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Feature Articles
Dialogic Corporation Enters into Agreement to Acquire NMS Communications Platforms Business
By Steve Gladstone, President, steve_gladstone@nmss.com
I am pleased to announce that Dialogic Corporation has signed a definitive agreement with NMS Communications Corporation to acquire the NMS Communications Platforms business. Dialogic is a leading provider of open systems platforms that enable innovative mobile, video, IP, and TDM solutions for Network Service Providers and Enterprise Communication Networks.
The NMS Communications Platforms business includes the Open Access™ family of boards and APIs including PacketMedia™ Host Media Processing, and the AG series, TX series, CG series, MG series as well as the Vision family of servers and gateways. We believe that the combined product set of enabling technologies from NMS and Dialogic will provide the broadest features and capabilities to drive your current product offerings and the strongest foundation for all of your next generation developments.
We expect the transaction to be completed during the fourth quarter of 2008, subject to the approval of the NMS stockholders, the receipt of required regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. We will continue to stay in close touch and keep you informed of additional information as it is available.
For more information, please see the Dialogic press release from September 12 and also our open letter to customers and partners.
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TX 5000e Series Expands PCI Express Support to SS7 Product Line
By Joanne Babbitt, Product Marketing Manager, Joanne_Babbitt@nmss.com
NMS is continuing to expand its PCI Express (PCIe) portfolio, with the introduction of the TX 5000e Series of SS7 signaling boards, scheduled to be available for beta testing at the end of this year. This board family complements the previously announced CG 6565e Series of PCIe media processing boards, enabling the creation of a wide variety of services, including messaging, call centers, and customized ringback tones, on this growing architecture. Like the CG 6565e, this board is also lead-free, complying with all six RoHS directives.
Design Flexibility
Similar to the TX 4000 Series of PCI and CompactPCI boards, the TX 5000e Series includes the high-performance TX 5500e and the basic-performance TX 5020e, allowing developers to reduce costs by purchasing only the performance they need for each application. These are full-length/full-height form factor boards, requiring a single x4 PCI Express slot.
Developers also have flexibility in their choice of software. Licenses for NMS’s SS7 5.1 software release, which will support the TX 5000e Series, can be purchased to support either just the lower Message Transfer Part (MTP) layers, or the full protocol stack, which includes MTP or SIGTRAN (Signaling Transport), plus Integrated Services Digital Network User Part (ISUP), Telephone User Part (TUP), Signaling Control Connection Part (SCCP), and Transaction Capabilities Application Part (TCAP). These boards run the SS7 protocols on-board to minimize host loading and increase system scalability. The TX 5000e Series boards require the appropriate SS7 software runtime license and come with drivers to support Windows®, Solaris™, or Linux® operating systems.
On-board Resources Reduce Host Overhead
The TX 5000e Series system architecture is based on a Freescale™ MPC8568E SoC, centered around a PowerQUICC™ III integrated communications processor. The 8568E’s PowerQUICC intelligent RISC-based communications engine and its RISC CPU processing power make the TX 5000e Series ideal for demanding communications applications. This design provides high throughput, freeing the host computer to process user applications.
Multiple Network Interfaces
The TX 5000e Series boards provide up to four digital trunk interfaces, which are software-configurable to support T1 or E1 connections. These boards can support up to 128 standard SS7 links or 4 high-speed links (HSLs). All channels can either be terminated locally on the TX 5000e Series board or switched onto the H.100 bus for processing by other H.100-compliant products.
Also included are two 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet interfaces, which support SIGTRAN when used as the lower-level protocol, and one 10/100Base-T Ethernet interface, which is used for redundancy.
Redundancy
The TX 5000e Series boards support three high availability system design options—link, board, or node redundancy. When deploying two TX 5000e Series boards in a redundant configuration, the 10/100Base-T Ethernet interface supports a dedicated point-to-point link to provide extremely fast data transfer between the two boards. This approach avoids the need to transfer lower-level data over the host computer’s bus and significantly improves SS7 signaling performance.
The TX 5000e Series boards will be available for beta testing at the end of this year using SS7 5.1 software, with general availability scheduled for spring of 2009.
Be part of the TX 5000e beta program.
If you would like to test drive either the TX 5500e or TX 5020e board, contact your NMS sales representative to see if you qualify for our beta test program that will start in January. |
Related links:
TX 5000e Series data sheet
TX 4000 Series data sheet
SS7 Software data sheet
SIGTRAN data sheet
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Product News
SS7 5.0 Software is Now Generally Available
SS7 5.0 of NMS’s SS7 software is now generally available. This release includes support for both SIGTRAN and BICC on the TX 4000 Series of PCI and CompactPCI boards. As described earlier in this newsletter, the SS7 5.1 release, scheduled for beta release later this year, will extend this support to the new TX 5000e Series.
SIGTRAN Support
SIGTRAN, which provides reliable IP network transport for SS7 signaling, is a key element in the evolution of new service platforms to voice over IP (VoIP). SIGTRAN reduces costs by utilizing commodity IP network connections versus T1/E1-based SS7 networks. Using high-bandwidth IP connections solves the throughput constraints of SS7 networks.
Figure 1: NMS’s SS7 and SIGTRAN Protocol Stacks
SIGTRAN replaces the lower layers of the SS7 protocol stack—MTP 1, 2, and 3—with IP-based equivalents—IP, SCTP, and M3UA—as the transport over which the higher level protocols (SCCP, TCAP, ISUP, and TUP) run, leaving these upper level stacks unchanged (see Figure 1). As networks evolve toward IP-only, both legacy SS7 and SIGTRAN-based systems can co-exist by using signaling gateways.
The NMS SIGTRAN software requires a host server and any of NMS’s TX 4000 Series boards that are licensed for full stack operation. Two levels of performance are available—high performance on the TX 4000 PCI board and the TX 4000C CompactPCI board, and basic performance on the TX 4000/20 and TX 4000C/20 boards.
A properly licensed TX board can be configured for TDM or SIGTRAN by simply downloading the desired software and configuring the board. This powerful ability allows the same ISUP, TCAP, or SCCP application to be installed in either a TDM or IP network with just a change in configuration files.
NMS’s SIGTRAN implementation is based on proven protocol stacks that have been tested around the world. Like NMS’s SS7 TDM implementation, IP, SCTP, and M3UA, as well as the upper layer stacks, all run on the TX 4000 hardware, freeing the host for application processing.
For more information, see the data sheet for NMS’s SIGTRAN Software on our web site.
BICC
Also in support of IP network based signaling, NMS has added the BICC (Bearer Independent Call Control) stack capability as an extension to ISUP. This capability allows network operators to offer the complete set of PSTN/ISDN services, including all supplementary services, over a variety of packet networks.
Support for BICC also allows network operators to gradually migrate their PSTN/ISDN networks to high-capacity packet networks. This is a vital step in the evolution toward integrated multi-service platforms, which can offer both voice and data services that are IP-enabled. BICC can be transported over SS7 MTP3 or SIGTRAN (M3UA/SCTP).
The NMS BICC implementation supports Capability Sets 1 and 2 (CS1 and CS2) features such as basic call setup, forward or backward bearer setup, and supplementary services as stated in the Q.1901 and Q.1902.x specifications.
For more information, see the data sheet for NMS’s SS7 Software on our web site.
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Support Tip
Using NMS Boards with NA 8.0 in Sun’s X4250 and X4450 Chassis
In some cases, NMS CG or TX boards are not recognized in Sun’s X4250 and X4450 Intel-based chassis when using Windows Server 2003 SP2 (supported by Natural Access(TM) 8.0). If you have installed a CG 6060, CG 6565, CG 6565e, or TX 4000 in one of these chassis with this OS and the system hangs, then you must disable the PCI ROM in the PCIpnp BIOS in order for the boards to be recognized by the system.
Articles and Publications
Choosing Video Standards that Work
By Brough Turner, CTO, Brough_Turner@nmss.com
Truly successful and widely adopted mobile services not only deliver what customers want, but also work on any network with any handset. Economists call this the network effect. Networking folks call it Metcalf’s law: “the value of a network increases as the square of the number of users”. The more people you can interact with the better, and that’s where standards come in. Of course, the difficulty with standards is there are so many of them! In the end, the standards that count are those that get widely deployed.
Mobile video is a case in point. There are many different mobile video applications, from mobile broadcast TV, to viewing video clips, to creating video clips, to live “see-what-I-see,” to full two-way video telephony. For each of these application areas there are one or more targeted video standards, but successful applications also leverage widely deployed standards whether they are an ideal match or not.
To read more of this article, published by TMCnet.com, visit the Mobile Video channel on TMCnet.com: http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/mobile-video/articles/40862-choosing-video-standards-that-work.htm
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Q&A with Brough Turner on the Asian Mobile Market
Razib Ahmed, reporter, SouthAsiaFair.com: You have traveled widely and you are aware of the latest happenings in mobile phone industry both in America and Asia. What are the similarities and differences you can find among these two markets?
Brough Turner: People are very similar at their core, but cultural differences certainly impact the success of specific services. For example, ringback tones popped up in Korea in 2002 and quickly spread to many other parts of Asia, including China, then to India and, more recently, to Africa. On the other hand, ringback tones have had relatively smaller uptake in Japan, Europe or the US. I’ve postulated various reasons for this but I’m not sure I really understand the phenomenon.
In every culture people want to stay in touch with their family and friends and, potentially, share things like jokes, cartoons, photos, video clips and so on. People also want respect from their friends and associates. This is especially an issue with teenagers who may not be confident about their identity yet. One reason for the popularity of ring tones and ringback tones, is proving to your friends that you are cool! While there are cultural differences, these general motivations apply to all people.
For the last 5-8 years, Asia has led the world in new mobile applications, with Europe following a year or two later and the US a year or two after that. The reason appears to be a mix of culture, high mobile phone penetration (especially in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, etc.) and the business practices of the mobile operators (less tight walled gardens). This might change as 3G mobile penetration in the US recently surpassed that of the EU, but at ~30% neither the US nor the EU can approach Japan or Korea where 3G penetration is over 75%. (There is even talk of phasing out 2G in Japan by the end of 2009). As long as Asia runs ahead of the US and EU in adoption of the latest underlying mobile technology (currently 3G), I expect Asia will lead in new mobile applications.
To read more of this Q &A, published by SouthAsiaFair.com, visit: http://www.southasiafair.com/2008/09/interview-of-brough-turner-svp-cto-nms-communications/
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Spotlight Events
September Webinar Archive Available: Mobile Video: Seeing is Believing!
Rising demand for mobile video services is creating major new revenue opportunities—for both service providers and application developers. Easy consumer interaction with content is what will drive revenue from video applications for mobile and broadband subscribers. But mobile video is a sophisticated medium. Developers face stringent performance requirements, multiple interoperability issues, and a variety of other technical challenges.
On 23 September 2008, NMS Communications presented the web seminar “Mobile Video: Seeing is Believing!” Dan Kozin, Director of Product Management, provides information on the top revenue-generating mobile video applications and current user trends that are driving these applications. Dan also discusses technical challenges and deployment strategies for developers and operators and offers some real-world success stories of mobile video applications from around the globe.
Click here to download the webinar now!
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Come See NMS Communications at these Upcoming Events
http://www.nmscommunications.com/DevPlatforms/News/Events/Events/PTEXPO+COMM+CHINA+2008.htm
http://www.nmscommunications.com/DevPlatforms/News/Events/Events/GSMA+Mobile+Asia+Congress.htm
http://www.nmscommunications.com/DevPlatforms/News/Events/Events/Voice+2.0+Summit.htm
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