General8.02.2011

Introduction of advanced telecom services made simpler and lower in cost

Telecom operators will soon be able to introduce new cost efficient voice, mobile data and multimedia services rapidly. Nokia Siemens Networks has launched the Open Core System, a suite of products based on off-the-shelf ATCA hardware. The Open Core System delivers higher processing capacity and can ensure a seamless evolution to all-IP core networks with minimal footprint and power requirements.

“We are witnessing a steady growth in new smart devices that are being introduced in the market along with growing demand from end-users for advanced services,” said Jukka Luoma, head of product management, voice & IP transformation at Nokia Siemens Networks. “Our Open Core System decouples application software from the underlying equipment, providing more flexibility to operators in adjusting their networks according to the demand. In addition, the use of a single, commercial, off the shelf platform for all core products brings efficiency gains for the operator that directly impact operational and capital costs.”

Operators can deploy the Open Core System as part of an expansion of their existing fixed and mobile networks as well as over their existing systems. Existing Nokia Siemens Networks’ customers, using proprietary hardware can also deploy the Open Core System and maintain feature parity due to the same application software being used in both platforms.

The other important aspect derived from the HW/SW decoupling is the possibility of redefining the function of the Open Core System units according to the traffic demand. This means that if an operator, for instance, experiences a decrease in mobile voice traffic and an increase in IMS traffic, the MSS blades can be reconfigured and transformed into IMS units, redistributing processing capacity according to the real domains. This is done by just updating the application software on the HW units.

The Open Core System comprises of the Open MSS (mobile softswitch); Open MGW (multimedia gateway); Open IMS (IP multimedia subsystem); Open VoIP Server; Open PCS (policy control server); Open HSS (home subscriber server); Open SAM (signaling application manager); Flexi NS (network server incorporating serving GPRS support node and system architecture evolution gateway); Flexi NG (next generation, incorporating gateway GPRS support node and packet-switched gateway); and HLR (home location registry). All these products handle the operators’ voice and multimedia services and use the same hardware platform that is based on the commercial off-the shelf ATCA architecture.

Out of the overall suite, Open MSS will be the first to be shipped commercially in the first quarter of this year followed by Open MGW. Flexi NS and Flexi NG, which are also part of the portfolio, have been available since 2010.

The new Open Core System is being launched at Mobile World Congress, 2011 in Barcelona, Spain.

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