Stoke Breaks Web 2.0 Logjam for Mobile Operators
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ — Stoke, Inc., a leading developer of multi-access convergence gateways for network operators, today announced significant enhancements for its SSX-3000 Multi-Access Convergence Gateway. The SSX is the only product of its kind purpose-built for scalable, stateful management of secure, reliable, high-quality subscriber sessions over multiple network access types including fixed, cellular, Wi-Fi and WiMAX.
These enhancements, including improved scalability and the industry’s first multi-access application control, are aimed at helping mobile operators deploy and monetize Web 2.0 services over broadband access alternatives including DSL, cable, WiFi, Femtocell and WiMAX. The new features are delivered as part of the high performance, standards-based Packet Data Gateway (PDG) and Packet Data Interworking Function (PDIF) instantiations of the versatile Stoke Session Exchange 3000 (SSX-3000).
Beyond the Walled Garden: Real Time Multimedia, Growth in Access, New Devices
Mobile subscribers’ expectations continue to grow for an Internet experience more comparable to a wired computer. To address this strong demand, mobile operators must quickly evolve their networks to deliver and monetize new organic and “over the top” third party services. Key considerations of this evolution include:
* Supporting multimedia services — The explosion of video, social networking and real time services like VoIP illustrate the clear need to manage large volumes of high bandwidth, delay sensitive traffic — and longer session durations; * Enabling access from “everywhere” — With almost 300 million broadband connections globally and close to 200,000 hotspots, securely servicing millions of mobile customers at homes, offices, airports, hotels and other locations represents significant new revenue opportunities; * Leveraging broadband multimedia devices — A host of new broadband enabled multimedia devices such as the Apple iPhone(TM), RIM Blackberry(TM) and LG Voyager(TM) are hitting the market and forecasted to grow to nearly 250 million in 2011. These “3rd screen” options are capable of an Internet experience comparable to wired devices.
“Multi-access gateways are a critical new tool for mobile operators,” said Stephane Teral, principal analyst, VoIP, IMS, & FMC for Infonetics. “Certainly one of the key metrics of these products is how well they can support large volumes of higher bandwidth, delay sensitive multimedia traffic. As noted in our recent FMC Equipment, Phones, and Subscribers Market Outlook Report, Stoke was one of the first companies to clearly optimize its solution for multimedia, and the result has been demonstrable technology and thought- leadership in this area.”
The Stoke Session Exchange: New Machinery for Mobilizing Web 2.0 Services
Supporting and monetizing higher bandwidth, real-time applications and increased session duration puts significant new demands on the mobile network. New technology is clearly required, as no legacy mobile networking element was designed for these conditions. The SSX is the only product available today engineered specifically for volume deployments of multimedia services over multiple broadband access technologies. Highlights and new enhancements to the SSX-3000 include:
Performance and Scalability for a “2.0″ World
The carrier class SSX-3000 architecture uniquely distributes control, packet forwarding, encryption, application control and switching functions, resulting in unmatched performance and scalability. Specific metrics include:
* Encrypted throughput is a critical component of multi-access gateways to deliver large volumes of high bandwidth, delay sensitive applications. The 5 RU SSX-3000 delivers 16 Gbps of encrypted throughput — the highest in the industry — while reducing space and power requirements; * System latency — for all packet treatments — is also critical to multimedia application performance. The SSX adds less than 30 microseconds of latency while performing functions that include encryption/decryption, traffic classification, and Quality of Service (QoS); * The number of concurrent multimedia sessions supported is a key metric of system performance, combining both session scale and throughput. The SSX supports over 300,000 concurrent, encrypted unique streaming videos per 7′ rack — another industry benchmark. Industry’s First Integrated Multi-Access Application Control
Policy-based identification, prioritization, admission control and accounting of organic and third party applications and services is critical to network operators’ business model. Stoke is the first multi-access gateway to introduce these functions in a completely integrated fashion. Highlights include:
* Fully integrated and distributed application control is resident on each line module delivering line rate, bi-directional traffic classification; * 9 million multi-flow service classes per 7′ rack support real time and offline charging policies with time, volume and application state transition-based measurement and reporting. These functions enable high levels of flexibility in data service charging; * Up to 1.5 million unique service identification policies per system offers virtually unlimited flexibility in defining services and underlying identification and treatment of traffic flows.
Modular, Versatile and Virtualized for Maximum Investment Return and Protection
The SSX-3000 is modular and multi-functional, enabling operators to reduce costs by using a single system for multiple network requirements. The platform can also be virtualized to concurrently support diverse session management needs, including high bandwidth / low latency video applications along with large numbers of lower bandwidth VoIP sessions for example. The SSX-3000:
* Uniquely delivers high performance single hop packet forwarding with integrated security, quality of service and application control to substantially reduce discreet devices, capital cost and operational complexity; * Cost effectively supports subscriber deployments from below 10,000 to hundreds of thousands on a single system; * Fulfills the role as a security gateway, a PDG, PDIF, and Femtocell gateway, to address a variety of session management needs with a single solution. This versatility offers unique cost advantages such as common sparing; * Reduces cost/complexity associated with supporting multiple applications through system virtualization. Scalable, cost-effective subscriber and service dimensioning facilitates concurrent support of higher bandwidth / lower session count applications like video with lower bandwidth / higher session oriented services such as VoIP.
“Over the past several years, there’s been enormous investment and innovation aimed at fixing traffic bottlenecks, quality issues and performance limitations in the Internet core,” said Vikash Varma, president of CEO of Stoke. “Now, the Internet edge is under tremendous pressure with the explosion of video, growth in access alternatives and the mass market acceptance of sophisticated broadband, multimedia mobile devices. At Stoke, we’ve introduced significant innovation aimed at retooling the edge for commercial- grade broadband mobile services that offer subscribers a secure, multimedia Internet experience.”
Availability and Pricing
The Stoke Session Exchange, with the new scalability and application control enhancements, is available now. For pricing, please contact your local Stoke representative or info@stoke.com.
About Stoke, Inc.
Santa Clara, CA-based Stoke develops carrier-class multi-access convergence gateways specifically engineered to help fixed, mobile and Internet-based operators realize the economic benefits and competitive advantages of network convergence. Stoke’s standards-based, integrated hardware and software platform — the Stoke Session Exchange (SSX) — uniquely addresses the security, quality of service and mobility challenges associated with optimizing subscribers’ multimedia sessions across fixed, mobile, Wi-Fi and WiMAX networks. Stoke has received more than $50 million in funding from leading venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Sequoia Capital, and DAG Ventures, among others. For more information, visit http://www.stoke.com/
Stoke, Inc.
CONTACT: Lisa Kelaita, +1-650-343-2735, lkelaita@newventurecom.com, orLiz Youngs, +1-843-971-7140, eyoungs@newventurecom.com, both for Stoke, Inc.
Web site: http://www.stoke.com/