Network Convergence Gateway for Mobile Operators

Overview

The Network Convergence Gateway (NCG) is a carrier-based, core network, fixed mobile convergence (FMC) server that bridges broadband and mobile networks in both pre-IMS and IMS environments. The NCG converges the personalization and mobility of mobile phone services with the flexibility, innovation and outstanding cost economics of the rapidly growing VoIP sector.

With the NCG, service providers can extend single-number mobile voice, text, multimedia messaging and video services to residential, corporate and hotspot locations with broadband access. This is achieved via SIP on a service provider's existing networks while preparing them for the IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) platform of the future.



NCG MobileVoIP Applications

NomadicPBX

This mobile network-based solution enables the delivery of a unified presence-based, fixed and mobile voice, and Instant Messaging/Short Message Service (IM/SMS) communications experience across multiple endpoints, including desktop computers and mobile phones.

Convergent Voice and Messaging for Customers

Transforms a PC or laptop computer into a mobile phone and messaging portal using a CounterPath softphone, like Bria.

Dual-mode Handover

Dual-mode handover enables users to automatically connect to send or receive MobileVoIP calls on Secure Wi-Fi, and seamlessly hand the call over to cellular when transitioning between networks – without dropping calls. Also referred to as Voice Call Continuity (VCC), seamless handover is the key subscriber demanded capability of MobileVoIP and Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC).

MNO/MVNO Interconnect

Enables numbers from a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) and a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) to roam into a partnering MNO’s network.





Benefits for Mobile Operators

  • Ability to offer a business service that provides real business features instead of just a single bill or shared minutes bucket
  • Ability to replace a business’ existing phone system, wireline service with a wireless solution that increases their productivity and mobility
  • Increased service availability, usage and stickiness
  • Increased device options (mobile phone, softphone, desktop phone)
  • No special mobile clients required; NomadicPBX works with any mobile phone
  • Differentiation from competitors
  • New options for revenue generation


Benefits for Enterprises

  • Increased mobility for employees
  • Increased productivity for employees
  • Single number reach for all employees
  • Availability of SMS on all devices
  • Availability of PBX features on employees’ mobile phones
  • Low-cost rich internal business communications (voice, video, IM/SMS)
  • Easily deployed and managed
  • Lower overall communications costs



Applications

The NCG is the core enabling technology behind CounterPath's suite of MobileVoIP Applications:

NomadicPBX

NomadicPBX is a telecommunications application which combines mobile and VoIP network elements to enable the delivery of a unified presence-based, fixed and mobile voice, and Instant Messaging/Short Message Service (IM/SMS) communications experience across multiple endpoints, including desktop computers and mobile phones.

Based on CounterPath’s Network Convergence Gateway (NCG) platform and Bria softphone client, NomadicPBX enables wireless operators and other service providers to extend their feature sets into small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The solution is targeted toward Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs).

  • Provides single-number phone communications that converges the mobile phone with desk phones, softphones and other SIP compliant devices
  • Replaces or eliminates the need for PBX or Centrex systems with simple and economical service
  • Provides availability and status information among members of groups or companies information using presence (including mobile call status)
  • Brings text messaging (SMS) to the desktop client
  • Delivers calls and text messages based upon presence information
  • Allows users to seamlessly move active calls between the softphone and mobile device
  • Improves productivity and lowers overall costs for increasingly mobile workforces


Benefits for Mobile Operators

  • Ability to offer a business service that provides real business features instead of just a single bill or shared minutes bucket
  • Ability to replace a business’ existing phone system wireline service with a wireless solution that increases their productivity and mobility
  • Increased service ability, usage and stickiness
  • Increased device options – mobile phone, softphone, desktop phone
  • No special mobile clients required; Nomadic PBX works with any mobile phone
  • Differentiation from competitors
  • New options for revenue generation

Benefits for Enterprises

  • Increased mobility for employees
  • Increased productivity for employees
  • Single number reach for all employees
  • Availability of SMS on all devices
  • Availability of PBX features on employees’ mobile phones
  • Low-cost rich internal business communications – voice, video, IM/SMS
  • Easily deployed and managed
  • Lower overall communications costs

Convergent Voice and Messaging for Customers

Convergent Voice and Messaging is a CounterPath MobileVoIP application that integrates a CounterPath softphone with mobile services and a mobile phone number.

Using the NCG within the Mobile Operator’s core network, a bridge is formed between the mobile network’s SS7 signaling and the SIP signaling of a broadband network. By connecting a CounterPath softphone to a broadband connection, it is registered and authenticated by NCG in the mobile network. The result is an ability to associate these two user devices (PC and mobile phone) with a single phone number an s set of services – effectively turning the softphone into a virtual mobile phone capable of SMS, MMS and bypassing metered cellular plan minutes with low-cost VoIP calling.

Convergent Voice and Messaging is available through softphone distribution only. When purchased, the Bria clients that are issued will be designed to authenticate directly to the operator’s core network through RADIUS.



Benefits for Mobile Operators

  • Provides a distinctive and strategic mobile Unified Communications and Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) Service
  • Grow use of mobile number and voice/messaging usage
  • Grows ARPU via subscription and usage fees
  • Expands usage of mobile portal and advertising audience
  • Lowers roaming and churn cost
  • Leverages and enhances existing network infrastructure

Benefits for Consumers

  • Mobile number is the prime identity – one identity, one voicemail box, one message store with message waiting indication
  • Receive voice calls, SMS, MMS on PC
  • Send voice calls, SMS, MMS from PC (shows mobile number caller ID)
  • Simple to use (i.e. drag and drop SMS, click to call)
  • Call handover between PC and handset

Dual-mode Handover

Dual-mode Handover, also referred to as Voice Call Continuity (VCC) enables users to automatically connect to send or receive MobileVoIP calls on secure Wi-Fi and seamlessly hand the call over to cellular when transitioning between networks – without dropping calls.

All Network Equipment Providers (NEPs) must offer VCC as a part of their MobileVoIP offering to ensure deployment in core IMS and PreIMS networks. VCC provides mobile providers, fixed mobile providers, cable providers and MVNOs with the ability to offer single phone number voice services that can seamlessly hand over in-process voice calls between circuit-switched cellular and VoIP over Wi-Fi access networks. Many NEPs are making build versus buy decisions on VCC handover. CounterPath’s NCG leads other independent VCC providers in functionality, market readiness and handset support.

A growing number of dual-mode cellular/Wi-Fi handsets are compatible with the single phone number and seamless cellular to Wi-Fi handover capabilities of the CounterPath NCG. These include GSM/Wi-Fi iPhone devices targeting the enterprise and lower cost Android smartphones, suitable for mass consumer use.



Benefits for Mobile Operators

  • Delivers near term voice and messaging services and revenue
  • Seamless bridging of current mobile and IMS networks
  • In call handover based on 3GPP technical requirements
  • Certified against tier one NEPs existing suite of products
  • Standards based solution for all – wireline, wireless, cable and MVNO providers
  • Coverage, churn reduction, capacity and continuity with Cellular/Wi-Fi IMS VCC
  • Flexible 2G+ and IMS Architectures for Consumer Services
  • Controlled user experience and billing relationship

Benefits for Consumers

  • Convenience of a single handset with improved in-building coverage
  • Customer benefits by saving wireless minutes and gaining an unlimited pool of VoIP minutes
  • Eliminates need to purchase ATA or SIP handsets
  • Single-number identity allows users to cancel other POTS or wireless accounts

MNO/MVNO Interconnect

Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) have the opportunity to expand network usage and transactions by enabling other non-mobile operators to roam into the MNO network.

With the MVNO Interconnect solution, MVNO’s roam VoIP DIDs directly into the mobile network and offer service parity between the mobile and VoIP networks. This enables a win-win model for the MNO and MVNOs by increasing overall network usage and seamless service interaction between the two networks.

The solution is typically hosted by the MNO which gives total control over service delivery and feature establishment of the MVNO. The CounterPath NCG performs the role of a Gateway MSC (Mobile Switching Center) in the mobile network, providing an entry point for VoIP numbers into the Mobile Network.

Benefits for Mobile Operators

  • Increased revenue through network expansion of on overlapping customer base of the MVNO
  • Reduce CapEx and OpEx by moving significant amounts of traffic from the mobile radio access network to the broadband access networks (cable or DSL, with a Wi-Fi option)
  • Grow the overall MobileVoIP subscriber base by extending the service offering between the MVNO and MNO networks
  • Acquire and grow subscriber base by extending products and offering new opportunities for bundled services
  • Create new opportunities to gain a higher share of the subscribers’ telecommunication spending
  • Reduce subscriber churn through improved service bundles

Fixed Number Extender Capability

  • Takes an existing Fixed, Cable, or MVNO VoIP phone number and integrates it into the mobile network
  • The NCG MSC locates subscribers on mobile or IP networks

The CounterPath NCG captures inbound and outbound calls and provides the interface for Call Detail Records (CDR) integration with prepaid platforms and billing systems. The MVNO Interconnect application also provides optimal long distance routing and keeps local calls in local LATA.

Mobile Number Extender Capability

  • Roams VoIP numbers on the Mobile network
  • Turns non-Mobile Operators into a peer roaming partner to the MNO
  • Extends mobile services to SIP endpoints
  • Turns mobile handsets into VoIP endpoints

Specifications

SIGTRAN

  • User Adoption Layer (M3UA) (IETF RFC 3332)
  • Stream Control Transmission Protocol (IETF RFC 2960)
  • GSM ITU/NA MAP and CAMEL over SIGTRAN
  • CDMA IS-441 MAP and WIN over SIGRAN

GSM

  • 3GPP 29.002 Release
  • TCAP ITU White Book
  • SCCP ANSI T1-112 1988
  • SCCP ITU Blue Book
  • “C” Interface to HLR
  • “E” Interface to MSC
  • “E” Interface to SMS-C and 3GPP 23.038 Extended Character Set
  • 3GPP TS 24.228 Client / SIM Authentication
  • 3GPP TS 23.140 MMS MM1 Client Server Interface

CDMA

  • SCCP / TCAP
    • TCAP ITU Q.771-Q.775, ANSI T1.114
    • SCCP ITU Q.713, ANSI T1.112 1988
  • ANSI41 – Mobile Application Part (MAP)
    • 3GPP2 X.S0005-540-E (MAP Operations Signaling Protocols)
    • 3GPP2 X.S0004-550-E (MAP Parameters Signaling Protocols)
    • 3GPP2 N.S0005-0 (ANSI-41-D)

Intelligent Networking

  • 3GPP 23.078, 29.078 CAMEL Phase 2, 3, & 4 Origination and Termination Triggers to support the Services Control Function (SCF)
  • ANSI41 – WIN – ANLYZED ORREQ Parts:
    • 3GPP2 N.S0013-O, Version 1.0, WIN Phase 1

SIP

  • Session Initiation Protocol (IETF RFC 3261)
  • Reliability of Provisional Responses in SIP (RFC 3262)
  • Offer/Answer Model with SDP (IETF RFC 3264)
  • SIP Specific Event Notification (RFC 3265)
  • Session Description Protocol (SDP) (IETF RFC 2327)
  • REFER Method (RFC 3515)
  • Message Waiting Indicator (RFC 3842 and RFC 3265)
  • Session Initiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE) to SMS (RFC 3428)
  • Basic Network Media Services (RFC 4240) for Tones and Announcements
  • HTTP Digest Authentications Using AKA (RFC 3310)

SMS, IM and Presence

  • SMPP – Short Message Peer-to-Peer Version 3.3, 3.4, and 5.0
  • RFC 3265 – Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-Specific Event Notification
  • RFC 3856 – A presence Event Package for the Session Initiation Protocol
  • RFC 3857 – A Watcher Information Event Template-Package for the Session Initiation Protocol
  • RFC 3863 – Presence Information Data Format (PIDF)
  • RFC 3860 – Common Profile for Instant Messaging
  • RFC 3859 – Common Profile for Presence
  • RFC 3903 – SIP Extensions for Event State Publication
  • RFC 4825 – The Extensible Markup Language (XML) Configuration Access Protocol (XCAP)
  • RFC 5025 – Presence Authorization
  • Presence SIMPLE Specification, Open Mobile Alliance, OMA-TS-Presence_SIMPLE-V2_0-20090917-C
  • XML Document Management (XDM) Specification, Open Mobile Alliance, OMA-TS-XDM_Core-V1_0_1-20061128-A

OSS/BSS

  • Event Detail Record Generation via FTP or RADIUS
    • RADIUS Accounting/CDR Generation (RFC 2866)
    • RADIUS Authentication Client (RFC 2865)
  • OS Resource Monitoring / High Availability
  • SNMP v 2C Alarm Monitoring, Statistical Gathering
  • MIB II (RFC 1213)
  • Subscriber Trace

Operating System

  • Redhat Linux Redhat Enterprise Linux 5 Update 5

Standard System Configurations

  • Small Configuration
    • 2 IBM X Series Servers or 2 Blade Servers
  • Scalable 2/2/2/4 Redundant Configuration
    • 2 IBM Blade Center T or E Chassis
    • 2 Convergence Database (CDB) blades
    • 2 Network Signaling Handler (NSH) blades
    • 4 Convergence Services Gateway (CSG) blades

Hardware (Minimum Specifications)

  • IBM Blade Server (T or E Chassis)
    • 4 Power Supplies/Chassis
    • 2 Management Modules/Chassis
    • 2 1 Gigabit Ethernet Switch/Chassis
    • NEBS 3 and ETSI certified for T Chassis
    • 19” rack width Chassis
    • Either AC or DC power
    • No single point of failure
    • Hold up to eight (8 or 14) blades
  • IBM Blade Servers or 1U X Series Servers
    • 2.6 6C GHz CPU
    • 12G RAM
    • 80G Hard Disk: Two 80G SCSI drives in RAID1 configuration
    • Dual Gigabit Ethernet ports per server

System Performance

  • 100,000 BH simultaneous registrations per CSG blade
  • 100,000 BH Voice, SMS, or MMS call/transmission attempts per CSG blade



Pricing

CounterPath’s Network Convergence Gateway (NCG) solution for Mobile Operators is designed for large scale deployments by service providers and OEM customers. As such, a minimum volume license commitment is required.

To inquire about the NCG solution, please complete and submit the Sales Request Form and a CounterPath sales representative will contact you with more information.


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