Newport Networks moves toward strategic stage with SBC functionality

U.K.-based Newport Networks, another venture of entrepreneur and Chairman Terry Matthews, launched new products for its session border controller line this week that are IMS/TISPAN-ready and aimed at the Tier 1 carriers.

Newport added a distributed signaling proxy and media proxy functionality to its repertoire. The physically separated SignallingProxy and MediaProxy allow media proxies to be controlled from third-party softswitches and signaling proxies to be deployed standalone as “SIP signaling firewalls.”

“Because of what we did with our architecture originally, we are well positioned for IMS,” said Guy Reiffer, product marketing director at Newport Networks. “The IMS definition is very close to what we are already doing today.”

This expanded flexibility enables service providers to deploy the Newport Networks 1460 SBC either as a standard session border controller or as separated proxy servers that can evolve to IMS and TISPAN architectures without major upgrades.

“Physically separate architecture allows us to address the market now and the signaling proxy is becoming quite key for security,” Reiffer said.

Newport launched its 1460 Session Border Controller in July of last year and demonstrated the two new products at this week’s VON conference in Boston. The company was launched in 2000 and focused its time between then and the launch developing a pure carrier-class product.

“If we had addressed the small session border controller market, we wouldn’t have the scale we do today to address the Tier 1 market,” Reiffer said.

He added that the voce-over-IP market is getting to the tipping point and that the carriers “are now towing the line.”