Feature Articles
Partner News
Support Tip
Product News
Spotlight Events
Subscribe | Update Profile | Past Issues | Reader Survey | RSS
By Brough Turner, SVP & CTO, NMS Communications
As the year draws to a close, pundits make predictions for 2007. I thought it might be useful to highlight some happenings in 2006 which may not have gotten the coverage — or the perspective — they deserve.
Death of traditional fixed-line telephony
The abortive Vonage IPO demonstrated that providing traditional phone service, even with a few extra features, is no longer enough. Skype has shown the cost of voice telephony to be near zero (once you have broadband connectivity) and that the value is not in per-minute connectivity but in features that help you coordinate getting connected. Traditional operators are counting on their first-mile monopolies and/or on triple play bundles to hold their business together. That will undoubtedly work for a while, but the long term is now clear — voice telephony is an application with features, benefits, and business models more like email or instant messaging.
Dual mode (mobile & WiFi) phones off to a slow start
Despite extensive hype and many product introductions, mobile VoIP did not take off. We did see many product and service launches as startups in every part of the world went after a slice of mobile voice revenues. But there are a lot of details to work out yet, not the least of which is battery life during WiFi operation, WiFi coverage, dual-mode handoffs (or lack thereof) and inadequate 3G data bandwidth. This looks like a trend that will take three to five years to play out.
Some positive results of the U.S. AWS spectrum auctions
While this year’s spectrum auction saw no new players, it did solidify existing players and give hope that the U.S. will have five viable national competitors for mobile broadband access. The biggest winner was T-Mobile USA which is now positioned to be a full-scale national competitor (along with Verizon, Cingular, and Sprint) using a 3G UMTS network they plan to roll out during 2007 and 2008. Add in national WiMAX networks by Sprint and Clearwire and the ever-expanding assortment of WiFi hotspots, and U.S. mobile broadband access becomes quite competitive.
Questioning the value of Calling Party Pays (CPP) regulation
For many years, it’s been accepted wisdom that the EU regulatory scheme, in which all mobile fees are paid by the caller, is the best way to foster mobile adoption. Now economists have shown that CCP has little impact on mobile adoption rates and, by replacing competition with regulated termination fees, it produces substantially higher costs for mobile users. As a highly political issue, it’s unlikely to be resolved for years, but 2006 was the turning point with serious discussion of the issue and proposals for wholesale “bill and keep” and other approaches that might reduce the high costs resulting from CPP.
China’s 3G licensing delay obscures interesting VAS developments
China watchers were frustrated by the continuing delay in issuing 3G licenses. Best estimates are now for at least one license in early 2007, although if you consider the August 2008 Beijing Olympics as the motivating event, China could delay 3G licenses to near the end of 2007. A more interesting development in China is the dramatic upsurge in mobile value-added services (VAS). Given China Mobile’s relatively low 15% commission for billing, 2005 and 2006 saw more than 12,000 new value-added services launched in China. Some of these were scams, prompting a clamp down by the Ministry of Information Industries (MII), but the net effect has been an explosion of services and a new round of Chinese entrepreneurs, some of which will undoubtedly show up outside of China.
AdvancedTCA finally gets production momentum
After many years of hype, and years of investigation by major equipment providers, we are finally seeing production demand for AdvancedTCA components. Serious volumes are for next year and beyond, but 2006 is the year AdvancedTCA turned the corner, and not just in Japan (a leader in AdvancedTCA adoption) but also in Europe and the U.S.
3G mobile video calling as a substitute for video-over-packet
All deployed 3G UMTS systems support mobile video telephony using the 3G-324M standard, however adoption has been very weak as video telephony is a specialty application. Indeed, it’s been clear for several years that the video application people use is “see what I see” — two-way audio with one-way video. To the extent people use 3G video calling, it’s for “see what I see.”
However, another use of 3G video calling became apparent this year — as video connectivity that is both ubiquitous and more reliable than video over 3G data. With video over 3G packet services, there are wide variations in handset capabilities and large variations in over-the-air data rates. The result is slow, erratic, or non-functional applications. By invoking a 3G video call (frequently from a WAP page or push), an application developer gets guaranteed quality of service and a known handset capability. In 2006 we saw this new approach adopted for such diverse applications as mobile TV and video blogging. Yes, this is an interim use, but it’s likely to be effective until there is widespread deployment of both HSDPA and HSUPA radio technology and IMS quality of service. In the meantime this interim solution is likely to dominate through 2012 or beyond.
Conclusion
This concludes my assortment of interesting, and possibly overlooked, telecom happenings in 2006. Time will tell if these mark really important trends or just minor inflection points.
Brough Turner may be reached using the Comment form below. Also be sure to check out Brough’s blog at blogs.nmss.com/communications.
Featuring Dr. George Kontopidis, SVP, Products and Technology Strategy
Joanne Babbitt, Product Marketing Manager, Platform Solutions recently had a chat with George Kontopidis, NMS’s Sr. VP of Products and Technology Strategy, who is working on platform products and technology strategy, about what really matters in mobile applications.
Joanne: From a user perspective, what really matters in mobile applications?
George: Current mobile applications are about person-to-person communications. The Web 2.0 world has proved that the next layer of human interaction is participation in communities and exchanges of thoughts and multimedia content. Mobile devices and applications need to better facilitate group interactivity and provide a portal to rich content. To enable this level of functionality, devices, platforms, and applications need to allow members of a community to exchange data while they are conversing on an audio or video call. This class of applications and their respective service offerings from the operators are known as blended services or combinational services.
J: What are the necessary technology pieces for operators to deliver combinational services?
G: Combinational services can be delivered in existing 2.5G and IN infrastructure, but with limitations. For an excellent user experience, a 3G network with converged services over the IP Multimedia System (IMS) infrastructure is required. The reason IMS is so desirable is because it uses a common media network based on IP, over which any mixed media (voice, video, images, text, etc.) can be transported. Furthermore, the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) used in IMS allows for direct communication between the terminal devices (handsets) and the core application servers. But while the core network elements within IMS are necessary, they alone are not sufficient for implementing combinational services. The terminating handsets must also be able to handle concurrent sessions on a single “phone call,” allowing two or more subscribers on an audio or video call to exchange other multimedia information and even browse on various content sites at the same time.
J: What is NMS’s direction in respect to this space?
G: As discussed, to realize new combinational network services, designers need to consider not only the network side of the application but also the corresponding handset client portion. The need for end-to-end network services is a necessity for an acceptable user experience. Furthermore, self-provisioning and personalizing these services requires a richer graphical interface than the handsets themselves can offer — the use of desktop browsers or specialized PC clients is necessary. Only the combination of a simple and intuitive handset user interface, an interactive and content-rich network application, and a desktop client personalization extension will provide a superb user experience.
For better economy of scale, it makes sense to create a platform for developing and deploying combination services, utilizing common elements of the network and the handset clients. NMS envisions providing such a platform, which will accelerate the new breed of IMS applications and significantly reduce the time-to-market for innovating combinational services. That’s what we call a seamless, end-to-end IMS platform!
J: What are the challenges facing developers in the new world of IMS?
G: The “old way” of developing network applications required implementation of the call control logic, media handling, and the necessary interfacing to the OSS/BSS systems. Alternatively, developers could attach their applications as intelligent peripherals to the Intelligent Network (IN) or the Advanced IN. In the IMS world, application development becomes simpler and more complex at the same time. It becomes simpler because there is a clear separation of the call logic from the user interaction logic and with standardized billing interfaces. It becomes more complex because the developer has to interface with a multiplicity of APIs and be aware of the respective functionality underneath. Most of the commercial Service Deployment Platforms (SDPs) offer a collective set of Java-based APIs for IMS application development. These frameworks can be very expensive, heavily customized per operator, and not mature enough for third-party development.
J: What can developers do to reduce the impact of these challenges?
G: My recommendations could be summarized as follows:
- Understand the basic IMS topology and interfaces, especially the IMS Service Control (ISC) interface or its variant abstracted by the SDP. Accessing web content via web services is also essential.
- Get access to the specific development environment of a Service Provider (SP). Each environment is different, but targets the ISVs and third-party application developers. This is easier said than done; it involves extensive business negotiations with the SPs.
- Focus the effort on network services that matter to the SP. Even excellent application ideas might not be relevant to the strategic objective of the SP, or they may have been tested previously somewhere else. Interacting with the SPs directly will ensure compatibility of interests.
Nevertheless, IMS application development has a long way-to-go before the process is matured and streamlined. The expectation though is that it will be worth it!
By Timothy Resker, VP Sales, Channel Access
In the application server space, manufacturers are starting to move towards PCI Express and away from supporting PCI slots, particularly full-height, full-length PCI slots. This presents a problem for developers deploying voice applications utilizing the CG Series and AG Series full-length PCI boards. Up to this point in time, the solution has been to utilize an application server that supports the requisite number of full-height, full-length PCI slots, at the expense of choosing the server that best fits the requirements of the application itself. Now, an alternative solution is available that allows developers to utilize any application that best meets their needs, regardless of whether the server can support the requisite number of full-height, full-length PCI slots.
PCI Expansion Enclosures from Carlo Gavazzi Computing Solutions support anywhere from two to nine full-height, full-length PCI boards and have been validated with the Open Access product line. These enclosures connect to the application server utilizing two-meter cables and either half-height PCI or PCI Express adapters that install in the server, eliminating the need for the server to have any full-height, full-length slots. Two enclosure models are available:
The XP-SB enclosure is a 1U rackmount chassis complete with power and cooling. It supports either two or three full-height, full-length PCI slots and utilizes a Star Fabric-based connection to a half-height PCI adapter that seamlessly bridges into the server’s PCI bus.
The XP-10E enclosure is a 4U rackmount chassis complete with power and cooling. It supports nine PCI slots and one PCI Express slot and utilizes an X4 PCI Express link to a half -height PCI Express adapter that seamlessly bridges into the server’s PCI Express bus. Options for redundant power supplies are available for the XP-10E.
More details on these expansion products may be found at www.cg-cs.com/expansion. For pricing and delivery information contact Channel Access, the authorized distributor for the XP Expansion Enclosures, at sales@channelaccess.com.
| Support Tip |
When multiple Open Access boards are installed on some Multi-Root PCI bus SPARC® Solaris™ 64-bit chassis, such as the Netra™ 440, some of the boards may be assigned identical bus and slot numbers.
NA2005-1 SP2 introduces support for these types of chassis, but the following actions should be taken.
For AG boards:
If only one type of board is being used in the system (all AG or all CG), the respective drivers will sort the numbering out by themselves.
In the case of mixed boards (AG and CG in the same chassis), the AG driver needs to adopt a different board numbering scheme. The following line should be added to /usr/kernel/drv/aghw.conf :
bus_offset=170;
This will force the aghw driver to use different numbering scheme.
Reboot the system
Use blocate instead of pciscan .
For CG boards:
Use cg6ktool -A to gather virtual bus numbers instead of pciscan
For additional support tips, visit the Technical Notes section of the NMS web site. |
|
Product News
NMS is pleased to announce that all new members of the CG Series of PSTN and IP media processing boards are now Generally Available. The CG 6060 (PCI), CG 6060C (CompactPCI), CG 6565 (PCI), and CG 6565C (CompactPCI) are replacements for the discontinued CG 6000(C) and CG 6100C boards.
All CG Series boards feature universal port capability, which means that you can configure a single board for IVR, trunking, fax, conferencing, VoIP and video functions — eliminating the need for multiple specialized boards and giving you quick access to any feature with minimal configuration and development. In combination with our Natural Access development environment, these boards provide a consistent application interface for a variety of networks — wireline and wireless — and signaling environments — CAS, ISDN, and SIP.
An article illustrating the performance advantages of these boards, “CG Series Performance Improvements” is available now to view and download.
To get you started, new customers are eligible to purchase a Starter Kit, which includes a media processing board, software, and technical support at significant discounts. Two additional boards may also be purchased at a discount if ordered at the same time as the kit.
Contact your NMS sales representative for more information.
Related Links:
- CG 6060 data sheet (PDF)
- CG 6565 data sheet (PDF)
- CG Series white paper (PDF)
- Migrating to Second Generation CG Series Boards web seminar archive (Recording) (PDF)
The Vision VoiceXML Server Release 2.0 is now shipping. The Vision VXML Server allows network equipment providers and application developers to rapidly develop and deploy interactive voice and video response (IVVR) applications — such as speech-enabled IVR, voice and video messaging, and interactive entertainment — in IP, PSTN, and 3G-324M networks.
New in Release 2.0
A new Vision VoiceXML Server configuration is now available — the Vision VoiceXML VX 5000. The VX 5000 is NEBS-compliant and ships in a 2U rack-mountable system, supports SS7 signaling, and is equipped with redundant DC power supplies. This is in addition to the Vision VoiceXML VX 2000, which is a 2U redundantly-powered AC system.
Both the new VX 5000 and the Vision VX 2000 models support up to 240 audio-only ports or up to 120 video/audio enabled ports, providing a lower per port cost for an audio-only or audio and video applications.
Release 2.0 also includes:
|
New Release 2.0 Feature |
Benefit to Provider |
|
Increased port density (to 120 video or 240 audio) |
Lower per-port costs |
|
SS7 signaling and NEBS hardware |
Carrier-targeted solution |
|
Dual function ports — audio or video |
Enhanced application flexibility |
|
Call transfer capabilities |
Blind and bridged
Video-to-video and audio-to-video
ISDN / SS7-to-IP
IP-to-ISDN/SS7 |
|
RTSP |
Mobile TV applications |
Both Vision VoiceXML Server systems (VX 2000 and VX 5000) feature support for video and audio media, VoiceXML 2.1 language, speech recognition using MRCP, and management interfaces including SNMP.
For more information, visit the Vision VoiceXML Server page.
Spotlight Events
|
On January 9, 2007, NMS will present the web seminar
“Voice SMS”
SMS is a global hit, but it only handles text messages. To support voice and video, the mobile industry has defined a Multimedia Message Service (MMS), but adoption has been slow, in part because not everyone has access to MMS or can be reached via MMS. Entrepreneurial firms are filling this gap, implementing those multimedia messaging functions that people seem to want on existing handsets and existing networks.
This webinar will describe several of these new services including implementation approaches, market successes (some quite striking), and their long-term prospects.
Register now for this web seminar on January 9 at 11:00 am Eastern / 8:00 am Pacific. |
|
Connect 2006 in Kuala Lumpur took place from October 31 to November 1 and, as promised, was an exciting and rewarding time for attendees, speakers, and NMS executives alike. Speakers came from top companies in the telecom ecosystem, including Golden Dynamic, Instat, Bharti Airtel, FlyTXT, Reitek, NEC, NGS Systems, and Sun Microsystems. The event attracted over 100 attendees from operator, application developer, and network equipment companies.
Attendee Testimonials
Connect’s mission was to provide a venue for technology and market leaders to network and share insights. Here are a few words of thanks from our conference attendees:
"Thank you for inviting me to Connect 2006 in Kuala Lumpur. It gave me information about the IMS platform and its involvement in today’s converging network. I have related my experience and knowledge that I have learned from that seminar to my colleagues and management so they could benefit also. It will definitely be useful when we start developing new value added services to our VoIP customers."
"Thank you for having us at the conference. The information obtained is very useful to our current activities."
"Thanks to the entire NMS team who carried out the event in a spectacular way, the event was a memorable one."
On the opening evening of the conference, attendees were treated to an evening at an urban tropical resort in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, where they finely tuned their limbo skills and indulged themselves with food, fun, and laughter! A line up of modern and traditional Malaysian elements, from food to interactive activities, took place.
Connect 2007 Dates to Be Announced
Connect in Kuala Lumpur completed the 2006 event series which also took place in Prague, Czech Republic and Scottsdale, Arizona. Connect 2007 event dates will be announced in the next 4 to 6 weeks. Watch this newsletter for more information or
register to keep informed about future Connect events. If you are interested in speaking or exhibiting, please contact Christine Krajewski at
Christine_Krajewski@nmss.com or +1 508 271 1129.