Comprehensive Network Border Control Required for Delivering Multimedia Telecommunications Services to Consumers and Enterprises

BURLINGTON, Mass. -- Reef Point Systems, the technology leader in convergence gateway platforms and solutions for fixed-mobile convergence (FMC), unveiled the FMC Border Architecture, the telecommunications industry's first comprehensive reference architecture to enable service providers to deliver secure, quality assured multimedia services over the full range of IP-based networks.

"FMC networking for new multimedia services has the potential to transform the telecommunications business and generate billions of dollars in revenue," said Woody Ritchey, Chief Executive Officer of Reef Point. "To fully tap this potential, service providers will use every access network at their disposal for delivering new services to subscribers. Reef Point's FMC Border Architecture gives the industry a clear vision of how to overcome FMC's deployment challenges and guarantee the delivery of multimedia services over multiple networks securely and with the quality that customers expect."

FMC Border Architecture

The architecture gives carriers a much-needed blueprint for deploying telecommunications command and control technologies to overcome the security, quality of service (QoS) and mobility challenges of delivering multimedia services to customers over multiple access network technologies.

The FMC Border Architecture addresses all major IP access networks:

-- Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) over WiFi
-- Picocell/Femtocells
-- 3G Mobile (3GPP IMS)
-- WiFi
-- WiMAX
-- DSL/FTTX
-- Cable.

The architecture includes three key elements:
-- A consolidated, standards-compliant specification of security,
   QoS and mobility functions required for all major FMC networks
   (i.e., IP mobile, wireless and fixed-line access networks)
  -- Categories of functions include:
    -- User Authorization
    -- Secure Access
    -- Firewall
    -- Network Address Translation
    -- Denial of Service Attack Prevention
    -- Traffic Shaping
    -- Mobility.

-- A policy-based definition of session and flow border functions
   required for service provider to plan their FMC border management
   rules, including:
    -- Network Policies
    -- User Policies
    -- Application Policies
    -- Core Policies.

-- An FMC implementation reference model including:
    -- Network deployment topologies for consolidating the FMC border
    -- FMC network roadmap aiding service provider infrastructure
       evolution to a single, all-IP core network.

"FMC is changing the way people communicate and is opening up numerous new revenue opportunities for carriers," said Joe McGarvey, Senior Analyst at Heavy Reading. "At the same time, FMC imposes a fresh set of technology and security problems. A new type of converged border gateway, one that employs an architectural framework to enable carriers to consolidate subscriber management and security functionality into a single platform that works with multiple access technologies, will help service providers simplify their networks and reduce both capital and operating costs. Reef Point has taken a leadership role in this emerging segment of the telecommunications market."

Addressing Service Providers' New Service Delivery Challenges

While border control (i.e., security and quality of service policies and enforcement) for fixed-line networks (e.g., DSL and cable) for VoIP, data and multimedia services are well-established, no coherent control specification of the FMC network border has been defined until now. FMC poses great technical, CAPEX and OPEX challenges to telecommunications service providers in order to:

-- Provide access from multiple networks (i.e., mobile cellular,
   fixed-line, and wireless) and devices to offer mobile subscribers
   ubiquitous services
-- Enable seamless mobile roaming across access networks
-- Deliver consistent QoS to meet SLAs as users roam (i.e.,
   dynamically adjust bandwidth and media format for different
   network and user-device parameters)
-- Ensure user, network, core and application security across all FMC
   network borders (i.e., adhere to network-specific industry
   standards to protect mobile devices and the network).

"Reef Point has created an important vision for consolidating and managing the evolving carrier access network border," said Michael Khalilian, Chairman and President of the IMS Forum. "The FMC Border Architecture offers a path to a standards-compliant way that carriers can use to guarantee delivery of wired and wireless multimedia services as they strive to eliminate the silos at their core. As such, the FMC Border Architecture complements the 3GPP IMS architecture."

FMC Border Platform

Reef Point offers a platform, the Universal Convergence Gateway (UCG), designed as the control point between service providers' core networks and subscribers'access networks for deploying the comprehensive set of FMC Border Architecture security, QoS and mobility functions. The UCG platform is purpose-built to be deployed as the network element for access border control as defined by the 3GPP, 3GPP2, ETSI and CableLabs telecommunications industry standards bodies, including the:

-- Border Gateway Function (BGF) for IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)
-- Packet Data Gateway (PDG) and Packet Data Interworking Function
   (PDIF) for Wireless LAN Access (WiFi and WiMAX)
-- Access Service Network Gateway (ASNG) for WiMAX
-- Security Gateway (SeGW) for Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA)
-- Security Gateway (SeGW) for Picocells and Femtocells.

"Reef Point's definition of a multimedia FMC border control architecture prefigures what the industry will need to deploy if it wants to support truly convergent multimedia and combinational services," said Jean-Charles Doineau, Service Infrastructure Practice Leader at Ovum. "Reef Point's architecture is the first comprehensive approach to the FMC issues that carriers will face, from FMC network design to security and quality of service management."

For more details on the UCG's rich FMC border software functionality, which is implemented in purpose-built hardware for assured wire-speed performance and massive scalability, see www.reefpoint.com.

About Reef Point Systems

Reef Point Systems (www.reefpoint.com) is the maker of the Universal Convergence Gateway (UCG), the telecommunications industry's only available platform purpose-built with the functionality, performance and scalability to provide comprehensive access control (termination, security, policy management and quality of service) for the full range of fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) implementations and industry standard architectures. The UCG platform and its broad range of FMC solutions give service providers the utmost freedom, flexibility and affordability to build compelling, competitive services for their customers. These solutions maximize service reach, by delivering services over any access technology; ensure service availability by protecting all levels of the FMC infrastructure (subscriber device, access network, IP core and applications) and by enforcing quality of service; and protect revenue streams by defending against theft of service. Reef Point Systems is a privately held company located in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.

Reef Point Systems and Universal Convergence Gateway are trademarks of Reef Point Systems. Other company names, product names and company logos mentioned herein are the trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners.