Oracle Communications Session Border Controller: Driving Oracle s SIP Interconnect Solution. Extending Service Reach and Quality

Transcription

1 Oracle Communications Session Border Controller: Driving Oracle s SIP Interconnect Solution Extending Service Reach and Quality

2 Networks cannot stand alone and must connect to other service providers to provide global connectivity for subscribers. SIP interconnects enable service providers to realize lower costs, extended service reach, and improved network quality. These benefits lead to new revenue opportunities in the form of new services such as interactive video, gaming, and multimedia collaboration as well as new interconnect business models. Even with its explosive growth in the last 10 years, Voice over IP (VoIP) traffic tends to exist in islands that, for the most part, depend on Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) connections to carry VoIP sessions/calls between service providers. Similarly, mobile networks are just embarking on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and VoIP evolution. This time-division multiplexing (TDM) interconnectivity adds unnecessary cost and delays, affects quality, and limits the service portfolio. Service providers can leverage IP and SIP to interconnect these islands of VoIP to expand network reach and revenue potential while minimizing PSTN termination costs. As service providers migrate to the all-ip network, they are using SIP interconnections and IP transport to reduce the operational and capital costs of trunking off-net traffic between providers. This is true not only for the voice-to-voip transition but also new, multimedia communications based on SIP and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). SIP interconnects enable service providers to realize several benefits, including Lowers costs through reduced capital and operational expenditures by leveraging lower-cost equipment and eliminating PSTN termination or transit costs. Extends service reach by securely and quickly increasing accessible geographies and subscribers. Improves quality by eliminating unnecessary transcoding and exploiting high-fidelity IP codecs. Enables new service opportunities that require end-to-end IP connectivity such as interactive video, gaming, and multimedia collaboration. Enables new interconnect business models, including settlement-free peering and federation with over-the-top (OTT) providers. Despite the appeal, service providers face challenges in implementing SIP interconnects due to security threats, risks to network downtime, impacts to service quality, and cost management. At SIP network borders, the Oracle Communications Session Border Controller is used to mediate the differences between service providers as well as provide security, quality, and cost control at the ingress and egress of those networks. With a broad feature set, the Oracle Communications Session Border Controller can be used as a single interconnect solution to manage mobile packet voice, fixed-line VoIP, OTT communications, Rich Communications Services (RCS), Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE), and other SIP-based services. 2

3 SOLUTION APPLICATIONS PSTN termination or origination VoIP transit Challenges Interconnecting to other service providers directly via IP introduces challenges and unique requirements for building a trusted and controllable border, including VoIP interconnect exchanges Neutral registry services VoLTE roaming RCS exchange SOLUTION FEATURES Single interconnect solution for all VoIP/SIP/IMS traffic Comprehensive security Best-in-class Layer 3 5 interworking Security. Protect network resources from attack and ensure integrity and confidentiality of communications between service providers. Service reach maximization. Exchange routing information and session traffic across heterogeneous networks with conflicting network characteristics to ensure reachability and interoperability. Service quality. Maintain service and network availability during abnormal busy periods. Routing. Minimize session routing costs and make proper route selection Revenue protection. Protect against theft of service, capture session data for accounting and billing. Policy-based routing SOLUTION BENEFITS Lowers termination costs and total cost of ownership Extends service reach Improves VoIP quality Enables new services and business models Solution Overview Oracle s SIP interconnect solution features the Oracle Communication Session Border Controller, with robust security controls, deep interworking and mediation features, policy-based routing, and admission control policies that allow service providers to profit from the benefits of SIP interconnects. The solution is designed for fixed, mobile, OTT, and wholesale service providers and addresses many network interconnection models that support revenue-generating service offerings and cost-saving applications, including Wholesale VoIP service providers providing transit or off-net IP or PSTN originations/ terminations to other service providers Fixed-line, retail VoIP providers for off-net PSTN or IP originations/terminations IMS services connecting to off-net fixed and mobile access networks Inter-mobile operator VoLTE subscriber roaming and RCS interconnection OTT service providers connecting IP communication services to the PSTN and the internet Traditional settlement-based models and bill-and-keep peering 3

4 Oracle Communications Session Border Controller supports all the functional elements required to enable secure, high-quality SIP interconnects as defined by the following standards organizations and industry associations: Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Interconnect Border Control Function (I-BCF), Interworking Function (IWF), and Transition Gateway Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) IP Exchange (IPX) Proxy In IMS networks, the Oracle Communications Session Border Controller can further integrate the Transit and Roaming Function to enable VoLTE roaming and the Interrogating Call Session Control Function (I-CSCF) for home subscriber server (HSS) queries for routing. Figure 1. Oracle Communications Session Border Controller has robust security controls, deep interworking and mediation features, policy-based routing, and admission control policies. 4

5 Features and Benefits Oracle Communications Session Border Controller offers security, service reach maximization, service-level agreement (SLA) assurance, and revenue and cost optimization. Security In IP networks, critical resources can be exposed to external parties, elevating risks of denial of service (DoS) and other malicious attacks. To protect revenue-producing elements in the service core, such as soft switches, CSCF servers, application servers, and media gateways, Oracle s unique Net-SAFE security architecture helps service providers build trusted and secure interconnect borders. Feature Hardware-based packet filtering and access control Dynamic trust management Dynamic, signaled NAPT and back-to-back signaling Encryption (TLS, IPsec, SRTP) Session layer rate limiting Call authentication and authorization Virtual private network (VPN) separation SIP method filtering and access control Per-session media bandwidth policing Benefits Prevents DoS and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on the SBC and service infrastructure Prevents unauthorized media access Detects and isolates malicious sources Classifies device or users as trusted, untrusted, or malicious based on signaling behavior Ensures that trusted user traffic is never overwhelmed by untrusted user traffic Hides IP layer (Layer 3) and signaling topologies (Layer 5) to prevent directed attacks Allows architectural and topology changes in the core without affecting interfaces from customers and peers Provides signaling privacy Increases service scalability by aggregating encrypted connections and offloading processing from the core Prevents session layer overload of upstream devices Enforces service contract per-user/device Prevents fraud Enables backbone separation of signaling and media VPNs Provides granular application-based security to prevent attacks and fraud Prevents media-based DoS attacks 5

6 Service Reach Maximization All IP networks are not the same. Many use different signaling protocols, codecs, or overlapping IP address spaces. To allow sessions to cross from one VoIP network to another, Oracle Communications Session Border Controller mediates between heterogeneous networks to deliver maximum service reach. This allows service providers to increase their addressable customer base and accelerate time to market, reporting features that deliver assured service quality and network availability during abnormal busy periods or network events. Feature Multiservice architecture with service virtualization Interworking signaling (SIP, H.323), encryption (TLS, IPsec) and transport (TCP, UDP, SCTP) protocols Protocol normalization and repair IPv4 IPv6 interworking SIP to SIP-I and SIP-T interworking Programmable SIP header manipulation Number normalization, header and response code translations Overlapping IP address domain mediation and VPN bridging Transcoding and filtering for wireline and wireless codecs Benefits Partitions and dedicates resources to specific customers Reduces the number of network elements Allows for unique service profiles and signaling options Provides fine-grained traffic, security, and quality of service (QoS) controls per service or peer Maximizes number of networks for interconnection Eliminates need to change service core Allows changes in service core and mediates differences at ingress and egress Increases vendor interoperability Accelerates time to market Provides easy facilities transition to IMS and LTE interconnection Expands interconnect partners Allows multiple networks to use single interconnection point for lower costs Provides rapid product and vendor interoperability Allows heterogeneous networks to interconnect without changing core elements Directly interfaces to multiple VPNs to minimize equipment costs Supports connections to partners using overlapping private address Securely separates and bridges customer or peer traffic Increases service reach through codec normalization Optimizes network bandwidth 6

7 SLA Assurance With growing VoIP and multimedia communication call volumes, SIP interconnection can lead to oversubscribed and burdened networks that affect customers. Oracle Communications Session Border Controller provides call admission control, load balancing, and QoS marking to help service providers comply with SLAs. Feature Flexible call admission control: policies defined by session agent constraints, bandwidth, QoS metrics, and external policy servers Session agent load balancing Layer 2 and Layer 3 QoS marking (ToS, DiffServ, MPLS) QoS reporting (packet loss, jitter, delay, MOS) Answer seizure ratio (ASR) reporting Benefit Prevents service core overload Increases service availability Ensures network uptime and availability during peak call times Enables priority treatment of traffic for premium service quality Determines quality of session from a media perspective Provides media quality data for SLA reporting Speeds time to identify and isolate problems for resolution and network optimization Determines quality of session from signaling perspective Provides data for SLA reporting Speeds time to identify and isolate problems for resolution and network optimization Revenue and Cost Optimization VoIP and other IP interactive communication services are designed to make money for service providers. However, inefficient network utilization, improper billing, and fraud can ruin these revenue streams or detract from profitability. Oracle Communications Session Border Controller delivers call routing, bandwidth policing, and accounting features to help ensure the most profitable usage of a service provider s network. It also has an extensive ecosystem of routing database, reporting, and least-cost routing partners to further simplify or streamline SIP interconnect solutions. 7

8 Feature Flexible routing policies: least-cost routing, ASR-based, codec-based, and so on ENUM (electronic numbering) query Cx interface Integrated software probe Accounting via call detail records (CDRs) or RADIUS Session timers Benefit Enables cost effective call transit and termination Lowers operational and capital expenditures via traffic grooming and minimizing load on softswitches and core network Leverages highly scalable external routing databases Enables VoIP calls to remain IP end-to-end, avoiding costly and unnecessary PSTN termination and call degradation Allows integrated I-CSCF for optimal inbound routing Provides real-time data to Oracle Communications mediation engine to aid with operations and fraud prevention Enables session-based billing and settlement Supports traffic planning and performance management Prevents fraudulent and stranded calls Enables audit trails for fraud detection Conclusion The cornerstone of Oracle s solution for SIP interconnection is Oracle Communications Session Border Controller, Oracle s market-leading session border controller (SBC). With all of the functions, features, and platform support required for highly scalable nextgeneration SIP interconnect in IMS or non-ims architectures, Oracle Communications Session Border Controller is the ideal product for deployment at service provider interconnect borders. Oracle Communications Session Border Controller enables service providers to deliver trusted, first-class, interactive communications services across IP network borders. Operating on Oracle s range of purpose-built hardware platforms or general-purpose servers, it delivers a unique combination of performance, capacity, high availability, and manageability. 8

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