Press releases

NGN/IMS Forum Announces Applications Working Group for Fixed and Mobile Broadband Networks (4G/LTE)

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:30:31 -0700

Working Group and Plugfest 9 to Address the Explosion in Demand for Applications

Las Vegas, NV - March 24, 2010

Today the NGN/IMS Forum^{^TM}announced its new Technical Working Group for Applications running on fixed and mobile broadband networks (e.g. 3G/4G/LTE, wireline and cable networks). This Technical Working Group (TWG) will help accelerate the availability of IMS-based applications by providing additional tools and resources to foster the ecosystem of application developers, content creators, network operators, and telecommunications vendors (i.e. network equipment, handset, ICT, and original equipment manufacturers).

Mobile handsets are becoming the platform on which a wide variety of applications can be run. Today's mobile handsets are not only used for web browsing and email but, increasingly, are becoming sophisticated computing devices that run a wide variety of data applications such as social networking applications, applications to share user-generated content, multi-user games, and music and video streaming. Traditionally, each of these capabilities has been provided by siloed platforms. As mobile networks migrate to 4G/LTE, additional applications will be possible and end users will be looking for a common experience between their fixed and mobile broadband networks.

As carriers deploy IMS networks, applications can be enhanced to create new end user experiences by simultaneously blending voice, data, video and multimedia. This new generation of applications will be able to take advantage of elements of the IMS network, such as QoS and Voice-over LTE (VoLTE), to deliver end-user experiences (e.g. Multi-play: Triple Play, Quadruple Play, M-Play) that are consistent across both fixed and mobile networks.

"The IMS investment enables network operators to fully exploit applications running both inside their network or by third party application developers and content providers," said Michael Cooper, Alcatel-Lucent Vice President of Wireline marketing and business strategy. "It allows their unique network assets, such as location, presence and preferences, to be leveraged in applications to provide a personalized and differentiating service experience for consumers and business users."

"Because of the explosion of applications, this Working Group and our upcoming Plugfest 9 will concentrate its efforts on application developers to help them better internetwork web 2.0 applications with IMS networks and BSS/OSS systems (including billing, charging and security)," said Michael Khalilian, Chairman & President, NGN/IMS Forum. "These efforts will bring the same level of interoperability enabled by our Plugfests from the realm of protocols, network architectures, hardware and devices to the software and applications space by including Application Programmable Interfaces (APIs) that expose network capabilities such as VoIP, group management, presence and instant messaging."

"One of the key tenets of IMS is to evolve a vendor agnostic, open interface based architecture - through this Working Group we'll be able to guide the Industry to exploit the IMS network capabilities via Service Delivery Platforms (SDPs) & Device frameworks, to realize combinatorial applications, in an interoperable and a standards based manner", said Jinu Koshy, General Manager & Global Head, Applications & Devices Practice, Wipro Technologies. "We are glad to be part of this Working Group and use our experience as a System Integrator from global SDP, Value Added Services (VAS) deployments & Device development, to realize deployment guidelines and Best Common Practices for the Working Group"

"Given the incredible pace of change vis-à-vis new devices, applications and services, as well as the challenges of IMS deployments which are highly customized and unique, service providers and their vendors are struggling to ensure their implementations work as advertised using current approaches to testing," said Simon Berman, Mu Dynamics' Vice President of products. "We look forward to participating in the Working Group and upcoming Plugfest 9, in order to share new and innovative tools and strategies for dramatically accelerating the testing process while also increasing the quality of IMS deployments."

About NGN Forum^TM and IMS Forum^®

The NGN Forum is the premier global telecommunications association devoted to Next Generation Network (NGN) service delivery, Rich Multimedia and Communications Suite (RMS/RCS), Service Delivery Platform (SDP), IP BSS/OSS/Security, interoperable IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services architecture solutions, and best practices and guidelines development.

The NGN/IMS Forums' Plugfests are the industry's premier interoperability events covering NGN services over wireless 3G, 4G, LTE, WiMAX, wireline xDSL, cable, fiber optics broadband and IMS architectures. The NGN Forum and IMS Forum is dedicated to interoperability and certification of IMS and Next Generation Communications (NGC) applications and services for fixed, mobile and cable networks. Participation in NGN/IMS Plugfests and Technical Working Groups is open to all companies.

Through organized Plugfests, technical working groups and other activities, Forum members develop cost-effective technical frameworks for revenue generating converged IP NGN solutions. The combined organizations include over 3000 executives and technical, business development and marketing professionals from global and emerging equipment vendors, solution providers, integrators, service providers, and governmental agencies. For additional information or to join the NGN Forum groups, the NGN/IMS Plugfests, please contact info@NGNforum.org and visit www.IMSforum.org or www.NGNforum.org.

About Alcatel-Lucent

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) is the trusted transformation partner of service providers, enterprises, strategic industries such as defense, energy, healthcare, transportation, and governments worldwide, providing solutions to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. A leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent leverages the unrivalled technical and scientific expertise of Bell Labs, one of the largest innovation powerhouses in the communications industry. With operations in more than 130 countries and the most experienced global services organization in the industry, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with a global reach. Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of Euro 15.2 billion in 2009 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

About Wipro

Wipro Technologies, a division of Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT), is the first PCMM Level 5 and SEI CMM Level 5 certified global IT services organization. Wipro Technologies was recently assessed at Level 5 for CMMI V 1.2 across offshore and onsite development centers. Wipro is one of the largest product engineering and support service providers worldwide. Wipro provides comprehensive research and development services, IT solutions and services, including systems integration, information systems outsourcing, package implementation, software application management, and datacenter managed services to corporations globally.

In the Indian market, Wipro is a leader in providing IT solutions and services for the corporate segment in India, offering system integration, network integration, software solutions and IT services.

Wipro also has a profitable presence in niche market segments of consumer products and lighting. In the Asia-Pacific and Middle East markets, Wipro provides IT solutions and services for global corporations. Wipro's ADS' are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and its equity shares are listed in India on the Stock Exchange - Mumbai, and the National Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit our websites at www.wipro.com, www.wiprocorporate.com and www.wipro.in

About Mu Dynamics

Mu Dynamics' testing solution offers a more than 10-fold effectiveness gain in IP services testing with better time to market, lower cost and higher quality. The award-winning Mu solution is deployed at over 100 locations, primarily at leading global service providers, government agencies, and product vendors. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, more information on Mu's products, customers and solutions are online at http://www.mudynamics.com.

For Further Information contact:

NGN/IMS Forum Media Relations

Cathy Clarke - CNC Associates

+1 (508) 833-8533

PR@NGNforum.org

Plugfest 9

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:42:28 -0800

For Immediate Release:

Registration for NGN IMS Forum Plugfest 9 Interoperability

Test Event Now Open

Ninth Plugfest to Focus on NGN Network and IMS Rich Applications Deployment

Denver, CO - January 21, 2010 The NGN IMS Forum^{^TM}announced today that its next IMS Plugfest^TM and NGN Plugfest^TM interoperability test event, Plugfest 9, will take place from June 1 - 4, 2010 at the InterOperability Lab (UNH IOL) in Durham, NH. Themes for this Plugfest center on NGN Network and IMS Rich Applications deployment including location-based services, interoperability testing and real-time IP Service integrity. Registration for the Interoperability and Testing (Plugfest) Working Group is now open for any service providers, integrators and vendors who would like to participate (www.imsforum.org/Plugfest).

Standards are constantly changing in the marketplace and new ones emerging along with hundreds of vendor-specific implementations that need to be backward compatible for real-world IP service interoperability. The work of the NGN IMS Forum is focused on helping wireless, wireline and cable broadband service providers, vendors and integrators address these challenges.

"The need for seamless integration of multiple vendor products into real-time services is a difficult and complex NGN IMS requirement," said Adam Stein, VP Marketing at Mu Dynamics and Vice-Chair of the NGN IMS Forum Security, BSS/OSS Working Group. "Real-time applications utilize so many moving pieces of software in the core and edge of the network that the only way to truly test them is to leverage the real-time service traffic they create. Mu Dynamics, as a long-time participant in NGN IMS Forum Plugfests continues to work with many forum participants on their IP service creation and delivery testing to ultimately provide the best interoperability, security, functionality and resilience."

The NGN IMS Forum will define network topologies based on the participants' requirements for these tests. A sample listing of services to be tested at NGN IMS Plugfest 9 include:

- IMS core, CSCF, AS, HSS, Policy

- Inter and intra network testing areas of key interest including: billing services, interdomain scenarios, roaming users and visited networks scenarios for applications such as presence, voice, video, etc.

- SDP / Rich Communications Services (RCS) / Voice Features and IMS Applications

- VoIP / SIP / QoS

- Security and Reliability

- Billing - off-line charging and on-line charging

- Control Plane and Diameter

- Voice over LTE/4G

- IP Video (IPTV)

- Wireless and Smart Grids

- Messaging, IP traffic, presence, IM and termination, integration

- Implementation of Convergence: integrating legacy to NGN

- Transition 3G to 4G LTE and WiMAX

- Metrics for standard sets of SIP call flows in IMS and NGN,

- IPv6

"Aricent is honored to once again contribute to the IMS Forum Plugfest event," said CP Murali, sr. vice president at Aricent. "As an IMS Forum board member and a key supplier of advanced wireless and wire line technology and integration services, we continue to see the inherent value of multi-vendor interoperability and a robust certification process for IMS."

"Our Plugfests enable our members to test their services in real world, multi-vendor and multi-service provider networks," said Michael Khalilian, Chairman & President, NGN IMS Forum. "Our Plugfests empower them to demonstrate for their customers and prospects that their new services and offerings will work in these environments, helping them to rapidly generate new revenues."

The NGN IMS Forums' Plugfests are the industry's premier interoperability events covering NGN services over wireless 3G, 4G, LTE, WiMAX, wireline xDSL, cable, fiber optics broadband and IMS architectures. The NGN Forum and IMS Forum is dedicated to interoperability and certification of IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and Next Generation (NGN) applications and services for fixed, mobile and cable networks. Participation in NGN IMS Plugfests and Technical Working Groups is open to all companies. We look forward to your participation in our 2010 Working Groups and in Plugfests. For more information please contact Info@NGNForum.org or visit www.NGNForum.org, www.IMSForum.org.

About the NGN Forum^TM and IMS Forum^®

The NGN IMS Forum is the premier global telecommunications association devoted to Next Generation Network (NGN) service delivery and interoperable IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services architectures and solutions.

The Forums' mission is to accelerate the interoperability of IMS and NGN services and to enable enterprise and residential consumers to benefit fully from the delivery of M-play^TM/rich multimedia, mobility and fixed services over wireline, cable, GSM, UMTS, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, LTE and fiber broadband networks. The Forum is the creator and organizer of the IMS Plugfests^TM and NGN Plugfests^TM, the industry's only events focused on verification and certification of IMS and NGN service interoperability through the IMS Certified^TM and NGN Certified^TM programs.

Through organized Plugfests, technical working groups and other activities, Forum members develop cost-effective technical frameworks for revenue generating converged IP NGN solutions. The combined organizations include over 2000 executives and technical, business development and marketing professionals from global and emerging equipment vendors, solution providers, integrators, service providers, and governmental agencies. For additional information or to join the NGN Forum, the IMS Plugfest, and NGN Plugfest, please visit www.IMSforum.org or www.NGNforum.org.

For Further Information contact:

NGN IMS Forum Media Relations

Cathy Clarke - CNC Associates

+1 (508) 833-8533

pr@ngnforum.org

###

Testing Technologies GmbH to Participate in the NGN IMS Forum Plugfest 8

admin — Sat, 3 Oct 2009 11:48:48 -0700

Berlin, Germany - September 30, 2009 - Testing Technologies announced today that it will participate in the NGN IMS Forum's^TM eighth Plugfest^TM to be held October 5 thru October 9^th, 2009 at the InterOperability Lab (UNH IOL) in Durham, NH.

"We are very pleased to participate in the NGN IMS Forum Plugfests," said Frank Frederking, VP Sales, Americas, Testing Technologies. "The NGN IMS Forum Plugfests are the industry's only interoperability events covering converged IMS and NGN services over wireless, wireline and cable broadband.
The NGN IMS Forum Plugfest^TM is the most frequent interoperability event in the industry."

Testing Tech's TTworkbench will provide a test stimulus (simulating SIP clients/UAs) to the CSCF, setting up USER sessions and transactions that will then be forwarded over the DIAMETER Cx interface to the HSS and Sh interface, to AS and other relevant Network Elements. This will allow the participants in Plugfest 8^TM to do Interoperability Testing between the CSCF, HSS and AS. Testing Technologies has expanded its TTsuite product line with TTsuite-HSS, the certification and interoperability test framework for Home Subscriber Server implementations (HSS).

Testing HSS contains user and service data for authorization, accounting and roaming. TTsuite-HSS supports 3GPP release 6 and 7, providing 88 test cases for all kinds of procedures (location management, user data handling, authentication, subscription, and notification). TTsuite-HSS focuses on protocol conformance of the interaction between HSS and other IMS signaling components in compliance with the relevant requirements for the Cx and Sh interface. Users are able to perform standards-based testing according to DIAMETER specifications.

"We welcome the contribution and participation of Testing Technologies in our NGN and IMS Plugfest modules," said Michael Khalilian, President NGN IMS Forum. "We are looking forward to enhancing the module testing series in our upcoming Plugfests events."

About Testing Technologies GmbH

Testing Technologies designs and markets a variety of ready-to-run test solutions for commercial, proprietary or PC based test systems. Testing Technologies helps customers create high quality products by high quality testing. Their solutions enable test automation across technologies, development phases and any types of testing. With a wide range of services, their experts support you in all phases of your test life-cycle. As a market leader in customer-oriented testing for standards-based technologies, Testing Technologies is dedicated to TTCN-3 only. Together with ETSI, they guarantee durability and continuous improvement of standardized test solutions to secure your investments.

Through cooperation with strong global and local partners, Testing Technologies is able to respond more effectively to customer needs in testing. Numerous partner companies across Europe, USA and Asia spread the ideas and basic principles of systematic, automated testing worldwide. Testing Technologies was founded as a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute FOKUS in 2000. Our team of experts is continuously developing new products to meet the expectations of evolving markets.

About Teraquant

Teraquant is an owner-operated Test Solutions company staffed with technical specialists with decades of experience in Telecommunications Test. Founded in 2001 Teraquant is privately owned and profitable. Teraquant are dedicated to supplying test solutions that precisely match the needs of our customers and are supported with proactive and immaculate professionalism. Their customers include Cisco, Comcast, Level(3), Microsoft, Motorola, Ericsson, Nortel, Bell Mobility and AT&T Labs. We are the distributor for Utel Systems, Qosmotec GmbH and Netcare International for the United States and Canada. Teraquant Corporation is the distributor for the USA for Testing Technologies' TTworkbench

About the NGN Forum^TM and IMS Forum^®

The NGN/IMS Forum is the only global telecommunications association devoted to Next Generation Network (NGN) service delivery and interoperable IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services architectures and solutions.

The Forum's mission is to accelerate the interoperability of IMS and NGN services and to enable enterprise and residential consumers to benefit fully from the delivery of M-play^TM: rich multimedia, mobility and fixed services over wireline, cable, GSM, UMTS, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, LTE and fiber broadband networks. The Forum is the creator and organizer of the IMS Plugfests^TM and NGN Plugfests^TM, the industry's only events focused on verification and certification of IMS and NGN service interoperability through the IMS Certified^TM and NGN Certified^TM programs.

Through organized Plugfests, technical working groups and other activities, Forum members develop cost-effective technical frameworks for revenue generating converged IP NGN solutions. The combined organizations include over 2000 executives and technical, business development and marketing professionals from global and emerging equipment vendors, solution providers, integrators, service providers, and governmental agencies.

For additional information or to join the NGN Forum, the IMS Plugfest, and/or the NGN Plugfest, please visit www.IMSforum.org or contact info@imsforum.org.

For further information contact:

Testing Technologies

Katrin Boening, Media Relations

+49 (30) 726 19 19-0

boening@testingtech.com

NGN IMS Forum Media Relations

Cathy Clarke - CNC Associates

+1 (508) 833-8533

pr@imsforum.org

NGN Forum and IMS Forum Announce Plugfest 8 to Focus on Interoperability for IP Applications, BSS/OSS & Security

admin — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:57:11 -0700

Plugfest to Leverage Work of Diameter/Control Plane and BSS/OSS & Security Working Groups

Denver, CO - July 29, 2009 The NGN IMS Forum^TMannounced today that its eighth NGN IMS Plugfest^TM will be held October 5 thru October 9^th, 2009 at the InterOperability Lab (UNH IOL) in Durham, NH. The NGN IMS Forum Plugfests are the industry's only interoperability events covering converged IMS and NGN services over wireless, wireline and cable broadband. Plugfest 8 will focus on Interoperability for voice and multimedia applications, BSS/OSS and Security inter and intra network:

End-to-end interoperability testing for IMS and NGN applications and services
Interoperability of the Control Plane and the Diameter Protocol
Charging functions impacts on BSS

"Plugfest 8 is a cooperative effort between our three technical working groups, including the Diameter/Control Plane, BSS/OSS and Security Working Groups," said Michael Khalilian, Chairman and President of the NGN IMS Forum. "It will showcase the great progress that these groups have made in advancing NGN and IMS architectures."

Examples of test topics for Plugfest 8 include:

Application and Feature Testing across the Control Plane
Online & offline charging scenarios for IMS events and sessions
Interface Compliance testing: The 3GPP standard interfaces that use Diameter
Topology hiding scenarios: IMS/NGN Control Plane interoperability including border controllers, legacy network gateways, service location function, and policy control elements
Multi-domain scenarios covering user-to-network and network-to-network IMS interoperability
Further study of IPsec on the Gm interface
Inclusion of IPv6 within the core network

"PlugFest 8 is a great opportunity to demonstrate ‘smart monetization' approaches as a way to leverage the full potential of Next-Generation Networks, and we are honored to be participants" said Gabriel Matsliach, General Manager, Billing & Active Customer Management at Comverse and vice chair of the BSS/OSS and Security Working Group.

"Many operators will rely on existing intelligent network technology for at least the next 10 years, and many will evolve to IMS and NGN technology in that time, requiring interoperability within networks and in between global service providers," said Ron de Lange, executive vice president at Tekelec. "Plugfest 8 continues the NGN IMS Forum's commitment to accelerating deployment of next-generation technology, and we are excited to participate and bridge the gaps between networks more rapidly."

Plugfest 8 participants will include such companies as: Comverse, HP, Mu Dynamics, Radvision, Tech Mahindra, and Tekelec. Sponsors of Plugfest 8 include T-Mobile, Intel and Radvision. The following media organizations are also sponsors of Plugfest 8: CTIA, Informa, Supercomm 2009, TMC, and Virgo Publishing.

Participation in NGN IMS Plugfest 8 is open to all companies. For online registration and info contact the forum at: info@imsforum.org or visit www.NGNforum.org.

About the NGN Forum^TM and IMS Forum^®

Through organized Plugfests, technical working groups and other activities, Forum members develop cost-effective technical frameworks for revenue generating converged IP NGN solutions. The combined organizations include over 2000 executives and technical, business development and marketing professionals from global and emerging equipment vendors, solution providers, integrators, service providers, and governmental agencies.

For additional information or to join the NGN Forum, the IMS Plugfest, and/or the NGN Plugfest, please visit www.IMSforum.org or www.NGNforum.org.

For Further Information contact:

NGN IMS Forum Media Relations

Cathy Clarke - CNC Associates

+1 (508) 833-8533

pr@imsforum.org

###

Aricent and IMS Forum Launch the Industry’s First Collaborative Repository for Next Generation Equipment and Service Testing

admin — Sun, 3 May 2009 22:00:15 -0700

Aricent and IMS Forum Launch the Industry's First Collaborative Repository for Next Generation Equipment and Service Testing

Global Resource Designed to Reduce Testing Cycles, Complexity and Cost; Accelerate Time to Market for NGN Equipment and Services

Palo Alto, Calif., April 29, 2009 - IMS Forum, the only industry association dedicated to interoperability and certification of IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and Next Generation Networks (NGN) applications and services, and Aricent, a global innovation, technology and service company focused exclusively on communications, today announced the launch of www.TestNGN.org. The www.TestNGN.org site hosts an industry-wide collaborative platform of comprehensive test cases for the validation of IMS and NGN equipment and services.

www.TestNGN.org offers the industry's first community-based, open repository for NGN testing that allows network equipment manufacturers and service providers to significantly reduce the time, complexity, and cost required to introduce next generation networks and services, including equipment such as multimedia gateways, home subscriber and application servers, and services including voice and multimedia over IP, converged Web-telephony services and IPTV.

The repository will allow equipment manufacturers and service providers to download, post and share global testing experiences, quickly creating a high value knowledge base. This approach will help minimize the time spent on test case development, planning, writing and preparation, and accelerate the testing cycle for NGN architectures while reducing complexity and time to market.

"There is increased competition in the consumer and enterprise multimedia markets, with an urgent need for NGN equipment manufacturers and service providers to get new products and services to market quickly," said Michael Khalilian, chairman of the IMS Forum and NGN Forum. "This joint effort between Aricent and the IMS and NGN Forum, complements our landmark IMS Plugfest^TM interoperability events. With easy access to downloadable test cases, equipment manufacturers will reduce their testing times and be assured of consistent compliance with the latest standards. Service providers will benefit from the ability to carry out their own end-to-end testing, and will be able to swiftly verify vendor assurances of NGN compliance testing. This site was designed to provide a major addition to the multivendor, multinetwork environment created for our IMS NGN Plugfest interoperability test events to further accelerate the deployment of Next Generation Services and Networks."

The IMS Forum's TestNGN and Interoperability Working groups are focused respectively on the product interoperability, reliability and operational and management issues associated with converged IMS and NGN applications and services delivered over wireless (3G, LTE), wireline (DSL, optical) and cable broadband. The groups ensure that converged applications and the vehicles which deliver such services will be timely and well supported from a provisioning, billing and management systems perspective.

Aricent has developed an extensive NGN testing practice, employing more than 1,600 test engineers and test consultants. The practice has over 70,000 test cases for wireless, VoIP and IMS, all designed to speed the worldwide delivery of Next Generation Networks.

"We are proud to be working closely with the IMS and NGN Forums to co-develop an innovative method of accelerating the standardized introduction of cutting-edge NGN products and services," explained CP Murali, senior vice president at Aricent. "Access to the professionally managed NGN test cases benefits both equipment manufacturers and services providers. This should lead to reduced development times for the whole NGN industry."

For more information about the Aricent NGN testing practice, visit: http://www.aricent.com/services/testing_services.html. For more information on the IMS Plugfest visit www.imsforum.org.

Keywords & tags: next generation network, NGN Forum, NGN Testing, testing practice, IMS forum

About the NGN Forum^TM and IMS Forum^®

The NGN/IMS Forum is the only global telecommunications association devoted to Next Generation Networks (NGN) service delivery and interoperable IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services architectures and solutions. The Forum's mission is to enable delivery of M-play^TM: rich multimedia, mobility and fixed services over wireline, cable, GSM, UMTS, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, LTE and fiber broadband networks. The Forum is the creator and organizer of the IMS Plugfests^TM and NGN Plugfests^TM, the industry's only events focused on verification and certification of IMS and NGN service interoperability through the IMS Certified^TM and NGN Certified^TM programs.

Through organized Plugfests, technical working groups and other activities, Forum members develop cost-effective technical frameworks for revenue generating converged IP NGN solutions. The combined organizations include over 2000 executives and technical, business development and marketing professionals from global and emerging equipment vendors, solution providers, integrators, service providers, and governmental agencies. For additional information or to join the NGN Forum, IMS Forum, the IMS Plugfest, and/or the NGN Plugfest, please visit www.IMSforum.org or www.NGNforum.org.

About Aricent

Aricent is a global innovation, technology and outsourcing company focused exclusively on communications. Aricent combines the leading innovation capabilities of frog design with unparalleled domain expertise in communications gained as a strategic supplier to the world's foremost infrastructure, application and service providers. The company is owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Sequoia Capital and Flextronics International Ltd. and has more than 550 clients worldwide. For more information, visit www.aricent.com.

Aricent is a trademark of Aricent Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

________________________________________

For further information, contact

Cathy Clarke

NGN Forum media relations

Tel: +1 508 833-8533

Email: pr@imsforum.org

Steven Manuel

Aricent

Tel: +1 650 391 1621

Email: steven.manuel@aricent.com

Chris Lalli

Aricent Americas: Cohn & Wolfe

Tel: +1 415 365 8540

Email: chris.lalli@cohnwolfe.com

Paula Muezerie

Aricent Europe: AxiCom

Tel: +44 208 392 4081

Email: aricent@axicom.com

Shikha Singh Sehrawat
Aricent India: Text 100
Tel: +91 989 107 1999
Email: shikhas@text100.co.in

IMS Forum® Launches BSS/OSS & Security Technical Working Group

admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:51:07 -0700

IMS Forum^® Launches BSS/OSS & Security Technical Working Group

To Establish Architectural Requirements for NGN BSS/OSS and Security

in Real-time Service Environments

Las Vegas, NV- April 14, 2009 -- The NGN and IMS Forum^®, the only industry associations dedicated to interoperability and certification of IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and Next Generation Network (NGN) applications and services, announced today at the Billing & OSS World Conference & Expo the creation of its BSS/OSS & Security Technical Working Group.

The working group will help guide industry momentum for an integrated BSS/OSS framework to enable cost-effective transition to IMS/NGN environments. NGN IMS Forum members have demonstrated billing interoperability in the past six Plugfests^TM and through commercial deployments. This new working group will focus on the billing and charging, policy control and security functions required by service providers to capture the value promised by NGN networks. HP will chair the working group with support from vice-chairs, Comverse and Mu Dynamics. Other industry leaders such as, Acision, Aricent, DSET, Marben Products, NE Technologies, Tech Mahindra, and Tekelec are also founding members.

"We have learned through the course of our last 6 Plugfests that billing OSS and security play an integral role in the successful implementation of integrated communications services utilizing NGN and IMS," said Michael Khalilian, Chairman and President NGN and IMS Forum. "We look forward to including the input from this Technical and Business Working Group in our Plugfest 7 interoperability test event and in future Plugfests."

"Service providers can re-use existing resources, lower costs, and increase revenue opportunities through an integrated BSS/OSS," said Nigel Upton, Director, Communications and Media, Solutions, HP. "With interoperability already demonstrated, our working group will strengthen the business and technical foundation that service providers need for a smooth transition to IMS and next-generation services."

The Working Group will develop guidelines on the business and technical aspects of BSS/OSS and security in IMS and NGN services and will define the architecture and requirements for network interoperability and reliable real-time IP service application deployment. It will focus on the operational and management of converged IMS/NGN applications and services delivered over wireless (3G, LTE), wireline (DSL, optical) and cable broadband. The group will ensure that converged applications and services will have timely and complete support from provisioning, billing and management systems. A whitepaper describing BSS/OSS considerations of NGN will be the group's first deliverable and is planned by mid-year.

"This working group underscores the importance of ‘smart monetization' approaches in creating successful business models to leverage the full potential of Next-Generation Networks," said Gabriel Matsliach, General Manager, Billing & Active Customer Management at Comverse, who will serve as the Group's vice chair. "The group will draw on our experience in supporting any combination of network, service and payment types, including true quad-play offers."

"As a two-year veteran of the IMS/NGN Forum and their Plugfest events, Mu Dynamics is pleased to see the increased industry interest in secure Next-Generation Network deployments that prevent unexpected weaknesses in real-time networked applications," said Adam Stein, vice president of Marketing for Mu Dynamics who will also serve as the group's vice chair. "Many of our operator and vendor clients play an integral role in this important ecosystem with a high percent of their revenue dependent upon resilient, reliable and secure product development and continuous service deployment."

About Plugfest 7

IMS OSS/BSS & Security Working Group will be an integral part of the IMS Forum's Plugfest^TM7 interoperability test that will take place in June 1-5, 2009 at the InterOperability Lab (UNH IOL) in Durham, NH. Participation in NGN IMS Plugfest 7 is open to all companies. For online registration and info contact the forum at: info@IMSforum.org or visit event at www.NGNforum.org.

About the NGN Forum^TM and IMS Forum^®

The NGN and IMS Forum are the only global telecommunications associations devoted to Next Generation Networks (NGN) service delivery and interoperable IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services architectures and solutions. The Forum's mission is to enable delivery of M-play^TM: rich multimedia, mobility and fixed services over wireline, cable, GSM, UMTS, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, LTE and fiber broadband networks. The Forum is the creator and organizer of the IMS Plugfests^TM and NGN Plugfests^TM, the industry's only events focused on verification and certification of IMS and NGN service interoperability through the IMS Certified^TM and NGN Certified^TM programs.

Through organized Plugfests, technical working groups and other activities, Forum members develop cost-effective technical frameworks for revenue generating converged IP NGN solutions. The combined organizations include over 2000 executives and technical, business development and marketing professionals from global and emerging equipment vendors, solution providers, integrators, service providers, and governmental agencies. For additional information or to join the NGN Forum, IMS Forum the IMS Plugfest, and/or the NGN Plugfest, please visit www.IMSforum.org or www.NGNforum.org.

For Further Information contact:

NGN and IMS Forum Media Relations

Cathy Clarke - CNC Associates

+1 (508) 833-8533

pr@imsforum.org

NGN Plugfest 7 to Focus on Managed Services using Diameter

admin — Wed, 4 Mar 2009 19:16:15 -0800

Expands Plugfest Series to Multimedia Service Delivery, Charging, Security, Operational and Business Support, for 3G, LTE, fixed and cable service providers

Denver, CO - February 26, 2009 The NGN IMS Forum^TM announces its seventh IMS/NGN Plugfest^TM will be held June 1-5, 2009 at the InterOperability Lab (UNH IOL) in Durham, NH. The NGN IMS Forum Plugfests are the industry's only interoperability events covering NGN services over 3G, LTE, WiMAX, wireline and cable broadband.

"Over the course of the last 6 Plugfests the NGN IMS Forum has tested many IMS architectures and 'all IP' NGN Services at the UNH IOL to ready them for mass deployment," said Timothy Winters, VoIP Manager, UNH IOL. "Plugfest 7 will further move the industry by including IMS, NGN, LTE and WiMAX interfaces for applications and services. We look forward to continuing a strong partnership with the NGN IMS Forum."

Plugfest 7 will focus on testing all types of interfaces used in IMS, NGN, LTE and WiMAX utilizing Diameter. The event will address the needs of protocol stack vendors and users, equipment vendors using Diameter in functions such as Call Session Control, mobility, subscriber authentication, Charging, Policy Management, and Security. Diameter is an Internet (IETF) protocol developed to strengthen security and augment functionality of RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial In User Service) and to deliver AAA (Authentication, Authorization and Accounting) functionality in Next Generation Networks. Together Diameter and the SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) support the delivery of voice, video, text and multimedia in NGN, or ‘all IP networks'.

"With this Plugfest we continue to expand further into service delivery, the control and management, including billing, protocols and standards according to NGN, LTE and IMS architecture and framework," said Michael Khalilian, Chairman and President of NGN IMS Forum. "Plugfest 7 is a continuation of the IMS Plugfest series that started two years ago."

The NGN IMS Forum also announces that the following organizations are sponsors of Plugfest 7: Intel, 4G and ITexpo of TMC, NGN Magazine, Informa, Supercomm 2009, Virgo Publishing's VON and B/OSS World.

"In this Plugfest the IMS NGN Forum provides an opportunity to ensure that components developed by network equipment providers (NEP) or third party service or content providers will integrate smoothly in carrier authentication, policy and charging in an OSS/BSS infrastructure." said Bruno Deslandes IMS product manager at Marben Products and Diameter Working Group Chair. "This will accelerate new services roll out in IMS, LTE and WiMAX networks, and will help carriers to monetize their networks."

Participation in NGN IMS Plugfest 7 is open to all companies. For online registration and info contact the forum at: info@imsforum.org or visit www.NGNforum.org.

About the NGN Forum^TM and IMS Forum^®

Through organized Plugfests, technical working groups and other activities, Forum members develop cost-effective technical frameworks for revenue generating converged IP NGN solutions. The combined organizations include over 2000 executives and technical, business development and marketing professionals from global and emerging equipment vendors, solution providers, integrators, service providers, and governmental agencies.

For additional information or to join the NGN Forum, the IMS Plugfest, and/or the NGN Plugfest, please visit www.IMSforum.org or www.NGNforum.org.

For Further Information contact:
NGN IMS Forum Media Relations
Cathy Clarke - CNC Associates
+1 (508) 833-8533
pr@imsforum.org

The NGN IMS Forum Announces Plugfest 6 Results - The Largest Heterogeneous IMS Network Ever Tested Spanning four Continents

admin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 18:33:05 -0800

Attains "Real IMS" Status and other Milestones

Denver, CO - February 3, 2009, The NGN/IMS Forum, the only industry association dedicated to interoperability and certification of IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and Next Generation Networks (NGN) applications and services, announced today the results of its sixth Plugfest. Plugfest 6, which took place January 12-16, 2009 at the InterOperability Lab (UNH IOL) in Durham, NH, has marked a number of important milestones for the IMS NGN Forum members and for the industry at large. The interoperability testing confirmed the transition to what analysts call the "Real IMS," a phase which demonstrates policy control, charging and the wide support of IP applications. Plugfest 6 simulated two different IMS operator networks across 4 continents.

"The sixth IMS/NGN Plugfest took place exactly two years after the historical first IMS Plugfest," said Michael Khalilian, Chairman and President, NGN and IMS Forum. "We are very proud of our members and participants, since no other group has completed six tests of IMS and NGN interoperability. And if this is not enough, we did it in a short two years time. In Plugfest 6 we built the largest heterogeneous IMS network ever tested. We are now planning two additional Plugfests for 2009 as we continue to move the industry closer to the promise of fully converged networks."

Plugfest 6 simulated two different IMS operator networks across 4 continents. Inexbee tested Remote user equipment (UE) from France; Radvision IMS stacks from Israel, and HP tested charging /billing, ease of deployment and OEM interoperability from China. NTT-AT tested IMS UE at the IOT location in New Hampshire, where most of the other network components were hosted. A major achievement by the industry was shown in the short setup time of only a day and half that it took to bring into operations these complex networks supporting up to 250,000 user sessions. User equipment, application servers, service creation and robustness were tested.

"Consumers expect a uniform messaging experience - regardless of the underlying messaging or network technology," said Mr. Anantha Ramu, Vice President of Engineering & Principal Architect at Acision. "Therefore, IMS interoperability between various products, networks and implementations can provide a competitive advantage to operators. By participating in the IMS/NGN Forum's Plugfest 6, Acision successfully validated the interoperability of its application server in a heterogeneous IMS network testing environment."

According to Thomas Maufer, Mu Dynamics' Director of Technical Marketing, "IMS Forum participants found it very satisfying to test a complete multi-domain IMS system for the first time at IMS Forum's Plugfest 6, including multiple geographies, showing back-end systems and multiple protocols like SIP and Diameter. Our experience in expanding the Mu analyzer's IMS testing capabilities also contributed to growing the reliability and security of products and services at IMS Plugfests - as well as the continued maturity of IMS going forward."

Tests included interoperability testing between two operators' networks using IMS/NGN services end-to-end, charging scenarios, VoIP and video-over-IP and a demonstration of pico-cell access. Equipment vendors also showed compatibility across multi-vendor networks and UE, as they tested interoperability for Diameter and SIP interfaces, charging interfaces, policy, application servers, and element and network robustness testing. With labs connected across the world, Plugfest 6 participants demonstrated how IMS/NGN deployments work seamlessly cross-geography (US, Asia, Middle East, Europe).

The IMS Plugfest included the testing of complex call flows involving multi-party and multi-CSCF in both single domain, inter and multi-domain configurations, including roaming scenarios. On the authorization/authentication side, the tests encompassed several user authentication methods and AS-HSS user profile manipulation. On-line and off-line billing scenarios demonstrated clearly that NGN services are ready for deployment.

Participants in this Plugfest included a cross-section of the IMS and NGN industry, in a clear example of the global reach of NGN and IMS service and network delivery with companies from France, Germany, India, Israel, China, Japan, and the United States joining together in this event. Participating vendors and service providers included:

Acision	Radvision
HP	Sonus Networks
Inexbee	Starent Networks
Marben-Products	Tekelec
Mu Dynamics	UNH-IOL
NTT-A

About the NGN and IMS Forums^TM

Through organized Plugfests, technical working groups and other activities, Forum members develop cost-effective technical frameworks for revenue generating converged IP NGN solutions. The combined organizations include over 2,500 executives and technical, business development and marketing professionals from global and emerging equipment vendors, solution providers, integrators, service providers, and governmental agencies.

For additional information or to join the NGN Forum, the IMS Plugfest, and/or the NGN Plugfest, please visit www.IMSforum.org or www.NGNforum.org.

For Further Information contact: NGN/IMS Forum Media Retaliations
Cathy Clarke – CNC Associates
+1 (508) 833-8533
pr@imsforum.org

NGN Forum Releases IMS Report Card

admin — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:58:56 -0800

NGN Forum Releases IMS Report Card

Based on Results from Plugfest 3, 4, and 5 Interoperability Test Events

Denver, CO - December 1, 2008, The NGN IMS Forum, the only industry association dedicated to interoperability and certification of IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and Next Generation Networks (NGN) applications and services, announced today the availability of its second IMS Report Card. The IMS Report Card directly addresses the confusion and misinformation regarding IMS and NGN Services to present a testimony to the readiness of the technology. The IMS Report Card provides factual information based on results from the five IMS Forum Plugfests conducted to date at the UNH-IOL and clarifies the state of IMS as a technology and framework. The IMS Report Card will also be discussed during the IMS/NGN Plugfest 6 event starting on January 12, 2009.

"We can speak with confidence that IMS is moving forward rapidly," said Michael Khalilian, Chairman & President NGN and IMS Forum. "Early, conflicting information from vendors and service providers (SPs), both in favor of and challenging the technology, have blurred and complicated the understanding of IMS. We have the facts about IMS and NGN, and with each new Plugfest the list of standards-compliant and interoperable IMS services that are ready for deployment grows. Objections to the IMS architecture on the grounds of its lack of interoperability, its immaturity, or its complexity are no longer tenable. We have seen multiple vendors quickly integrate and deploy services in a multi-vendor, mutli-service service provider IMS network. Many SPs also recognized the value of IMS and are working toward deploying IMS in a modular fashion."

The Report Card, built as a matrix, states a myth or misconception about IMS and provides data from the results of the IMS Forum five Plugfests to refute the myth. The myths fall into the following categories: Business Case, Complexity, IMS Core, Standards, Interoperability, Key Features SIP Integration, Applications, Deployment and Legacy Network.

On the Report Card regarding the topic of IMS and mashups, Frost & Sullivan Principal Analyst Ronald Gruia, said, "The reality is that while those mashups do allow a faster new service introduction, they are still "siloed" implementations, and as carriers deploying services this way will realize, the more of those they introduce, the higher the cost of switching away from them will be. However, "mashups" can be "future proofed" by being "IMS ready". Telefonica Spain for example is brining the best of both worlds (IMS and Web 2.0 mashups) with its WIMS initiative."

The Report Card also identifies areas that still need work, for example, IMS-based service uptime is critical to network operator revenue. Reliability, security, billing and roaming (visited networks) are key areas that will need to be addressed further as we move forward. The IMS and NGN Forum Plugfest program is on an aggressive ramp to intensify the testing and interoperability of these critical areas as the IMS "ecosystem" matures.

The good news, the IMS Report Card concludes is that it is a demonstrably real technology with real vendors delivering real products and services today. Work is ongoing to port additional standards and protocols, such as IPTV. Operators are making steady progress toward simplifying their network architectures to all-IP routers and softswitches. Meanwhile, the true benefits and the business case for IMS are becoming increasingly clear.

The NGN Forum and IMS Forum Plugfests, held a couple of times a year, bring together industry-leading NGN and IMS vendors from around the world, all of which build and test IMS networks. Plugfests serve as implementation proving grounds for removing barriers to the adoption of IMS and NGN. Participation in the Plugfests will add industry-recognized certification for IMS applications and service interoperability.

Participation in the NGN IMS Forum's Plugfest 6 is open to all companies. For online registration and info contact the forum at: info@imsforum.org or visit www.NGNforum.org.

About the NGN and IMS Forums^TM

The NGN Forum is the only global telecommunications association devoted to Next Generation Network (NGN) service delivery and interoperable IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services architectures and solutions.

Through organized Plugfests, technical working groups and other activities, Forum members develop cost-effective technical frameworks for revenue generating converged IP NGN solutions. The combined organizations include over 2000 executives and technical, business development and marketing professionals from global and emerging equipment vendors, solution providers, integrators, service providers, and governmental agencies.

For additional information or to join the NGN Forum, the IMS Plugfest, and/or the NGN Plugfest, please visit www.IMSforum.org or www.NGNforum.org.

For Further Information contact:

NGN Forum Media Retaliations

Cathy Clarke - CNC Associates

+1 (508) 833-8533

pr@imsforum.org

Plugfest 6 to Focus on NGN Consumer and Enterprise Service Interoperability

admin — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:37:37 -0700

Delivering Ready to use IPTV, Diameter, IMS SIP, Security, UC Services

and IP B/OSS

Denver, CO - October 22, 2008, The NGN/IMS Forum, the only industry association dedicated to interoperability and certification of IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and Next Generation Networks (NGN) applications and services, announced today that its sixth IMS/NGN Plugfest^TM will be held January 12-16, 2009 at the InterOperability Lab (UNH IOL) in Durham, NH. The IMS Plugfests are the industry's only interoperability events covering NGN services over wireless, wireline and cable broadband.

Plugfest 6 will continue to address the robustness, reliability and certification of key IMS SIP and Diameter interfaces as well as the following local and visited network services including:

Inter and intra-domain NGN services routing
Visited networks scenarios for Consumer and Enterprise customers
Billing, charging and service creation/SDP for IMS and NGN
Presence and location based services
Interfaces operational testing (SIP-Gm, SIP-Mw, SIP-ISC, interface security profiles, Sh-Diameter and Cx-Diameter interfaces)
Other services including SIP signaling compression and multiple profiles for public and private users
Services including VoIP for residential and enterprise, Unified Communications, IPTV,FMC and other multimedia applications

"IMS Plugfest events accelerate cooperation among vendors and benefit our customers," said Ron de Lange, Executive Vice President Tekelec Global Product Solutions. "TekCore has been the reference CSCF for the past five Plugfests offering us a productive environment to learn and validate our product offering."

"IMS Forum Plugfests provide a hands-on environment to ensure that network operators have reliable, available and secure deployments of IMS architecture and NGN services free of costly downtime," said Adam Stein, VP Marketing, Mu Dynamics. "Mu has seen extensive advancement in both operator and vendor service assurance through our Plugfest testing and one-on-one collaboration with participants, many of whom have since become Mu customers."

"Sonus continues to support PlugFest events to demonstrate our commitment to interoperability as a key element to a successful IMS implementation," commented John Nye, VP Corporate Marketing at Sonus Networks. "At this event we will be featuring the IMX, Sonus' IMS compliant Service Delivery Platform (SDP). The ability for carriers and operators to develop and get new services into market quickly drives a competitive advantage for both established players and newcomers to the market."

The NGN/IMS Forum also announces that the following organizations are sponsor participants of Plugfest 6: Intel, HP, Aricent, Acision, Mu Daynamics, Tekelec, Sonus, Wipro, Marben Products, UNH-IOL, TMC NGN Magazine, Informa, Supercomm 2009, and Virgo Publishing.

"Incorporating critical elements of service delivery such as billing, charging and IP OSS into its industry leading programs, including the NGN IMS Plugfest events, demonstrates the Forum's commitment to making next-generation services not only interoperable, but profitable as well," said Jenny Bolton, CEO of Virgo Publishing, publisher of B/OSS, VON and xchange magazines.

"Since 2006 The IMS Forum has pioneered events that allow vendors to gather and rapidly push forward IMS and NGN initiatives that benefit the telecom industry," said Rich Tehrani, President of TMC. "They've set the standard for interoperability testing among IMS solutions. TMC has been a proud sponsor of all 5 of the IMS PlugFests and looks forward to sponsoring Plugfest 6 and to covering these events in NGN Magazine - a new print and online publication debuting in December 2008."

"Our Multimedia and Mobility (M-Play) strategy continues to provide the best-in-class interoperability for fixed, mobile, and cable broadband services," said Michael Khalilian, Chairman and President of NGN/IMS Forum. "With the focus on services spanning across the consumer-enterprise divide, the IMS NGN Forum plays an active role in securing new revenue streams for all participants in these emerging markets."

Participation in NGN IMS Plugfest 6 is open to all companies. For online registration and info contact the forum at: info@IMSforum.org or visit www.NGNforum.org.

About the NGN and IMS Forums^TM

Through organized Plugfests, technical working groups and other activities, Forum members develop cost-effective technical frameworks for revenue generating converged IP NGN solutions. The combined organizations include over 2000 executives and technical, business development and marketing professionals from global and emerging equipment vendors, solution providers, integrators, service providers, and governmental agencies.

For additional information or to join the NGN Forum, the IMS Plugfest, and/or the NGN Plugfest, please visit www.IMSforum.org or www.NGNforum.org.

For Further Information contact:

NGN/IMS Forum Media Retaliations

Cathy Clarke - CNC Associates

+1 (508) 833-8533

pr@imsforum.org