From what I've heard, the event in general has been a bit of a letdown. But there have been quite a few press releases that merit mention. Here's a small sampling of some of the news releases that caught my eye as worth watching.

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IMS Forum to Present Technical Paper at GLOBALCOMM 2006 Advising Service Providers on Benefit, Use of SCIM Function for Converged Applications and Services Delivery
FREMONT, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- June 6, 2006 The IMS Forum, the industry association recognized as the Voice of IP Convergence (http://www.imsforum.org), today announced that it will present its membership with a technical paper, entitled, "IMS Technology Framework V2.0: Coordination of Multiple Services in an IMS Domain," at GLOBALCOMM 2006, which details the benefits of the Service Capability Interaction Manager (SCIM) function, as well as how to leverage this technology for managing interaction between multiple application servers in an IMS domain.

"Today's service providers are faced with an innovation imperative: deliver the new services customers demand, or put future business at risk," said IMS Forum Chairman, Michael Khalilian. "While cognizant of this need to innovate, they are too frequently unable to roll out new services in a timely manner because of limitations in the interaction between existing service capabilities and service support systems. In the IMS framework, the SCIM function, together with the S-CSCF, are the functions that remove these limitations. This document, the second paper published by the IMS Forum, is a critical technical resource on how to address skyrocketing consumer demand for converged multimedia applications."

Using SCIM within the Service Management layer, service providers can manage a "customer view" of the SIP service mapped to actual SIP resources, which also abstracts those resources to simplify the task of service management. Also of note, is that SCIM creates a service inventory that virtualizes and integrates information from multiple SIP applications to create a simple, non-technical means for service providers to automate the end-to-end business processes for IMS service creation, deployment and assurance.

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Testing Innovator Empirix Announces Revolutionary New Blade Server-Based Platform - Hammer FX-Blade
CHICAGO --(Business Wire)-- June 6, 2006 Hammer FX-Blade Combines Advanced, Software-Based Feature Testing Functionality with Scalability and Flexibility of Industry-Standard Blade Server Systems

From GLOBALCOMM 2006, Empirix(R) Inc., which helps organizations adopt complex communications solutions with confidence, announced its newest product innovation, Hammer FX-Blade. This new system allows for advanced feature, functional, interoperability, negative, and automated testing under high-load environments. Hammer FX-Blade leverages Empirix's VoIP testing expertise and software-based architecture while exploiting the ease of management, processing scalability and hardware flexibility of industry-standard blade server systems.

The industry's first blade-based testing solution, Hammer FX-Blade enables Network Equipment Manufacturers (NEMs) and service providers to conduct advanced VoIP and IMS feature tests at load levels, resulting in higher-quality network products and services for users. The product was designed to meet the demanding test requirements of today's NGN and IMS products and services, including advanced scripting, comprehensive media analysis, and protocol customization for converged service and interoperability testing.

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Netopia TR-101 Support Delivers Service Assurance for Carrier IPTV Solutions; New Standard Accelerates Triple-Play Delivery with Netopia Gateways for IP-Based Broadband Access Networks
CHICAGO --(Business Wire)-- June 6, 2006 Netopia, Inc. (OTCBB:NTPA), a market leader in broadband gateways and service-delivery software, today announced the availability of TR-101-compliant ADSL2/2+, bonded ADSL2+, and VDSL2 gateways to assure service delivery of triple-play services across IP-based broadband networks. The DSL Forum recently announced TR-101 to establish industry standard specifications for the delivery of multiple services from more than one provider, all through a single gateway. These standards are particularly important for widespread delivery of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). Netopia has been a leader in adopting industry standards to facilitate the deployment of triple-play services.

As carriers and service providers migrate from asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) DSL networks to new Internet Protocol (IP)-based Ethernet networks for the delivery of IPTV, they must deploy broadband networking equipment that allows triple-play services to be delivered with the quality and functionality subscribers expect. The new IP-based broadband networks have not, until recently, had the necessary standards in place to provide the same levels of multiple service delivery as ATM networks. TR-101 outlines the specific features necessary for IP-based network equipment to deliver multiple services with the same levels of quality of service, authentication, and service segmentation previously provided by traditional DSL networks.

"We are focused on broadband service assurance through technologies that deliver the highest quality, reliability, and flexibility for our carrier partners," said Ray Smets, Netopia's senior vice president of sales and marketing. "With our VGx quality of service, 3-D Reach(R) Wi-Fi, and now our support of the DSL Forum's TR-101 standard, we are IPTV-ready."

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Tekelec Announces TekMedia 'IMS-Ready' SMS Solution; Next-Generation Solution Addresses Operator Concerns with SMSCs
MORRISVILLE, N.C. & CHICAGO --(Business Wire)-- June 5, 2006 Tekelec (NASDAQ:TKLC), a leading developer of high-performance network applications for next-generation fixed, mobile and packet networks, today during GLOBALCOMM 2006 unveiled the TekMedia Short Message Service (SMS) Solution that enables operators to deliver advanced messaging capabilities without costly network overhaul.

The TekMedia SMS Solution provides a secure, modular architecture that supports the evolution of SMS beyond simple text messaging to include mobile-to-application, application-to-mobile and application-to-application services such as tele voting and telemetry. The Tekelec solution also will support future multimedia instant messaging (MM-IM) applications using session initiation protocol (SIP) in Internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) architectures, such as mobile IM services that link text with voice, video and pictures.

"SMS texting traffic growth is projected to increase nearly 40 percent in North America during 2006," said John Delaney, principal analyst in Ovum's Consumer Group and a leading expert on the global market for multimedia services on mobile networks.

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Digium Announces Asterisk Business Edition B.1 at GlobalComm 2006; New Offering Includes Increased Security, Product Compatibility and Support Services
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. & CHICAGO --(Business Wire)-- June 5, 2006 Digium(R) Inc. the original creator of Asterisk(TM) and pioneer of open source telephony, today announced a major upgrade of its Asterisk Business Edition(TM), the professional-grade version of Asterisk, the industry's first open source PBX. Asterisk offers a strategic, highly cost-effective approach to voice and data transport over TDM, switched, and Ethernet architectures. The Asterisk Business Edition provides tested reliability of critical functions and features, and is tailored for small and enterprise business applications.

The upgraded release includes enhanced security and scalability provided by Ranch Network's Asterisk security code, speech recognition capabilities through the LumenVox Speech Engine, text-to-speech applications through the Cepstral Text-to-Speech System and a customized Linux distribution to simplify installation. Asterisk Business Edition B.1 will also feature built-in support for Intel Dialogic Products and Aculab Prosody X cards.

"Asterisk Business Edition has given the enterprise user a cost effective and reliable way to incorporate open source technology," said Jim Webster, director of software technologies for Digium. "This upgraded version, with enhanced security and advanced features provided by our partners, will make it even easier for businesses to opt for a telephony platform based on open source development and open standards over proprietary systems, especially in the migration to VoIP."

Asterisk Business Edition is backed by Digium's comprehensive test program and professional support team. This certified version of Asterisk provides enterprise environments with a telephony platform suitable for critical business applications. Featured third-party software products are integrated directly into the product and can be deployed on an Asterisk server. The latest version includes a full one year warranty and technical support for installation, updates, and critical issues.

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Broadwing Communications Extends International Reach of Converged Services
CHICAGO --(Business Wire)-- June 5, 2006 Inter-carrier arrangement with Global Crossing further extends availability of flexible, cost-effective MPLS Virtual Private Network (VPN) services

Broadwing Communications, LLC, a consolidated subsidiary of Broadwing Corporation (NASDAQ: BWNG) today announced expanded global availability of the Layer 3 MPLS component of its converged services VPN suite via an agreement with Global Crossing (NASDAQ: GLBC).

With the demand for Layer 2 and Layer 3 MPLS services continuing to increase, Broadwing's converged offering allows businesses to meet their growing network needs worldwide. As a result of the new Global Crossing agreement, Broadwing's international coverage for converged services now encompasses most of the world's major business centers in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America.

"Before selecting Global Crossing, Broadwing conducted extensive research with multiple carriers to select the best option for this expansion," said Scott Widham, co-CEO of Broadwing. "Our agreement with Global Crossing further actualizes our successful international best-of-breed multi-supplier strategy, which we believe provides our customers with unsurpassed route diversity, network stability, access options, economy and in-country expertise."

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LongBoard and HelloSoft Form Partnership to Bring 3GPP-Compliant Fixed Mobile Convergence Solutions to Carriers and Service Providers
CHICAGO --(Business Wire)-- June 5, 2006 LongBoard, Inc., a leading provider of carrier-grade software that enables converged voice and multimedia services, and HelloSoft, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance communications IP for next generation VoIP, WLAN, VoWLAN, and cellular devices and equipment, announced today at GlobalComm 2006 that they are working together to deliver fully 3GPP-compliant, Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) solutions.

Specifically, LongBoard is integrating its proven, SIP standard-based server software for seamless handoff of voice calls between cellular networks and 802.11 (WiFi) networks with mobile devices using HelloSoft's innovative, award-winning client software. This comprehensive client-server solution enables carriers to quickly bring to market revenue-generating, converged mobile VoIP solutions, as well other compelling converged multimedia services.

LongBoard's IMS-compatible client/server software enables a dual-mode handset to support ubiquitous voice services across WiFi and cellular networks using one telephone number. HelloSoft's enables cost-effective, low-power, and high performance mass deployment of multi-mode mobile and portable communications devices for the converged marketplace.

"We are very pleased to be partnering with HelloSoft, which has been recognized as a leading technology innovator in the VoIP market," said Hari Haran, LongBoard President and CEO. "By integrating LongBoard's proven server technology with HelloSoft's world-class client solutions, we are enabling carriers and service provider to accelerate delivery of compelling, revenue-generating services," he stated.


Technorati Tags: IMS Forum, SCIM, Empirix, Netopia, Tekelec, Digium, Asterisk, Broadwing, Global Crossing, LongBoard, HelloSoft