Versatel Launches Media Gateway, Server

HULL, QC -- Versatel Networks today announced the EdgeIQ family of intelligent media gateways. The EdgeIQ platform distributes media gateway and media server capabilities to the edge of the network where they can be most efficiently used. For service providers, EdgeIQ lowers network, capital and operating expenses by up to 50 percent.

With the EdgeIQ platform, applications are hosted at the network edge, allowing services to be provided to PSTN and IP customers equally and minimizing the expense of backhauling traffic from one network to the other. For service providers, this means fewer vendors to manage, easier maintenance, smoother upgrades and faster rollouts of new services.

“Carriers today have to solve two basic needs to succeed in the IP world,” said Jon Arnold, VoIP equipment program leader at Frost & Sullivan. “Carriers must develop new offerings that sustain growth and create real differentiation. They also must simplify network management and the provisioning of these new services. Versatel’s innovative approach helps solve both these problems.”

Typical nextgen networks consist of multiple and separate purpose-built components. While vendors are now moving towards integrated platforms, Versatel Networks is the only company to offer a solution with an integrated media server. Versatel’s patent-pending EdgeWerx™ architecture integrates the media server with the gateway, using fewer ports, especially when calls originate on the same gateway. Services deployed using the Versatel model typically require 50 percent fewer ports compared to platforms using a traditional centralized media server model.

“Nextgen applications are best delivered at the network edge and should be network agnostic. Applications can still be managed centrally, but network resources are most efficiently used in a distributed architecture,” said Robert Mimeault, CEO of Versatel Networks. “Building on the success we’ve had in the prepaid market with our service creation switches, the Versatel EdgeIQ platform extends our vision of delivering networking solutions that allow carriers to generate revenue and simplify operations.”

Versatel Telecom International N.V.