Acme Packet Shifts Core SIP Session Routing Services into High Gear

Acme Packet Net-Net Session Router Leverages ENUM to Reduce Costs and Enhance Revenue Opportunities for Next-Generation Service Providers

• Press Release
• Source: Acme Packet, Inc.
• On 8:30 am EDT, Tuesday October 20, 2009

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Acme Packet® (NASDAQ: APKT - News), the leader in session border control solutions, today announced a series of new capabilities for its session routing proxy, the Net-Net Session Router (SR), that are designed to help service providers gain operational efficiencies while offloading functionality from older, more expensive Class 4 networks. These new functions are enabled by Acme Packet’s Open Session Routing (OSR) architecture and exploit the efficient, high-performance ENUM protocol to enable IP-based number portability (NP) services, trusted calling party name (CNAM) services, geo-redundant access to routing databases, and source-based SIP session routing to simplify, consolidate and optimize core SIP routing infrastructure for wireline, wireless and cable operators around the world.

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Acme Packet’s Net-Net SR’s new capabilities address the increasing demand from service providers for features and functionality that ease the transition from SS7 call routing to SIP-based session routing in service provider core networks. This functional parity with traditional services is a must-have for next-generation, IP-based services. Today wireline and wireless providers are under increased competitive threats and looking to reduce costs and protect their base of residential and business subscribers as they migrate to next-generation, interactive voice, video and messaging services based on 3G and 4G IMS architectures. At the same time, emerging service providers are seeking growth opportunities and basing their entire service infrastructures on IP.

Acme Packet’s OSR architecture features the use of Acme Packet’s Net-Net-SR working in conjunction with best-of-breed routing database products and services from Acme Packet OSR ecosystem members. These complementary product vendors and service providers offer centralized routing databases and database provisioning tools for dynamic route selection and enhanced routing services. Acme Packet’s Net-Net SR and its integrated session border controller, the Net-Net Session Director (SD), queries these databases using industry-standard ENUM, SIP and DNS protocols. Using these databases, dynamic routing decisions within the core IP network, as well as to the PSTN and other IP networks, may be made using a broad selection of parameters.

New capabilities for Acme Packet’s Net-Net SR include:

• IP-based number portability services

Number portability (NP) allows subscribers to keep their phone number even as they transition to a new service provider. NP affects all types of communications including voice, SMS/MMS, video, push-to-talk, and other interactive services and is essential as more countries worldwide open up competition among service providers. The costs associated with NP can be high due to conveyance fees, mobile termination rate adjustments, inefficient use of network resources, and degraded audio or video quality. Acme Packet’s Net-Net SR helps lower the costs associated with NP services by utilizing the ENUM protocol to obtain routing information for ported numbers and then forwarding the session to the correct destination. Acme Packet’s NP solution is interoperable with ENUM databases from industry leaders such as NetNumber, NeuStar, Nominum, TNS (formerly VeriSign) and TransNexus.

• Trusted calling party name (CNAM) services

In order to remain competitive, VoIP service providers must deliver accurate and complete calling party name (CNAM), or caller ID, information to a subscriber’s IP phone. However, the lack of a method for obtaining IP-based CNAM information from trusted, authoritative, third-party subscription services has been a barrier. Acme Packet’s Net-Net SR addresses this by using ENUM to retrieve CNAM information from such a database service and populate the display name in the headers of the SIP INVITE with the results of the query. The calling party name is then delivered to the subscriber’s IP phone. This functionality allows VoIP service providers to deliver CNAM services that are equivalent, yet more cost-effective, than those used by the PSTN. Acme Packet partners with CNAM database vendors such as TARGUSInfo and TNS and utilizes ENUM servers from NetNumber or others as part of its CNAM solution.

• Geo-redundant access to routing databases

As VoIP services continue to mature and proliferate, service level agreements reflect the requirement that IP-based services should be as reliable as PSTN services. The Net-Net SR enables this reliability by supporting redundant ENUM-based routing databases which may be co-located within the same data center or in different data centers for geographic redundancy. To actively verify server availability and ensure interoperability with standard ENUM database solutions, the Net-Net SR polls each configured ENUM server on a periodic basis using industry-standard messages. In addition, the Net-Net SR provides configuration options for ENUM services that deter theft or hijacking of service.

• Source-based SIP session routing

Traditional SIP routing based on just the called number is sufficient for basic services, however service providers require a more granular and flexible approach to closely tailor session routing to meet specific service requirements. To offer service providers more control over the distribution of session traffic, Acme Packet has developed a capability for the Net-Net SR to include the use of calling number, in addition to called number, as the basis for session routing policy. For example, wholesale VoIP providers can leverage the Net-Net SR to grant priority to lower-cost or preferred peering partners based on the identity of the originating service provider. For this reason, the Net-Net SR provides an excellent alternative to approaches that are unable to perform least-cost routing based on source information.

“Acme Packet continues to help service providers solve the real-world challenge of remaining competitive in an ever-changing services landscape,” said Richard Shockey, principal of Shockey Consulting and co-chair of the IETF’s ENUM working group. “From my perspective, the integration of standards-based technologies such as ENUM into their products gives service providers who are committed to deploying IP-based service infrastructure a clear advantage over those who continue to invest in legacy solutions.”

“Innovative service providers must position themselves for the future without sacrificing functionality that is delivering revenue today,” said Seamus Hourihan, vice president of marketing and product management for Acme Packet. “Our OSR architecture combines best-of-breed solutions from our ecosystem partners and our Net-Net SR to help our customers make a graceful transition to next-generation SIP-based services.”

About Acme Packet

Acme Packet, Inc. (NASDAQ: APKT - News), 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, 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—service provider access and interconnect, and enterprise access and trunking. Our products have been selected by more than 830 customers in 95 countries. They include 48 of the top 50, and 89 of the top 100 service providers in the world; and 8 of the Fortune 25. For more information, contact us at +1 781.328.4400, or visit www.acmepacket.com.

Acme Packet, Inc. 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, the ability to facilitate service and support and to secure large enterprise networks, as well as Acme Packet’s expected range and reach into new markets and its relationships with new customers, distributions channel and product partners. Such forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These include, but are not limited to: difficulties expanding its 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; difficulties in integrating an acquired business; higher risk in international operations; difficulty managing rapid growth; difficulty managing its financial performance; its ability to hire and retain employees and appropriately staff its operations; the spending of the proceeds of its capital raising activities; its cash needs; and the impact of new accounting pronouncements and increased competition. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements are contained in the Company’s recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in such filings.

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or
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Brian Norris, 781-328-4790
bnorris@acmepacket.com