[Update 36: Torres, Tibco/Kabira] PCRF - DPI Compatibility Matrix

Several updates made to the PCRF-DPI matrix:

• Torres Networks informed me that they are now interoperable with Arbor's eSeries (Ellacoya) product line
   
• The former Kabira products were rebranded as TIBCO Policy Orchestration™, presenting 4 key functions - Policy server, Profile manager, Usage server and Quota server. Tibco acquired Kabira a year ago. Tibco annual report says that:
  
  "On April 20, 2010, we acquired Kabira Technologies, Inc. (“Kabira”), a private company incorporated in Delaware and a provider of high performance transaction processing software solutions for communications service providers globally. Kabira’s products and solutions support key infrastructure capabilities such as subscriber provisioning, value-based charging, and mobile payments. Its in-memory approach to supporting transactions complements our abilities in handling events and adds to our broader suite of in-memory infrastructure software products. We paid $3.9 million of cash to acquire all of the outstanding equity of Kabira. We have also incurred $0.4 million of acquisition related and other expenses associated with the acquisition" (here).

PCRF - DPI (as PCEF) Compatibility Matrix

3GPP standards-based PCRF (Policy and Charging Rule Function) and PCEF (Policy and Charging Enforcement Function) complaint solutions got lots of attention recently. It seems that most mobile operators, when considering implementing DPI (and other service-aware network elements), will be using this architecture.

Operators are always seeking for non-proprietary solutions. This ensures flexibility when choosing vendors - either as 2nd source or when they will consider replacing the supplier. Using a standard-complaint solution does not necessarily ensure that, but it certainly helps.

In the table below I present a PCRF-DPI (acting as a PCEF) compatibility matrix by the leading DPI and most PCRF vendors. The compatibility indications are based on information found on the respective companies' web sites or press-releases.


In some cases, when a vendor shows a large TEM (such as Cisco) in his technology partners page it may be there because of other reasons, not necessarily for PCRF-DPI interoperability.

I welcome vendors’ representatives to comment and add to the table, by providing a links to official announcements.

Related posts:

• Policy Server Market - Still Small, but Always Optimistic! - here
• EU Helps Preventing Mobile Bill Shock - here
• Venezuela’s Movistar Deploys Volubill PCRF - here
   

PCRF Vendor	PCRF Product	Allot	Arbor	Cisco	Procera	Sandvine
724 (Mobixell)	X-treme Framework Platform (XF)	●		●
Bridgewater	Policy Controller/PCRF		●	●		●
Broadhop	Service Management Engine
Camiant	Multimedia Policy Engine	●	●	●	●	●
Comptel	Comptel Policy Control™
Ericsson	Service-Aware Charging and Control (SACC)
Flash Networks	POLICY MANAGER
FTS	Leap™ Policy Control	●				●
HP	HP Policy and Charging(IUM)	●
Huawei	Open Control & Charging Gateway (OCG)	●
Kabira (Tibco software)	Policy Server			●
Openet	FusionWorks™ Policy Manager			●		●
Redknee	Policy Manager (PCRF)			●
Starent (Cisco)	Policy and Charging Control
Telcordia	Telcordia® Real-Time Policy
Volubill	CONTROL-IT Policy Manager
ZTE	ZXUN RCP	●