MERA Systems to Launch New Softswitch for Distributed VoIP Networks

Press Release - August , 2006

MERA Systems, a forefront supplier of VoIP softswitches and session controllers for efficient management of IP communications, today announced the new generation of its award-winning MERA VoIP Transit Softswitch - MVTS II. The key technology benefits of the new softswitch include native support of SIP, H.323 and their variants, along with advanced transcoding capabilities; elaborate call routing mechanisms ('route appeal' options), and sophisticated operation analysis and reporting tools. The new MVTS II has a fully distributed modular architecture, and has been specifically designed to increase the efficiency of VoIP traffic management on a large scale.

"Today's softswitches no longer come in a box," comments Konstantin Nikashov, CEO of MERA Systems. "As VoIP networks grow increasingly complex, carriers need to optimize their traffic handling chores on a global scale. To address these challenges, the modules of MVTS II can be distributed across the carrier's multiple locations, allowing almost unlimited scalability and efficient use of the system's resources. For example, a carrier can locate different parts of the softswitch in its multiple Points of Presence (PoPs) - for instance, run a server with 1,500 licenses in its PoP in Paris and the same capacity in New York. These licenses can be shared across the whole network - during peak hours in Paris the available licenses from New York can be 'transferred' to Paris to service the busy PoP, thereby minimizing the network's idle time."

The new MVTS II incorporates elaborate call routing tools, which enable the choice of the most 'appealing' routes - based on cost, quality, route capacity, gateway and route load, and many other parameters. Utilizing these flexible routing schemes, carriers can offer services based on SLAs (service level agreements) and optimize peering with their partners. Another important option of the softswitch is automated profitability control - the system calculates the profitability of each path and can block routes generating zero or low profit. This handy feature is particularly important for carriers that deal with many partners, as it safeguards the operator against mistakes and ensures that it is not losing money at any given moment in time.

MVTS II provides sophisticated operation analysis and reporting tools that allow analyzing all critical parameters in a VoIP network and monitoring its performance and profitability in real time. The system generates a wide variety of reports and business-critical alerts for the operator and its customers, which enables the telcos to always keep the finger on pulse of their networks.

MVTS II offers VoIP carriers new business opportunities such as softswitch partitioning and mobile number portability. Within MVTS II, carriers can create multi-layer logical partitions with granular access control for their partners and customers, and drive in new revenue streams by attracting start-up operators interested in low-cost entry into VoIP wholesale market. Mobile number portability comes handy for those terminating cellular traffic. It allows call termination to the cellular operator to which the end-user is subscribed at the moment, regardless of the mobile number prefix, and delivers a significant reduction in termination costs owing to lower home-net termination prices offered by mobile operators. "With its advanced traffic handling capabilities, MVTS II is designed to turn the network into a highly sensitive profit-generating instrument," comments Konstantin Nikashov. "The system's 'route appeal' and operation analysis tools allow carriers to combat decreasing profit margins, while its distributed architecture provides for easy scalability and enables telecoms to accommodate for rapid growth of VoIP traffic volumes. Furthermore, the new MVTS II can be easily integrated into new network architectures such as IMS, thereby defining a clear and smooth migration path to the new incarnations of IP communications."

The new MVTS Softswitch has been field-tested on the networks of major VoIP carriers in Russia, Europe and internationally, and will be commercially available in June.