Data Connection Unveils Comprehensive Voice-over-IP Roadmap

Data Connection Unveils Comprehensive Voice-over-IP Roadmap

 

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 14, 1999--Product roadmap details broadest range of Voice-over-IP (VoIP) software products, including SIP, MGCP/MEGACO/H.248, SCTP, SS7, H.323 and MPLS - providing "one-stop VoIP shop" for converged network equipment suppliers

 Data Connection Limited (DCL) today described its Voice-over-IP (VoIP) product roadmap for 2000 -- expanding its converged voice/data portable software products to encompass SIP, MGCP/MEGACO/H.248 and SCTP.

 These products join DCL's existing highly successful DC-MetaSwitch, DC-SS7, DC-ATM, DC-H.323 and DC-MPLS product lines to provide an unrivalled breadth of functionality targeted at network equipment suppliers building converged voice/data switching equipment.

 The combination of DCL's existing and new converged VoIP network products is particularly suited to equipment suppliers building voice/data capable

 --carrier-class backbone switches/routers for incumbent and new entrant telcos

 --decomposed call agents and media gateways for combined wireline and wireless environments

 --edge and access switches for service providers

 --cable and xDSL integrated access and aggregation devices for CLECs, DLECs and integrated access providers

 --IP telephony gateways for enterprises.

 "Equipment suppliers are having to respond to an incredibly broad range of converged voice/data network requirements," said Mike Evans, Director of Data Connection's IP Telephony Group. "We've always had an unmatched reputation for delivering great software - in terms of quality, reliability, portability, performance, scalability and support for high availability. This expansion of our product lines means that equipment suppliers can now come to one vendor source for virtually all of their VoIP needs - and get the best of breed product in each case."

 "The interesting thing about our product range is that we supply both core network infrastructure products and higher-level services products such as multi-media conferencing, unified messaging and directory -- which means that our customers can build equipment that provides core multiprotocol switching functions, but can also deliver a platform for revenue generating services."

 DC-MetaSwitch is an integrated multiprotocol multiservice platform providing interworking and media control for DCL's DC-SS7, DC-ATM, DC-SIP, DC-H.323, DC-SCTP, DC-MPLS and DC-MEGACO product suites - including specific interworking features such as SS7-over-ATM (using Q.765) and SS7-over-IP (using SIP BCP-T or SCTP). DC-MetaSwitch also provides integrated call services, such as routing and addressing, usage metering and security, plus platform APIs to enable service providers to deploy value-added services such as multi-media conferencing, unified messaging and directory.

 DC-SIP implements the IETF Session Initiation Protocol (RFC 2543). It provides a SIP user agent and SIP proxy/redirect server capability, including security support, location caching and LDAP support, and with SIP BCP-T support for transport of SS7 information through IP networks. DC-SIP is also suitable for use in cable networks supporting telephony services via the emerging PacketCable Distributed Call Signalling (DCS) architecture. DC-MEGACO provides both MGC and MG components supporting the joint IETF MEGACO and ITU-T H.248 standards. DC-MEGACO also supports MGCP (Media Gateway Control Protocol) and the MGCP variant used in the PacketCable Network-Based Call Signalling (NCS) protocol. In addition to the MGC and MG protocol components, DC-MEGACO provides common APIs and toolkit support for implementation of MG packages such as line, trunk and DTMF.

 DC-SCTP implements the IETF SIGTRAN Simple Control Transport Protocol, suitable for backhaul of ISDN signalling (via IUA - ISDN User Adaptation layer), backbone carriage of SS7 signalling over IP, and other reliable transport applications such as PacketCable ISTP (Internet Signalling Transport Protocol).

 DCL's SS7 product family (DC-SS7) is suitable for use in a wide range of devices from traditional telco switches to ATM and IP telephony gateways (VTOA/VoIP) and the infrastructure for 3rd generation wireless networks (IMT-2000 and UMTS). The DC-SS7 product family includes the narrow and broadband Message Transfer Parts (MTP3, MTP2, SAAL), ISDN User Part (ISUP), Signalling Connection Control Part (SCCP) and Transaction Capabilities Application Part (TCAP). Support is provided for a wide range of national and international variants including those defined by the ITU, ANSI, ETSI and ATM Forum.

 DCL's ATM product family (DC-ATM) provides the industry leading implementation of the ATM standards, including UNI signalling, PNNI routing, Call Control, ILMI, SoftPVCs, and client and servers for Classical IP over ATM (IPOA), Multiprotocol-over-ATM (MPOA) and LAN Emulation (LANE). DC-ATM is used in many of the industry's leading devices, ranging from high-end, distributed, fault tolerant terabit switches to DSLAMs and xDSL integrated access devices which view ATM as just a "fat pipe".

 DC-MPLS provides MPLS capability for a wide range of IP switching and routing devices including Label Switch Routers (LSRs) and Label Edge Routers (LERs). Support is provided for a range of label distribution methods including Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP), Constraint-based Routing Label Distribution Protocol (CR-LDP) and Label Distribution Protocol (LDP). DC-MetaSwitch, DC-SIP, DC-MEGACO, DC-SCTP, DC-SS7, DC-ATM, DC-H.323 and DC-MPLS all run within DCL's portable, non-blocking, message passing execution environment (the N-BASE), which facilitates flexible distribution of product components across a wide range of hardware configurations from DSPs to line cards to specialised signalling processors. Combined with DCL's High Availability Framework, this provides the performance, scalability and reliability required for the most demanding carrier applications.

 DCL's converged network products have been ported to a large number of operating systems including VxWorks, pSOS, Chorus, Nucleus, Solaris, HP-UX, Windows NT and other proprietary operating systems. They have also been used on all common processors including i960, Motorola 860, PowerPC, Sparc, IDT and MIPS. Proprietary operating systems and chipsets can be supported with minimal effort.

 About Data Connection Limited

 Data Connection Limited (DCL) is the leading independent developer and supplier of Internet Telephony, ATM, SS7, MPLS, Conferencing, Unified Messaging and Directory, and SNA portable products. Customers include 3Com, Cabletron, Cisco, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, IBM Corp., Lucent, Microsoft, NCR, Nortel Networks, SGI and Sun. Data Connection is headquartered in London UK, with US offices in Reston, VA. It was founded in 1981 and is privately held. During each of the past 18 years profits have exceeded 20% of revenue. Last year sales exceeded $30M, of which 90% were outside the UK, mostly in the US, leading to the company's second Queen's Award for outstanding export performance.

 For information, contact Tony Downes at td@datcon.co.uk, phone +44 20 8366 1177, or visit http://www.datcon.co.uk/switch/switchidx.htm.

 Data Connection is a trademark of Data Connection Limited and Data Connection Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.