Acme Packet Unveils Transformative Solutions for Delivering SIP Multimedia Services

New Access and Core Routing Solutions Reduce the Cost and Increase the Capacity of Acme Packet RCS, IMS and NGN Service Delivery Solutions

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Acme Packet® (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, today announced three significant new solutions that transform how service providers can both simplify and scale IMS, Rich Communications Suite (RCS) and next-generation network (NGN) service delivery networks: the Net-Net® SIP Multimedia-xpress; the Net-Net 4500 Session-aware Load Balancer and Net-Net SBC Cluster; and the Net-Net Route Manager Central. Together these solutions reduce the entry cost for service delivery infrastructure and provide linear scaling of subscriber capacity with predictable performance and low incremental costs.

“Acme Packet’s new solutions enable service providers to start with a simple solution and then scale linearly as they achieve success.”

Acme Packet’s Net-Net SIP Multimedia-xpress (SMX) creates a simplified, single system RCS IMS-equivalent or NGN delivery platform at a cost of approximately $2–$3 per subscriber for as few as 100,000 subscribers. The Net-Net 4500 Session-aware Load Balancer (SLB) and Net-Net SBC Cluster enable scaling the Net-Net SMX solution, and any other Acme Packet access SBC deployment, to 2 million subscribers from a single IP address for SIP signaling. Lastly, Acme Packet’s Net-Net Route Manager Central (RMC) consolidates and automates the management and distribution of up to 2 million routes per Acme Packet SBC and session routing proxies (SRPs) within Acme Packet’s Open Session Routing (OSR) architecture.

“Mobile and fixed service providers have high goals for IMS and RCS services, including lower costs and enhanced revenue. However, in most cases, IMS implementation has not been rapid or widespread because of the complexity and expense of highly decomposed deployment models,” stated Seamus Hourihan, Acme Packet’s vice president of marketing and product management. “Acme Packet’s new solutions enable service providers to start with a simple solution and then scale linearly as they achieve success.”

“As a leading vendor in enabling the transition to IMS and SIP-based architectures, Acme Packet has always delivered leading-edge solutions that solve real-world challenges,” commented Joe McGarvey, principal analyst with Current Analysis. “Acme Packet continues to focus on the pragmatic with the introduction of new products and features to its Net-Net product family, which some operators may find attractive as fast-track and cost-efficient options for delivering voice, RCS and other SIP-based communication services.”

More information on these new products and solutions will be at available at Acme Packet’s hospitality suite AV80 at GSMA Mobile World Congress February 15-18 in Barcelona, Spain. To schedule a meeting with Acme Packet complete a meeting request form or email [e-mail].

Net-Net SIP Multimedia-xpress reduces cost and complexity for delivering GSMA RCS, IMS-equivalent and NGN services

Acme Packet’s Net-Net SIP Multimedia-xpress (SMX) reduces the complexity and cost of delivering high-value, revenue generating SIP multimedia services. Net-Net SMX can be used to deliver a broad range of SIP services from basic voice to GSMA-defined RCS services, such as enhanced address book, messaging and content sharing, for small subscriber populations or initial service rollouts.

The Net-Net SMX is also an alternative to an expensive, fully decomposed IMS infrastructure for voice, video, messaging, multimedia and more, yet it also delivers on the key benefits of IMS including:

• Centralized subscriber database support

• Core network independent of access technology

• Integrated mobility for all network applications

• Faster deployment of new services based on standardized interfaces

• New applications such as presence and videoconferencing

• Evolution to combinational services such as instant messaging and voice

Net-Net SMX offers a wide range of deployment options from a simple IMS alternative architecture to a complete range of IMS and IMS-equivalent functions. This approach minimizes upfront cost and risk while providing seamless evolution to standards-based IMS architectures.

The Net-Net SMX adds IMS-equivalent core functions to Acme Packet’s Net-Net access SBC to create an integrated, single system delivery solution. This solution reduces the cost of RCS and IMS-equivalent service delivery infrastructure to approximately $2–$3 per subscriber for as few as 100,000 subscribers. Solutions for fewer and larger numbers of subscribers are also available. A Net-Net SMX solution can evolve to support larger scale deployments by creating an SMX SBC cluster using the Net-Net SLB to increase subscriber capacity; by adding the Net-Net Session Router (SR) to off-load core session routing; or by adding one or more Net-Net Session Directors (SDs) to increase interconnect/peering capacity.

Acme Packet’s Net-Net SMX builds upon the Net-Net 4500 SD access SBC which already incorporates the IMS P-CSCF, E-CSCF, C-BGF and an industry-leading SIP signaling firewall function that is missing from IMS standards. Net-Net SMX adds SIP Registrar and IMS-equivalent I-CSCF and S-CSCF capabilities and interfaces with a wide range of options including:

• ENUM- based or HSS subscriber database options for authentication, authorization, location update and lookup
• PCRF and RACS interfaces (Rx)
• NASS/CLF interface (e2)
• Standard interfaces to I-BCF (Mx), AS (ISC), BGCF (Mi), MGCF (Mj/Mg)
• Optional I-BCF, IWF and TrGW for interconnect/peering
• Optional BGCF for core session routing

Compared to a decomposed IMS architecture, Net-Net SMX simplifies the network architecture and its operation resulting in lower capital expenditures and operating expenses. With fewer systems, Net-Net SMX streamlines the signaling model and is easier to operate, maintain and troubleshoot. With this simplification, Net-Net SMX accelerates the time-to-market for delivering SIP multimedia services over both mobile and fixed line networks.

Net-Net SBC Cluster with Net-Net 4500 Session-aware Load Balancer scales to 2 million subscribers

Acme Packet’s Net-Net SBC Cluster is a scalable solution for supporting up to 2 million subscribers from a single SIP IP address for any IMS, RCS or NGN service network delivering voice, video and multimedia services over any mobile or fixed line network, including the Internet. The Net-Net SBC Cluster scales subscriber capacity without requiring architectural forklifts or network disruptions. As all elements of the cluster are SIP subscriber and session-aware, it provides a superior solution in terms of scalability, dynamic adaptive load balancing, redundancy and management compared to traditional Layer 3/Layer 5 Web load balancers and SIP redirect servers.

A Net-Net SBC Cluster is comprised of two or more Net-Net SBCs front-ended by Acme Packet’s new Net-Net Session-aware Load Balancer (SLB) for SIP signaling. The Net-Net 4500 SLB is a high-performance Layer 5-7 aware load balancer optimized for Acme Packet SBC clustering. It provides adaptive load balancing of subscribersbased on SBC state and subscriber capacity, load, and session state. Like all Net-Net solutions, the Net-Net SLB features carrier-class high-availability deployed as an active-standby pair that provides configuration and state check-pointing with no loss of active sessions.

A Net-Net SBC cluster can be virtualized to physically support multiple services, applications and access networks:

• Any service – mobile, residential, enterprise
• Any application – voice, video, presence, messaging, video conferencing, telepresence, content and video share, unified communications and collaboration
• Any access network – 3G, LTE, WiMAX, DSL, cable, FTTx, leased line, Internet; IPv4, IPv6 and interworking; enterprise VPNs and overlapping IP addresses

Three deployments models provide increasing degrees of geographic redundancy and network resiliency:

• Co-located SBC cluster – Net-Net SLBs and SBCs are physically co-located in the same data center, or aggregation POP.
• Distributed SBC cluster – Net-Net SLBs and SBCs are physically distributed and separated from each other. Each SLB only has access to a specific group of SBCs. This solution provides geographic redundancy.
• Fully distributed, fully meshed cluster – The Net-Net SLBs and SBCs are physically distributed and separated from each other. Each SLB has access to all SBCs. This solution provides maximum geographic redundancy and network resiliency.

The cluster provides investment protection as it supports existing Acme Packet SBCs and can be comprised of a heterogeneous mix of SBC hardware platforms—4250, 4500, 9200—and various access SBC configurations—access SBC with P-CSCF and IMS-AGW, P-CSCF signaling function only or access SBC only. The cluster supports all Acme Packet Net-Net OS SIP signaling and media control functions and features, including Net-SAFE® security. Cluster management and provisioning can be performed by the Net-Net EMS which manages the cluster as single virtual SBC.

Net-Net Route Manager Central simplifies SIP route management

Acme Packet’s Net-Net Route Manager Central (RMC) consolidates and automates the management and distribution of up to 2 million routes per Acme Packet SBC or session routing proxy (SRP). This element management application can automatically distribute routing information to all or specific subsets of SBCs and SRPs in the network. Routes can be imported into Net-Net RMC from deployed systems or using Comma-Separated Values (.csv) files. The Net-Net RMC’s GUI with global search and display capabilities simplifies route modification and creation. To enhance troubleshooting and maintenance, Net-Net RMC maintains a history of route changes and system updates and provides roll-back capability. Net-Net RMC is integrated into Acme Packet’s Net-Net EMS.

The Net-Net RMC is an integral component of Acme Packet’s OSR architecture which features the Net-Net-SR or Net-Net SD with centralized routing information in an on-board routing database and/or external best-of-breed routing database products and services from OSR ecosystem members. This solution provides tremendous deployment flexibility and facilitates network evolution from small to large numbers of border points and from PSTN to IP network-focused connectivity.

About Acme Packet

Acme Packet, Inc. (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, enables the delivery of trusted, first-class interactive communications—voice, video and multimedia sessions—and data services across IP network borders. Our Net-Net family of session border controllers, multiservice security gateways and session routing proxies supports multiple applications in service provider, enterprise and contact center networks--from VoIP trunking to hosted enterprise and residential services to fixed-mobile convergence. They satisfy critical security, service assurance and regulatory requirements in wireline, cable and wireless networks; and support multiple protocols--SIP, H.323, MGCP/NCS, H.248 and RTSP--and multiple border points--service provider access and interconnect, and enterprise access and trunking. Our products have been selected by more than 980 customers in 104 countries. They include and 90 of the top 100 service providers in the world; and 11 of the Fortune 25.

Acme Packet is enabling the SIP evolution for wireless service delivery with access, interconnect and core solutions, including RCS services, LTE voice and messaging, fixed-mobile convergence, femtocells, SIP session routing and VoIP interconnects. Acme Packet delivers solutions that are critical to this evolution, including IPv6 and IPv6-IPv4 interworking, and SIP, SIP-T and SIP-I interworking. For more information, contact us at +1 781.328.4400, or visit www.acmepacket.com.

Acme Packet, Inc. Safe Harbor Statement

Statements contained herein that are not historical fact may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements may relate to, among other things, the benefits and features of session border controllers and related products and solutions, the ability to facilitate service and support and to secure large enterprise networks, as well as Acme Packet’s expected range and reach into new markets and its relationships with new customers, distributions channel and product partners. Such forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These include, but are not limited to: difficulties expanding its customer base; difficulties leveraging market opportunities; difficulties providing solutions that meet the needs of customers; poor product sales; long sales cycles; difficulty developing new products; difficulty in relationships with vendors and partners; higher risk in international operations; difficulty managing rapid growth; difficulty managing its financial performance; its ability to hire and retain employees and appropriately staff its operations; its cash needs; the impact of new accounting pronouncements and increased competition. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements are contained in the Company’s recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in such filings.