MERA Upgrades Softswitch

TORONTO -- MERA Systems, a leading vendor of carrier-grade VoIP solutions, today announced a new release of its MERA VoIP Transit Softswitch (MVTS). MVTS 2.1.10 features many improvements that add to the reliability of the solution, contribute to the SIP capabilities of the softswitch, and provide new efficient methods of statistics collection.

The new product version provides for the system standby redundancy mechanism built around a main and failover MVTS server sharing a single public IP address. In case the primary server stops functioning, the traffic is automatically and almost instantly directed to the backup system. The new MVTS version is easy to deploy and does not impose limitations on the carrier’s equipment. It is also convenient for the carrier’s clientele, since they deal only with one IP address and no reconfiguration is required on their part if the partner starts using another server.

The new multithreading mechanisms have increased the performance of SIP-HIT, a protocol and codec conversion module, almost twofold. Now a single-server system can handle up to 1000 concurrent calls involving protocol translation. Codec conversion algorithms have also been optimized to provide for better system efficiency and capacity growth. In addition, new licensing policy has been introduced, where codec conversion and SIP-to-H.323 translation licenses can be purchased separately. This approach provides for greater flexibility and delivers extra cost-saving benefits to carriers.

The new MVTS release features an improved call setup method implemented in the SIP HIT, which allows a 30% percent increase in ASR (Average Success Rate). The gain in effectiveness became possible because the SIP-HIT module now performs consecutive call setup attempts for each gateway in the group available on the selected call path, even if the initial call setup attempt fails.

Another enhancement of the new MVTS release is the transfer of extended statistics under the SNMP protocol. The gathered statistics includes data on gateways, dialpeers and routes. Carriers can view the statistics in any format they prefer, including the use of standard SNMP-clients. Altogether, the new MVTS 2.1.10 release features more than 30 enhancements and 20 new parameters.

MERA Systems Inc.