertising company is using SIP Trunks on their end for that service.

So, I am stuck in the middle. It sounds like a classic SIP issue to me and my equipment is not VoIP so the trouble must be with Frontier or this Advertising company.

Thanks again!

Do outgoing calls disconnect, incoming calls disconnect or is it a problem with all calls?

Hi Dexman,

I'm pretty sure it's just incoming calls, they have not complained about outgoing calls so far. The most common problem is one-sided sound and ringing with no one there. It's exactly like having a CODEC mismatch in a VoIP PBX.

Now that they told me about the third-party advertising company that is providing them with local phone numbers, I am guessing SIP Trunks, the calls go through that company first and are logged by their PBX, the call is then transferred to the client's analog lines. Primarily to the main phone number, sometimes to one of the several roll-over numbers.

This very well could be the problem child and would explain the CODEC type issue.

The problem is, that the client says he had no trouble before me changing out the damaged Nortel Meridian KSU and that it must be the new KSU even though I changed that out twice without resolving the trouble.

It's a real bummer being the third guy down the line.

Thanks again!

My thought is a problem with the 3rd party provider. If the issue was with Frontier, both in & out would be experiencing the audio problem.

Sounds good to me. I will be back out there next week. Thanks again for all of your help!!