Intel Supports IMS

CHICAGO -- Continuing its effort to make it easier to build standards-based telecommunications equipment, Intel Corporation today announced its second- generation AdvancedTCA* (Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture) products. The new products include three blades and related technologies that will help manufacturers and service providers build more flexible and scalable IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) equipment and services.

AdvancedTCA is a series of industry-standard specifications for carrier-grade communications equipment that incorporates the latest trends in high-speed interconnect technologies, next-generation processors, and improved reliability, manageability and serviceability features. The IMS architecture defines a set of industry-standard equipment built on modular communications platforms, such as AdvancedTCA, and allows communications and media services to be managed independently from the network itself. This enables a service provider to easily add, remove or scale new services across both fixed and mobile networks.

With a broad choice of standards-based or modular equipment from multiple vendors, service providers can base their IMS deployments on a common platform framework that can manage multiple applications.

For example, a service provider could deploy and conduct trials with 10 different services from push-to-talk to network-based gaming, then scale the most successful service without complicated changes to core network elements.

“Intel’s communications infrastructure vision is to help the telecommunications industry make the transition from costly proprietary-based systems to flexible, standards-based platforms,” said Doug Davis, vice president and general manager, Communications Infrastructure Group, Intel’s Digital Enterprise Group. “To accomplish this, we are offering new products optimized for IMS while fostering comprehensive industry interoperability with a design guide for AdvancedTCA development through our industry alliance program.”

Intel’s product introduction includes three AdvancedTCA blades, or telecom boards, that can fit into a chassis or “shelf.” These products collectively offer telecommunication equipment manufacturers and service provides standards-based building blocks with the performance, security and manageability required for IMS platforms. The Intel NetStructure® MPCBL0010 Single Board Computer, the Intel NetStructure® IXB28504xGbEFS Secure Packet Processing Blade and the Intel NetStructure® MPCMM0002 Chassis Management Module are designed for IMS applications, but can also be used in other network segments such as wired and wireless network management.

In addition, Intel is releasing technical details on a high-performance single board computer with dual 64-bit Intel® Xeon™ processors operating at 2.80 GHz which will begin sampling in July.

“Nortel is a strong advocate for the use of commercially available hardware platforms and standards-based solutions such as the AdvancedTCA specification,” said Alan Stoddard, general manager, Multimedia Converged Networks, Nortel. “Nortel and Intel are committed to advancing the use of commercially available platforms and standards based solutions and providing superior customer value.”

Intel Corp.