This is fortuitous timing. I knew BridgePort had a cool announcement coming shortly. I recently traded email with someone from Siemens that started from my post, Siemens Gets It. What could be next? A joint announcement -

Today, BridgePort Networks is announcing their agreement with Siemens, the tier one Network Equipment Provider (NEP) to the wireless, wireline, and cable service provider industry. This reseller agreement calls for Siemens to integrate BridgePort Network's NomadicONE IMS convergence server with Siemens’ IP Multimedia subsystem to deliver IMS fixed mobile convergence solutions globally.

With the Siemens announcement, BridgePort Networks becomes the first fixed mobile convergence Mobile VoIP software provider to announce a sales and marketing relationship, as well as the integration, with a tier one Network Equipment Provider.

This announcement also represents BridgePort Networks' delivering on its promise to be, and to remain, the leader in the rapidly emerging Mobile VoIP sector.

I see this as something very exciting and loaded with potential. Once again, Siemens demonstrates that they really get it when it comes to revolutionizing the telecommunications industry. They demonstrate by making the right decisions at the right times. Siemens has a track record for that. I learned the details of this as I'm in the middle of revamping my writeup of my interview with Sanjay Jhawar at BridgePort that I posted earlier. Sanjay graciously provided some additional comments to help refresh my memory after my recording glitch.

The Press Release

BridgePort Networks Signs Global Reseller Agreement to Deliver IMS Fixed Mobile Convergence Solutions
Enables Service Providers to Offer IMS Seamless Handover of Voice Calls Between Fixed, Wireless and Wi-Fi Networks

CHICAGO, IL, MAY 4, 2006 – Following a series of successful joint trials, BridgePort Networks today announced a global reseller agreement with Siemens Communications that will see its NomadicONE IMS Convergence Server (ICS) integrated into Siemens’ IP (Internet Protocol) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).

Under the terms of a global Software License Agreement, BridgePort Networks’ product capabilities will now be part of Siemens’ IMS/FMC solution to mobile, fixed and cable network operators worldwide.

“The fixed-mobile convergence sector is forging ahead with IMS being the key driver advancing the market,” said Harald Braun, President Networks Division, Siemens Communications. "By integrating BridgePort Networks’ innovative technology into the Siemens IMS solution, service providers are enabled to quickly and easily introduce services and applications that represent the next generation of communications.”

The Siemens IMS/FMC portfolio integrates both packet- and circuit-switched telephony networks, as well as a range of different wireless and fixed technologies.

With BridgePort Networks’ NomadicONE ICS, Siemens’ IMS/FMC solution, based on IMS@vantage®, can offer operators the ability to support true single phone number services. These can seamlessly handover an active voice call between circuit-switched cellular and Voice over IP over Wi-Fi networks by providing in-session switching of calls between networks.

The solution conforms to the technical requirements recently completed by the standards bodies 3GPP and 3GPP2 for IMS to circuit-switched seamless voice handover, known as Voice Call Continuity (VCC). The NomadicONE ICS is a specialized application server in the IMS architecture. It supports GSM, CDMA, UMTS and Wi-Fi networks and implements the IMS Controlled Model (ICM) method of seamless handover per 3GPP technical requirements, as well as the Call Transfer Model (CTM) method of handover, per 3GPP2 technical requirements.

“Fixed Mobile Convergence is a key business case for IMS,” said Mike Mulica, President and CEO of BridgePort Networks. “We look forward to continuing our work with Siemens, and our handset solution partners, as we jointly deploy IMS Fixed Mobile Convergence solutions within service provider networks the world over.”

"As IMS continues to evolve, interoperability efforts in areas such as end-user device links to core infrastructure will represent an important dimension in successful trials and early deployments of Fixed Mobile Convergence based upon IMS,” said Tom Valovic, Program Director for VOIP Infrastructure at IDC.

About BridgePort Networks
BridgePort Networks is the leader in MobileVoIP convergence -- combining the personalization and mobility of mobile phone services with the flexibility, innovation and outstanding cost economics of the rapidly growing VoIP sector. The NomadicONE product family extends single identity phone number services over multiple access networks, including - mobile, cable, DSL and Wi-Fi – in both current networks and IMS environments. The company is a leading member of the MobileIGNITE industry association for the interoperability of fixed mobile convergence (FMC) services and applications. BridgePort Networks is a global company, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. To learn more about BridgePort Networks visit: www.bridgeport-networks.com

BridgePort Networks and NomadicONE are trademarks of BridgePort Networks Inc. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
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