i3 micro technology and Operax to provide industry standard solution for guaranteed end-to-end Quality of Service for triple play communications
i3 micro technology and Operax have entered a strategic partnership to develop a solution for supporting dynamic Quality of Service (QoS) in triple play broadband communications that includes the customer premise. The joint solution will allow broadband operators to guarantee QoS by intelligently and dynamically handling the QoS needs of each individual service in a converged triple play offering. Specific focus is placed on incorporating the traditionally weakest link, the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), into the total end-to-end solution.
The joint solution, which is well aligned with both ETSI TISPAN and the Multiservice Forum (MSF) architecture, leverages the intelligence and unique upstream QoS handling in i3 CPE together with Operax Triple Play, the leading technology for bandwidth management and QoS control in IP networks.
The platforms
The i3 Vood™ portfolio (Voice options on demand) provides both VoIP and intelligent IP gateway functionality that allows service providers to increase their control and influence of the end user experience, providing more dynamic, personalized and managed broadband services.
The i3 Mood™ portfolio (Media options on demand) consists of IP set-top boxes for advanced IP streaming media and Internet services, web browsing and e-mail. Mood Set-top boxes allow service providers to offer a wide range of interactive IP services on existing TV and audio equipment.
The Operax Triple Play product for resource and policy based admission control is based on Operax patented core technology that ensures QoS in end-to-end transport of IP services or applications. It allows network operators and service providers to offer their customers differentiated services for voice, video and data, attracting new customers and reducing churn.
The end-to-end perspective
"Realizing the advantages of triple play requires an end-to-end perspective that provides for dynamic and dependable service handling,” says Peter Galyas, CTO at i3 micro technology. “Advanced and centralized operator managed capabilities in i3 CPE, including upstream QoS handling, enable service providers to move their network edge to the customer premise. The strategic partnership between i3 and Operax allows us to provide an even more powerful CPE solution to service providers, enabling them to provide a true carrier-grade triple play offering to their subscribers."
“We are very pleased to partner with i3 micro technology”, says Daniel Hydén, VP Marketing Operax. “The evolution of multiple 'always-on' broadband services to the home demand advanced solutions for guaranteed end-to-end QoS. Our partnership strengthens our capability to offer end-to-end QoS solutions for Triple Play services that include all areas of the network, including the customer premises."
The advantage of combining Operax technology with the i3 platform is the ability to introduce full operator control over the service level delivered to the triple play user, a necessity when voice, TV/video and Internet services would otherwise be competing for bandwidth. This requires full end-to-end support for application layer QoS handling, including buffering, queuing and application layer signaling by the IP residential gateway or IP set-top box at the customer premise.
Control over the service quality also allows for more flexible and differentiated billing models. Operators can also market broadband services that temporarily require greater bandwidth and QoS, e.g. video on demand and video telephony, without having to statically over-provision the broadband service.
The solution will be demonstrated in the Operax booth at the VON Expo in Stockholm, May 24-26, 2005.