PARIS -- Netcentrex, the leading enabler of next generation converged voice and video solutions, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire NeoTIP, as agreed between the boards of the two companies.

NeoTIP is profitable and will generate a positive contribution to Netcentrex revenue. In a report published in March 2005, industry research firm Heavy Reading graded NeoTIP as “best-in-class” across the different SBC categories evaluated.

“The trend towards IMS is becoming unstoppable, and the P-CSCF technology that NeoTIP will contribute is right at the core of that transition,” said Graham Finnie, Senior Analyst at Heavy Reading. “This acquisition will allow Netcentrex to concentrate its development efforts on other aspects of IMS, and quickly bring a complete IMS solution to market.”

This initiative is part of Netcentrex’ strategy to bring increased security, interoperability and quality to voice and video communications over IP. New network architectures such as IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) and TISPAN (Telecoms & Internet converged Services & Protocols for Advanced Networks) specify an elaborate network access layer for solving these issues, opening up a new market for network access control devices. NeoTIP’s range of Session Border Controllers (SBC) provides the required technology for both fixed and mobile networks. SBCs represent a high growth market segment since they are installed at the access point or at the interconnection of multimedia networks. Demand for SBCs therefore increases with the rapidly growing number of multimedia networks and end-users.

"As IP technology is becoming the foundation for delivering advanced applications to consumers and enterprises, network operators demand increased security and quality of service, without increased complexity or cost. NeoTIP’s SBC expertise reinforces Netcentrex’ ability to meet these requirements and strengthens our rapid evolution toward a full IMS architecture," said Olivier Hersent, Chairman and CTO of Netcentrex.

NeoTIP’s technology will be folded into Netcentrex IMS developments and in particular the P-CSCF (Proxy Call Session Control Function) component. It will also add new features to existing SBC functionality provided by the Netcentrex Business Services Suite and IP Trunking offerings, enhancing interoperability with IP-PBXs and adding security without increased complexity. The combination of Netcentrex’ voice and video solutions and NeoTIP’s SBC technology delivers a powerful solution for operators looking to cost-effectively deploy quality voice, video and rich media services over IP networks.

"We are delighted to join the Netcentrex team; NeoTIP’s know-how and comprehensive SBC portfolio is a logical complement to Netcentrex expertise in voice and video over IP," commented Michel L’Hostis, co-founder and CEO of NeoTIP.

NetCentrex SA