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VoIP, Value Added Services to Highlight Multiservice Switching Forum's GMI 2004 Interoperability Event; Event to Demonstrate Commercial Readiness of VoIP Networks FREMONT, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- April 20, 2004 -- The Multiservice Switching Forum (MSF) announced today that its membership has approved the scope of testing upon which the Global MSF Interoperability (GMI) 2004 test cases will be based. The event will test basic point-to-point VoIP within a single service provider's network and then increase in complexity as Value Added Services, connectivity to the PSTN, and direct connectivity between two VoIP carrier networks is demonstrated on a global basis. In each scenario, requirements that are critical for real-world deployments such as security, Quality of Service (QoS), routing, and network management will be demonstrated. Participants will demonstrate to service providers and to the industry at large that the MSF solution for VoIP, based on approved standards from the IETF, the ITU and other standards bodies, is ready for network deployment."The physical scenarios we have created for GMI 2004 will stretch the technical capabilities of the participants by providing a demanding, realistic test setting," said Avri Doria, MSF Technical Committee chair. "Participating companies will have a chance to showcase their products to the world's biggest carriers in a real-world environment." At GMI 2004, scheduled for October 4-16, tier 1 carriers located in North America, the UK, Japan, and Korea will provide host labs connected by live network facilities, creating a realistic environment in which to exercise the interoperability and deployment readiness of VoIP on a global scale. Each participant will demonstrate interoperability in the network through the use of predefined test suites utilizing key protocols that are accepted as core IP technologies by service providers around the world including MPLS and SIP. The GMI 2004 event will examine state-of-the-art network elements key to supporting a fully integrated VoIP solution such as application servers, service brokers, call agents, bandwidth managers and other control and management systems against the specific protocols defined in MSF Interoperability Agreements (IAs). The GMI 2004 test scenarios are available to the public at http://www.msforum.org/techinfo/approved.shtml. The MSF will continue to define the detailed test cases that will be used to validate these scenarios at its upcoming Technical Committee meeting in Toronto, Ontario from April 27-29. Companies interested in participating in GMI 2004 should contact Julianne Fitzpatrick, [email protected], or visit www.gmi2004.com for details. About Multiservice Switching System Technology Multiservice Switching Systems of the future will be based on a distributed, open architecture which incorporates a variety of switching methods - frame, cell or packet-based - designed to support voice, video, private line and data such as ATM, Frame Relay and Internet Protocol (IP) services. Such technology may use a broad range of access technologies, including traditional Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Digital Subscriber Line (xDSL), wireless data, and cable modems. MSF Implementation Agreements define the requirements of the interfaces between key functional and physical components found in practical deployments of such systems. About the Multiservice Switching Forum The Multiservice Switching Forum (MSF) is a global association of service providers and system suppliers committed to developing and promoting open-architecture, multiservice switching systems. Founded in 1998, the MSF is an open-membership organization comprised of the world's leading telecommunications companies. The MSF's activities include developing implementation agreements, promoting worldwide compatibility and interoperability, and encouraging input to appropriate national and international standards bodies. For more information about the MSF and its members, visit the MSF web site at http://www.msforum.org/. |
