SIP Reinvigorates the Media Gateway Market, New Report FindsMore intelligent and SIP-capable media gateways are emerging as key components in network operator plans for all-IP networks, according to Heavy ReadingPRNewswire NEW YORK, Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Media gateways that incorporate Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) technology are emerging as key components in network operator development plans for all-IP network buildouts, a development that will have a significant impact on demand for media gateways and session border controllers (SBCs), according to a major new report from Heavy Reading (http://www.heavyreading.com/), the market research division of TechWeb's Light Reading (http://www.lightreading.com/). The Rise of the Session-Aware Media Gateway: A Competitive Analysis delivers a complete review and analysis of the media gateway market, focusing on the technology and feature developments that will drive the media gateway sector in the months and years ahead. The report provides a complete competitive assessment of the media gateway access and trunk portfolio strategies of 17 technology suppliers, including each vendor's market focus and commitment to delivery of session-aware products. The 120-page report provides more than 2,000 specific data points for 45 media gateway products across dozens of performance categories -- offering an invaluable tool to perform side-by-side comparisons of media gateways. For a list of technology suppliers profiled and evaluated in this report, please visit: http://img.lightreading.com/heavyreading/pdf/hr20081113_vendors.pdf "Media gateways are becoming more intelligent and IP session-aware," says James Hodges, Senior Analyst at Heavy Reading and author of the report. "Media gateways deployed with SIP interfaces leverage a peer-to-peer communication model that enables media gateways to assume new roles in next-generation networks." The growing importance of session-aware media gateways is likely to have a direct impact on the SBC market, Hodges says. "Vendors including Alcatel-Lucent, AudioCodes, Ericsson, Sonus, and Veraz Networks have already incorporated some SBC functionality in their products, with other vendors poised to follow," he says, adding that gateway suppliers are following this approach. "Huawei and Nortel are opposed to the media gateway/SBC model," he notes. Other key findings of The Rise of the Session-Aware Media Gateway: A Competitive Analysis include the following: It is now strategically relevant for trunk media gateway vendors to have internal SBC expertise. Vendors without this capability could find themselves losing new-growth opportunities if the integrated SBC/media gateway moves into the mainstream. Although media gateway products are based on industry standards such as SIP, plug-and-play interoperability is far from assured. Standards often define multiple implementation options, such as support of the H.248 control protocol using either binary or text-based encodings. Furthermore, vendors typically do not implement all of the features and capabilities of a standard, which hampers interoperability. Finally, vendors may interweave into a standards implementation some proprietary extensions to parameters such as SIP, which creates additional complexities. Even successful completion of interoperability testing does not ensure future interworking of media gateways from different suppliers. New software releases need to be validated to ensure that additional software and feature content does not unravel interworking stability. Almost all media gateway vendors are positioning their products as providing market-leading voice quality metrics, but such claims are almost impossible to substantiate. Considering the immense number of codec choices available for implementation, it is almost impossible to discover which vendors, if any, have a clear and measureable advantage in real-time implementations. The Rise of the Session-Aware Media Gateway: A Competitive Analysis is essential reading for a wide range of industry participants, including the following: -- Technology suppliers: What technologies and features are driving
demand changes for media gateways? How are changes in media gateways
likely to affect deployments by network operators? Are your products
and marketing strategies in line with network operator plans and
expectations? How do your products match up to the competition? Are
there significant gaps in your product line coverage that need to be
addressed to meet future demand for session-aware media gateways?
-- Network operators: How do your deployment plans for media gateway
technology match up to product technology trends? How do the product
lines of different media gateway suppliers track to your
organization's needs? What are the real costs and opportunities
involved with deployment of session-aware media gateways?
-- Investors: Which technologies are emerging as the winning solutions
for session-aware media gateways, and which companies are the leading
providers of those solutions? How will the media gateway market evolve
over the next two to three years, and which companies are most likely
to emerge as the market leaders?
The Rise of the Session-Aware Media Gateway: A Competitive Analysis costs $3,995 and is published in PDF format. The price includes an enterprise license covering all of the employees at the purchaser's company. For more information, or to request a free executive summary, contact: Dave Williams Sales Director, Heavy Reading 858-485-8870 dave.williams@heavyreading.com Press/analyst contact: Dennis Mendyk Managing Director, Heavy Reading 201-587-2154 mendyk@heavyreading.com About Heavy Reading Heavy Reading is an independent market research organization offering quantitative analysis of telecom technology to service providers, vendors, and investors. Its mandate is to provide the comprehensive competitive analysis needed today for the deployment of profitable networks based on next-generation hardware and software. About TechWeb TechWeb (techweb.com/aboutus), the global leader in business technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today, more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created around our global face-to-face events Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network, Light Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and The Financial Technology Network; and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, Wall Street & Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services ranging from next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $1.6 billion. * 13.3 million business decision-makers: based on # of monthly connections About United Business Media Limited (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/) United Business Media Limited (UBM) is a global media and marketing services company that informs markets and brings the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print, and with the information they need to do business successfully. UBM serves professional and commercial communities, from IT professionals to doctors, from journalists to jewelry dealers, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. UBM employs more than 6,500 people in more than 30 countries. UBM's businesses operating in the US include CMPMedica, Commonwealth Business Media, Everything Channel, PR Newswire, RISI, TechInsights, TechWeb and Think Services. UBM is listed on the London Stock Exchange (UBM.L) and has a market capitalization of $1.6 billion. SOURCE: Heavy Reading CONTACT: Dave Williams, Sales Director, Heavy Reading, +1-858-485-8870, Web Site: http://www.heavyreading.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/683682.html |