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ConteXtream to Showcase SDN-Enabled Virtual EPC Gateway Proof of Concept at NFV World Congress
[May 04, 2015]

ConteXtream to Showcase SDN-Enabled Virtual EPC Gateway Proof of Concept at NFV World Congress


ConteXtream Inc., a leading provider of carrier-grade network virtualization solutions, today announced they will be unveiling their SDN-enabled virtual EPC Gateway (News - Alert) in an ETSI-compliant framework proof-of-concept (PoC) at this year's NFV World Congress taking place May 5-8, 2015 in San Jose, Calif. (http://www.layer123.com/nfv) ConteXtream, who is a silver sponsor of the event, is contributing the SDN fabric for ETSI NFV ISG PoC #34.

ConteXtream's SDN controller, that leverages OpenDaylight (ODL) and adds capabilities like federation in this PoC, enables a next generation implementation of 3GPP EPC Gateway elements where the S-GW and P-GW are each split into separate control and user plane entities. The demonstration will show how ConteXtream's federated SDN controller and software switch enable not only independent scaling of EPC Gateway control and user plane components, but also create an ability for the user plane elements to be placed at both central and multiple edge locations. Traffic flows can be serviced simultaneously both from central and edge sites. Moving select flows closer to the edge can benefit applications in terms of reduced latency, and can reduce operator bandwidth needs. It now becomes possible to move caches much deeper into mobile networks, thereby caching popular videos closer to the radio edge, which will benefit both consumers and operators.



Two leading European operators have sponsored the PoC implementation that is a multi-vendor collaborative effort led by ConteXtream. The implementation is fully compatible with existing 3GPP standards and preserves all interfaces towards eNB, MME, PCRF and others. Key existing gateway capabilities for paging, handover and accounting are preserved. More details on the vendors involved and PoC implementation can be obtained from ETSI (News - Alert) NFV ISG PoC Wiki page.

"This collaboration showcases the significant progress made on Virtual EPC and highlights the practical opportunities that lay ahead for this technology to transform the mobile core," said Nachman Shelef, CEO, chairman and co-founder of ConteXtream. "Operators can now leverage SDN for virtualization on their existing infrastructure for a better end-user experience."


ConteXtream CEO, chairman and co-founder Nachman Shelef will also be delivering a speaking session at the event titled "Leveraging SDN to Fully Utilize Virtual and Physical Resources While Simplifying Operations," at 4:20 p.m. on May 7, 2015. During the presentation, Shelef will discuss SDN's role in NFV in simplifying network operations, planning and enhancing ROI for operators.

The NFV World Congress will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 2050 Gateway Place in San Jose, Calif.

About ConteXtream

ConteXtream is a privately held software-defined-networking (SDN) company that enables carriers to deliver network capacity and functions in the same way cloud providers deliver applications effectively utilizing standard compute and storage. ConteXtream's SDN offering, based on standards is carrier-grade and enables Network Function Virtualization (NFV) for variousĀ solutions deployed on carrier networks. Deployed by Tier-1 operators, ConteXtream's Carrier-SDN dynamically and elastically connects subscribers to services and enables carriers to leverage standard, low-cost server hardware and hypervisors to virtualize functions and services, while replacing costly purpose-built proprietary systems. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., ConteXtream is backed by Benhamou Global Ventures, Gemini Israel Funds, Norwest Venture Partners and Sofinnova Ventures as well as Comcast (News - Alert) Ventures and Verizon Ventures. For additional information, visitĀ www.contextream.com.


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