BICS Implemented BroadForward Diameter Signaling Controller; Replaces Oracle?

BICS announced it has launched a "Next Generation signaling solution delivered and implemented by leading network solutions provider Infradata ..  Infradata has implemented the BroadForward BFX Interface Gateway, a Next Generation Diameter Signaling Controller (DSC) with fully integrated Diameter Edge Agent (DEA) and interworking function across BICS' entire global IPX (IP Exchange) network".

It seems that BroadForward BICS deployment replaces the ACME (Oracle) solution used by BICS since December 2012 (here).

Broadforward GUI Based Configuration 

"With the migration to BFX, Infradata has equipped BICS with a state-of-the-art Diameter Signaling Solution to cost-effectively enable innovative IPX services, as well as the ability to faster onboard new customers, generate detailed traffic insight and seamless interworking between Diameter, SS7 and RADIUS networks along with integration with IT systems" 

See "Infradata Implements Next Generation Diameter Signaling Solution at BICS" - here.

Oracle: LTE Diameter Signaling Traffic will Grow @68% CAGR

Oracle's new study “Oracle Communications LTE Diameter Signaling Index, Fourth Edition" finds "a massive increase in LTE Diameter signaling traffic ..  Oracle forecasts that LTE Diameter signaling traffic will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 68 percent in the next five years, from 30 million messages per second (MPS) in 2014 to 395 million MPS by 2019:

• LTE Broadcast is the fastest-growing generator of Diameter signaling traffic, creating 49.5 million MPS by 2019 at a CAGR of 75 percent. The technology is just emerging, and continued growth is expected as CSPs trial LTE Broadcast for everything from digital signage to live video feeds at sporting events
     
• Policy continues to drive the majority of Diameter signaling traffic, creating 277 million MPS. With more-sophisticated policy use cases, the number of Diameter transactions between policy enforcement points and charging has increased
   
• Mobility will generate 25.3 million MPS by 2019. It is currently not a major factor in overall Diameter signaling traffic generation, because it creates a low number of transactions in the Diameter network
     
• Voice over LTE (VoLTE) will generate 43.1 million MPS at a CAGR of 49 percent by 2019

See "Oracle Forecast: Global Diameter Signaling Growth Will Surpass Total Global IP Traffic Growth by 2019" - here.

Oracle's Diameter Signaling Router is Now Cloud-deployable

Oracle has "..introduced a new version of Oracle Communications Diameter Signaling Router. The new release of the proven product is now cloud-deployable, designed to help communications service providers (CSPs) monetize their networks by creating new services and use a virtualized infrastructure to launch these services more quickly.

Oracle Communications Diameter Signaling Router

.. A diameter signaling router that CSPs can deploy in a common and shared infrastructure with other telecommunications applications in a private or hosted cloud: This can help CSPs realize the benefits of NFV—rolling out new services faster and reducing operating expenses". 

See "Oracle Communications Diameter Signaling Router Is Now Cloud-Deployable" - here.

ASPIDER-NGI Integrates BroadForward’s DSC into its IaaS Offering

ASPIDER-NGI announced it has "integrated the BFX Interface Gateway, BroadForward’s software-based signaling solution for Diameter routing and interworking.

ASPIDER-NGI delivers branded services for mobile network operators, helping them to improve customer engagements, provide better service delivery, and boost profitability. The company provides services to traditional mobile operators, MVNOs, MVNEs and Enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) initiatives to help them manage connectivity to manage loyalty and revenue". 

Jan Mooijman [pictured], CEO, ASPIDER-NGI said: “We launched the BroadForward Diameter solution specifically for NFV and service orchestration across different signaling technologies and vendors. This supports our innovation strategy by optimizing network policy, providing legacy mediation and adding dynamic routing for geo-redundancy. Bottom line: this helps us improve our services to our customers and increase our flexibility”.

ASPIDER-NGI Multi Brand Platform & Service Environment

See "ASPIDER-NGI launches BroadForward Diameter Solution" - here.

BroadForward's DSC Gets Traction: Selected by 7 Tier1s

BroadForward announced that "over the course of last months, its flagship product BFX Interface Gateway has been selected by seven tier-1 service providers" [see - Polkomtel]. 

"BFX is used for various use cases including Diameter routing, multi-protocol interworking and mediation, LTE roaming, VoLTE, 2G/3G network interworking, M2M communications and network function virtualization (NFV). The Diameter Signaling Controller (DSC) market is quickly developing, driven by the phenomenal growth in LTE rollouts and 4G data services". 

    

Taco Schoute [pictured], CEO, BroadForward: “Our customers typically have requirements and roadmaps which go further than managing and controlling Diameter traffic. They select BFX for being the most advanced Diameter router in the market. BFX enables service orchestration across signaling assets and disparate technologies, without the need for any scripting or development. These aspects, in combination with virtualization and cost reduction, are fundamental in their decision process for core network investments.. Our recent high-profile wins are a testament to BroadForward’s leadership in the Next Generation DSC space”

See "BroadForward announces seven tier 1 Diameter router wins" - here.

DSC Deployments [343]: Telekom Austria/Vip Uses Diametriq NFV Solution

Yet another component of vEPC pioneer, Vip Mobile [Serbia], NFV-based deployment (see "Telekom Austria Implements Connetem NFV-Based EPC w/Procera's DPI" - here). This time it's the Diameter routing technology.

Diametriq announced that its "Diameter Solution Suite™ is being used to power Connectem’s virtual EPC now being deployed by Telekom Austria Group to deliver a complete set of virtualized LTE network functions for its Vip mobile subsidiary in Serbia.

Connectem [see "Brocade Acquires Connectem" -here], one of the early adopters of Diametriq’s NFV enabled virtualized Diameter routing product, takes a service oriented view of Evolved Packet Core (EPC) functionalities. In its Virtual Core for Mobile (VCM) solution, Connectem maps the packet core functions into a computational problem, enabling network capacity (signaling, bearer or throughput) to be translated to a common computing resource requirement (CPU, memory, I/O and storage). Diametriq’s virtualized signaling router is tightly integrated with Connectem’s vEPC to seamlessly address on-demand network signaling and capacity expansions.

Instead of mobile traffic running on dedicated proprietary hardware and software, Vip mobile data is terminated in a general purpose IT data center running Intel x86 hardware and virtualization services. Additional solutions providers participating in the Serbian demonstration include Intel, VMware, Red Hat, Metaswitch, and Open Cloud".

See "Diametriq’s Diameter Solution Suite™ Powers Connectem vEPC for Telekom Austria Group’s New Vip mobile Deployment" - here.

DSC Deployments [342]:Polkomtel [Poland] Uses BroadForward

Polkomtel announced it has launched the ".. BFX Interface Gateway from BroadForward [see "Diameter Router List Updated" - here], delivered and implemented by leading network solutions provider Infradata. 

With the implementation of BFX, Polkomtel becomes the first Polish operator to launch a Next Generation Diameter Signaling Controller, keeping up its tradition of being a pioneer in introducing the latest technological solutions to the Polish market. 

..it has implemented the BFX Interface Gateway to enable advanced Diameter based services starting with LTE roaming .. Certified reseller and signaling expert Infradata has delivered BFX to Polkomtel and configured several advanced signaling scenarios such as 

• intelligent topology hiding  
• activating LTE Roaming by enabling a virtual MME solution to overcome HSS limitations, thus allowing Polkomtel to achieve a much faster time to market to roll-out LTE roaming. 

See "Polkomtel first Polish operator to launch Next Generation Diameter signaling solution" - here.

DSC Deployments [340]: Max [Bulgaria] Migrates WiMAX to LTE w/Diametriq

Diametriq announced that "Bulgarian mobile operator Max has selected Diametriq’s Diameter Solution Suite™for deployment in their LTE network .. Max pioneered WiMAX mobile networks in Europe in 2007 and is currently in the process of transitioning to LTE after launching the first commercial 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in Bulgaria in May of 2014. Max has since extended the footprint of its advanced 4G LTE network to cover 50% of the urban population.

Anjan Ghosal [pictured], President and CEO, Diametriq explains: “Migrating to 4G can be problematic for WiMAX operators. Not having the benefit of a legacy 3G network makes a seamless transition challenging when it comes to providing out-of-network coverage. In many cases they have to rely on unique solutions that have not yet been addressed by the wider vendor community”

"Max is tackling a number of these issues. First is the seamless integration of their WiMAX and LTE networks. The second is extending their data coverage to also provide voice services. Finally, they need to extend all of these capabilities outside of their network to outbound roamers as well as to allow visitors to roam onto their network .. Diametriq’s Diameter Interworking System plays a key role. It enables Max to integrate their legacy and 4G systems by enabling Data Interworking (dIWF), Voice Interworking (vIWF) and Charging Interworking (cIWF)".

See "Diametriq Provides Diameter Routing Solutions for Bulgarian Mobile Operator Max" - here.

DSC Deployments [337]: Telecom Personal [Paraguay] Uses Diametriq DRE

Diametriq announced that "Leading Paraguayan mobile operator Personal has deployed telecom solutions supplier Diametriq’s Diameter Routing Engine™ to integrate its online billing system with their voice and enhanced packet core network.

Diametriq’s Diameter Routing Engine™ (DRE), part of the Diameter Solution Suite™ (DSS) of Diameter Signaling Control functions, is equipped to provide this capability. It provides load balancing, AVP manipulation, traffic monitoring and session binding. The DRE provides industry standard 3GPP Diameter Routing Agent (DRA) functionality and is deployed on carrier compliant HP® hardware.

“The Diametriq DRA is an important element to provide control of and visibility into our signaling traffic” said Mario Bort, CIO, Telecom Personal Paraguay. “The Diametriq DRE/DEA will enable us to securely provide billing and roaming services to our subscribers.”

See "Telecom Personal Deploys Diametriq’s Diameter Routing Engine™ to Enable Seamless Integration of its Online Billing System and Core Network" - here.

[Infonetics]: DSC Market to Reach $1.3B by '18; Led by Huawei, F5 and Oracle

A new report by Diane Myers, Principal Analyst, Infonetics Research finds that ".. the Diameter signaling control market will grow threefold between 2014 and 2018, to $1.3 billion .. Globally, the Diameter signaling control market totaled $381 million in 2014, an increase of 81 percent over 2013.

Developed as the next-generation signaling protocol, Diameter has begun to permeate networks, driven by increasing LTE usage and the emergence of VoLTE (voice over LTE). As a result, the Diameter market spiked 81 percent in 2014 from the previous year.

The Diameter vendor landscape is beginning to shake out: 

[See my product list page - here]

• it’s a tight race at the top between Huawei, F5 and Oracle. 
• We see a strengthening of Ericsson and a push from Alcatel-Lucent, Sonus and now Mavenir with its acquisition of Ulticom [see "Mavenir Turns Ulticom OEM to Acquisition" - here] 
• The consolidation continues, and we expect even more in 2015

The top use case for Diameter signaling control in 2014 was once again centralized routing, but roaming via DEA (Diameter Edge Agent) was right behind"

See "Diameter Signaling Controller Market Soared 81 Percent in 2014 on the Wings of LTE" - here.

[Blog News]: Diameter Router List Updated

The Diameter Router Product list (here) has been updated.

The update includes broken links fixes and the addition of BroadFoward's product, BFX Interface Gateway, which was covered recently [here].

DSC Deployments[332]: Teleena [Netherlands] Uses BroadForward

  

Teleena announced it has "..become the first European MVNE (operates over 20 brands for customers like Vodafone, BT and Liberty Global) to go live with a Next Generation Diameter Signaling Controller (DSC). BroadForward’s BFX Interface Gateway enables multiple use cases for Teleena including Diameter routing, load-balancing, mediation and 3G-4G interworking for LTE roaming ..  It facilitates the ever-increasing use of Diameter signaling in Teleena’s mobile network.

The flexibility to innovate at the speed of the ecosystem is increasingly important to Teleena as it offers managed mobile service solutions to many different types of customers, such as mobile (virtual) network operators, cable companies, retail brands and other enterprises throughout the world. 

See "Teleena first MVNE to launch Next Gen Diameter Signaling Solution" - here.

[Infonetics]: What are the Key Use cases for DSC?

A new white paper by Diane Myers [pictured], principal analyst for VoIP, UC, and IMS, Infonetics Research, "examines the key Diameter use cases operators need to consider when planning for IP multimedia subsystem (IMS)".

“The growth of IMS around voice over LTE (VoLTE) deployments brings new challenges and opportunities related to Diameter and, ultimately, Diameter signaling controllers. When configured correctly, Diameter can enhance customer experience by ensuring quality of service in voice over LTE calls, video sessions, and enhanced messaging.

By managing Diameter traffic, Diameter signaling controllers (DSCs) play an important role in ensuring a high-quality experience for services running over IMS networks. The four use cases that represent opportunities for DSCs and for which operators need to consider in planning for IMS are 1) session binding, 2) charging, 3) subscription location function, and 4) monetizing assets"

See "Infonetics whitepaper examines the Diameter use cases operators need to plan for in IMS networks" - here.

F5 Business Update: 40 DSC Deployments

Some quotes from the recent F5 Q4 F2014 earning call, by Andy Reinland, CFO and John McAdam [pictured], CEO (retiring in a year):

• we continue to win large deals in service providers with both our traditional traffic-steering solutions and telco-specific offerings such as Policy Enforcement Manager, CGNAT, and Traffix Diameter products
   
• We have also made significant progress with our Traffix Diameter solutions for LTE rollouts. Our competitive win rate is very high and we now have approximately 40 projects currently in production, with several other projects in process
   
• we're pretty excited. I am, and so is the service provider team, about the TCP optimization stuff that we've done during the year. I wouldn't underestimate that opportunity. Basically for heavy traffic, it's a great money-saver for the -- and increases the quality for the service providers. Traffix, we feel really good about

• [Q] by Catharine Anne Trebnick: "Could you tell me roughly how many different use cases you would see in the different operators? I think that would help with -- because you're getting a lot of traction with Traffix and PEM, but like let's take a Tier 1 operator versus a Tier 2 operator. And how many different use cases would they use of F5 today versus maybe perhaps a year ago?"

• [A] by Manuel F. Rivelo - EVP, Security and Strategic Solutions: "Well, Catharine, it's Manny. It's hard to -- I don't have year-on-year comparisons. So it's hard to give you that, but I'll show you when we -- on 2 weeks, when we're over at the Analyst Conference, I'll show you 11 use cases that we're selling aggressively into service providers this year. ..  what we're seeing with service providers is not only the standard use cases we sell around TCP optimization, firewall security, application security, the list goes on and on, but we're also seeing service providers use the extensibility of our product, the openness of the platform, allowing them to program the platform to solve their unique application, traffic-steering problems and/or application problems inside that environment. And that's the power of iRules, iApps, et cetera".

See "F5 Networks' (FFIV) CEO John McAdam on Q4 2014 Results - Earnings Call Transcript", by Seeking Alpha, here.

DSC Deployments [326]: NTT DOCOMO Uses Oracle Virtualized DSR for LTE Roaming

Oracle announced that NTT DOCOMO has ".. implemented Oracle Communications Diameter Signaling Router to support roaming for its mobile customers. Oracle Communications Diameter Signaling Router enables NTT DOCOMO to accelerate the launch of new, advanced mobile services that leverage an LTE infrastructure. The CSP can now support roaming on LTE bands to ensure subscribers have access to the same advanced capabilities while traveling abroad. With the Oracle Communications Diameter Signaling Router, NTT DOCOMO completed the entire project—from purchase order to live customer traffic—in just six months.

Oracle Communications Diameter Signaling Router was implemented as a virtualized solution providing high reliability and advanced functionality with a small physical footprint well suited to support LTE roaming".

On June 30, 2014, NTT DOCOMO had 63M mobile subscribers, close to 44% of the Japanese market.

See "NTT DOCOMO Implements Oracle Communications Diameter Signaling Router to Support New LTE Infrastructure" - here.

DSC Deployments [322]: BASE Company [Belgium] Selected F5

F5 Networks announced that ".. BASE Company [formally KPN Belgium] —best known for its consumer-orientated mobile services brand, BASE, and one of Belgium’s largest telecom providers—has selected the F5® Traffix® Signaling Delivery Controller™ (SDC™) to meet subscribers' increasing demand for data. 

Last year, BASE Company became the second operator in Belgium to launch 4G for its customers, providing them with much higher speeds to optimize user experience while watching video and consuming rich media".

Ben Volkow, VP, Product Development, F5 said: “Our Diameter-based SDC has proved itself in more than 50 installations [see "F5: We are Starting to See Policy Enforcement Wins; Tremendous Progress with Traffix Diameter" - here] with leading operators across the globe. One of its prime roles is to enable operators to manage the huge increase in signaling messages that typically occurs with LTE technology, primarily due to consumer behavior with smartphones”.

In Q2, 4G at BASE Company was also made available in Brussels. End of Q2 4G is offered in more than 700 cities, towns and villages, equaling approximately an outdoor population coverage of 55% of the Belgian population.

BASE 4G Map 

 See "BASE Company Selects F5’s Diameter Signaling Delivery Controller to Provide Optimal LTE Customer Experience" - here.

DSC Deployments [304]: Entel [Bolivia] Uses Ulticom to Optimize Diameter Signaling

Ulticom announced the "deployment of its Diameter Signaling Controller (DSC) in the Entel S.A. mobile network. The Ulticom DSC will smooth multivendor interworking and IMSI-based Diameter routing, including load balancing with optimized transaction persistence, for Entel Online Charging (OCS) applications.

The Entel deployment utilizes Ulticom’s proprietary Service-Oriented Routing™ technology, undetectably optimizing Diameter signaling load across the server pool. Transaction persistence, an integral piece of the Entel deployment, routes components of transactions to the same server, dramatically reducing operational overhead. The net result is a smoother, faster transaction response; a balanced load; higher throughput and, ultimately, lower costs".

See "Entel S.A. Deploys Ulticom DSC for Diameter Signaling Traffic Optimization" - here.

DSC Deployments [300]: BT Selected GENBAND

GENBAND announced that BT has "selected the GENBAND QUANTiX™ Diameter Signaling Controller (DSC) to expand its existing Global IP Exchange (GIPX) solution with LTE signaling and data roaming exchange capabilities for its mobile network operator (MNO) customers. The GENBAND QUANTiX DSC enables rich interworking between LTE networks to ensure that roaming subscribers can easily connect when on the road with service transparency and resiliency.

The software, delivered on a common hardware platform, provides context-aware intelligent routing, scalable handling of SIP and Diameter traffic, and secure, seamless connectivity to any IMS/LTE network resulting in a simple, cost-effective deployment of rich LTE voice and data services".

My Diameter Router product list was updated with the GENBAND product.

See "BT Selects GENBAND Diameter Signaling Solution to Enable Cost-Effective Roaming Across Global Network of Mobile Operators" - here.

DSC Deployments [294]: Tango [Luxembourg] Uses BroadForward

   

Infradata announced that  "Tango Luxembourg, part of the Belgacom Group, has selected leading European network solutions provider Infradata to deploy the BroadForward BFX Interface Gateway .. As part of this deal with Tango, Infradata will enable various Diameter-related service scenarios, while further providing Tango with hands-on support and expertise in setting up interworking and routing scenarios across multiple access and signaling technologies, using the BFX service orchestration environment".

Related post - "BroadForward CEO: 'We have a very ambitious 5 year growth plan'" - here.

At the end of Q3, 2013. Tango had 278M subscribers. Tango uses NSN's PCC  - see "Tango [Luxembourg] Use NSN for Differentiating Services" - here.

See "Infradata Provides TangoLuxembourg with Next-Generation Diameter Signaling Solution" - here.

DSC Deployments [290]: Oi [Brazil] Selects F5/Traffix

F5 Networks announced that "Oi selected the F5®Traffix™ Signaling Delivery Controller™ (SDC™) to meet the Diameter signaling management demands of their LTE network.

Tom Carter, VP Worldwide Sales, Carriers and Service Providers, F5 said: “F5’s signaling solutions have been deployed by more than 30 operators around the world We view this as a result of F5 offering the most mature routing, load distribution, and Diameter signaling capabilities on the market”

Oi has "46.3 million clients in the segment of personal mobility, of which 38.0 million pre-paid and 5.3 million post-paid users and 9.0 million users in the business/corporate segment, including fixed and mobile telephony and broadband"
See "Oi Selects F5 Diameter Signaling Solution" - here.