BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 25, 2009-- Acme PacketŪ (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, today announced the availability of two new interworking functions for the Acme Packet Net-NetŪ session border controller (SBC) family designed to extend the reach of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-based networks. Acme Packet’s Net-Net OS interworks IPv6 and IPv6-IPv4 networks to enable seamless interactive communications – voice, video and multimedia – between endpoints and service elements located in service provider, government or large enterprise networks that use different versions of IP addresses. To help bridge current incompatibilities across SIP networks, Acme Packet’s interworking function for SIP-T, SIP-I and SIP mediates these signaling issues and allows service providers to seamlessly interconnect these different types of SIP networks to one another. These two functions enable the integration of dissimilar networks without expensive upgrades or modifications to endpoints or core service infrastructure elements such as SIP softswitches, MSCs, application servers, media gateways, media servers and IP PBXs.

“The ability of service providers to easily extend network reach to more networks, more subscribers and more devices is essential to their quest to minimize costs and maximize revenues,” said Brian Partridge, Director, Enabling Technologies, Service Provider Infrastructure Solutions at Yankee Group. “Acme Packet continues to demonstrate their clear leadership in making the interconnection of heterogeneous networks a reality.”

“Our customers continuously ask us for help in extending the reach of their SIP networks,” said Seamus Hourihan, vice president of product management and marketing at Acme Packet. “Acme Packet’s new interworking functions are the latest deliveries on a long list of functions that we have developed to satisfy the requirements of mobile and fixed network service providers, enterprises, government agencies and contact centers.”

Interworking for IPv6 and IPv4 networks

The Internet Address Numbering Authority (IANA) forecasts that the global IPv4 address pool will be exhausted by 2011. This depletion is caused by the need to support a growing number of IP networks, IP subscribers and IP devices. The need for IP addresses is increasing substantially as mobile access networks evolve to support more SIP services over 3G, such as content and video sharing. Demand will continue to increase with the deployment of all-IP, 4G LTE and mobile WiMAX RANs. In addition, large populations coming on-line, such as China and India, and machine-to-machine communications are further exacerbating the shortage.

However, all networks will not miraculously switch over simultaneously to IPv6. IPv4 and IPv6 networks will need to co-exist for an extended period of time. Presently, most of the Internet uses IPv4 addresses. SIP service elements, such as softswitches, application servers and media gateways, use IPv4 addresses. Many SIP service elements and endpoints may never be able to support IPv6 for technical or operational reasons. Unlike client/server data applications, SIP IPv4 and IPv6 endpoints will need exchange media traffic with each other.

Consequently, capabilities for interworking IPv6 with IPv4 networks are critical. While IPv6 support in layer 3/4 routers and network address translation devices is essential, it is insufficient for the delivery of SIP-based services and applications. These network elements are unable to perform the necessary translations of IP addresses embedded in the application layer SIP headers and the Session Description Protocol, above layer 3 /4, that are required for the delivery of SIP-based voice, video and multimedia sessions.

Acme Packet Net-Net OS interworks IPv6 and IPv6-IPv4 networks to enable seamless SIP interactive communications among endpoints and service elements located in networks using different versions of IP addresses. An Acme Packet Net-Net SBC can be deployed at a service provider’s network access edge to support any possible combination of IPv4 and IPv6 networks:

• IPv6-enabled mobile devices or soft clients accessing SIP services over 3G or 4G networks from a core service infrastructure based on IPv4
• Access networks featuring a combination of IPv4 and IPv6 devices accessing a service core using a combination of IPv4 and IPv6 service elements
• Existing IPv4 endpoints accessing newer IPv6-based service elements

In addition to its role at the access edge, Acme Packet Net-Net SBCs support peering connections between service provider IPv4 and IPv6 networks at the interconnect border, and SIP trunking connections between IPv6 government or enterprise networks and IPv4 service provider networks.

Acme Packet’s IPv6-IPv4 interworking capabilities yield significant cost savings for service providers and enterprises. These new capabilities also save capital expenses by eliminating the need for additional equipment and/or upgrades to core SIP service elements, and reduce operating expenses by allowing the service provider the flexibility to deploy IPv6 only where needed, by supporting IPv6 endpoint or network roll-outs independent of core vendor or service provider roadmaps, and by reducing the time and effort required to test and troubleshoot interworked IPv4-IPv6 deployments.

Interworking for SIP-T, SIP-I and SIP networks

Interconnecting SIP networks that interface to the PSTN is plagued by signaling incompatibilities. Consequently, both mobile and fixed network service providers are unable to realize the benefits of IP, versus TDM, peering – reduced costs, faster time to service and improved call quality from transcoder free operation. CLASS 4 softswitches and IP-enabled Mobile Switching Centers use SS7 ISDN User Part (ISUP) messages for call setup, maintenance, teardown and billing with the PSTN. However, there are two different standards for carrying ISUP messages. SIP for Telephones (SIP-T), defined by the IETF, was the first to be standardized and widely deployed in early PSTN termination networks; SIP with encapsulated ISUP (SIP-I), defined by the ITU, has been adopted by the NGN/IMS architectures.

Making things even worse, ISUP messages themselves are not standardized. There are numerous message format variants defined by the different standards groups, specific countries and vendor-proprietary implementations for SS7 in the PSTN. Lastly, SIP networks using CLASS 5 softswitches and IMS Call Session Control Functions (CSCF) for delivering services to residential, business and mobile subscribers have no reason to use ISUP within their networks. However, when they connect to SIP-T or SIP-I networks, these networks must create and respond to ISUP messages.

Acme Packet’s interworking function for SIP-T, SIP-I and SIP allows service providers to overcome these signaling incompatibilities and seamlessly interconnect these different types of SIP networks to one another. This function in Acme Packet’s Net-Net OS translates, creates and strips SIP-encapsulated ISUP messages and populates Call Detail Records with ISUP information for accounting purposes. Service providers can more easily extend service reach and are not forced to modify or replace existing softswitches, MSCs, accounting systems or other infrastructure elements, reducing both capital and operating expenses. They can now realize all the all the benefits of native IP interconnects – reduced costs, faster time to service and improved call quality by eliminating unnecessary IP-to-TDM-to-IP translations.

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, large 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—interconnect, access and data center. Our products have been selected by more than 635 customers in 92 countries, including 29 of the top 30, and 89 of the top 100 service providers in the world. For more information, contact us at +1 781.328.4400, or visit www.acmepacket.com.

Acme Packet 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, among other things, to our position in the session border control market, our expected financial and operating results, our ability to establish and maintain intellectual property rights, our ability to build and grow Acme Packet, the benefits and advantages of our products, including any enhancements or new features, services and programs, our expectations regarding customers’ need to extend SIP networks and the need for IP address, and our ability to achieve our goals, plans and objectives. Such forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These include, but are not limited to: difficulties in growing our 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, and increased competition. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially form those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements are contained in our recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in such filings.

Source: Acme Packet, Inc.

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