Acme Packet Defines Role of its Net-Net Product Family within IMS LTE Networks.

Acme Packet Defines Position of its Session Border Controllers, Multiservice Security Gateways and Session Routing Proxies in 3GPP Release 8 Architecture

BURLINGTON, Mass. -- Acme Packet[R] (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, has defined the role of its Net-Net[R] product family within 3GPP's Release 8 architecture, which incorporates IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Service Architecture Evolution (SAE). Acme Packet's products are deployed in nearly 100 IMS projects (see previously issued press release Acme Packet Plays Key Role in Nearly 100 IMS Projects) around the globe.

In Release 8, 3GPP introduced a new architecture for the LTE radio access network (RAN), including SAE, a packet data network connecting the RAN and other broadband access networks to services and applications, including IMS. As part of this architecture, new functional elements have been defined. Like all 3GPP architectures, these elements identify functions and not specific products--implementation and integration of functions is left to equipment vendor and service provider preference.

The Acme Packet Net-Net solution for IMS-served LTE and SAE networks includes:

Session border controllers (SBCs) connect 4G mobile devices to IMS SIP-based services and applications, including voice, messaging, interactive video, gaming, video and IPTV. In SAE, access SBCs connect all access networks to the IMS network. This includes the LTE RAN, the 3G RAN, trusted non-3GPP IP access networks such as DSL, FTTx and WiMAX, and untrusted non-3GPP IP access network such as the Internet and WiFi networks. Acme Packet's interconnect SBCs connect all of these networks to the networks of other service providers.

Multiservice security gateways (MSGs) securely deliver service provider's voice and data services over untrusted Internet and WiFi access networks to femtocells and dual mode handsets.

Session routing proxies provide core session routing and select the destination for incoming and outgoing SIP sessions, including traffic to or from media gateways and interconnect session border controllers.

"In our nearly 100 IMS projects, Acme Packet has learned valuable lessons from service providers and partners around the world," stated Seamus Hourihan, vice president of marketing and product management at Acme Packet. "These lessons helped shape our Net-Net product family development, allowing Acme Packet to smartly simplify the delivery of next generation voice, video and interactive communication services over LTE and any broadband access network for our customers."

"Acme Packet continues to show leadership and vision with its IMS solutions," commented Stephane Teral, principal analyst, Infonetics Research. "Aligning with the latest 3GPP release correctly positions the Net-Net product family to deliver the key functions in enabling voice, video and data services for today's wireless access networks and emerging flat IP architectures, such as LTE."

Acme Packet in 3GPP SAE

The 3GPP Release 8 architecture incorporates both the previously defined IMS functional elements and the new Service Architecture Evolution, which includes the evolved universal terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN) and Evolved Packet Core (EPC). Acme Packet's products deliver key functions within the IMS-served SAE architecture.

Access Session Border Controller

Session border controllers satisfy the requirements at the border where subscribers access the IMS services and applications. It is located at the border point of SAE and IMS networks. Session border controllers integrate two functional elements from the IMS Release 8 architecture.

* Proxy-Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) is the initial SIP signaling contact point for subscribers. Serving as a Back-to-Back User Agent (SIP B2BUA), the P-CSCF is responsible for forwarding SIP registration messages from the subscriber's endpoint, the User Element (UE), to the Interrogating-CSCF (I-CSCF) and subsequent call set-up requests and responses to the Serving-CSCF (S-CSCF). The P-CSCF maintains the mapping between logical subscriber SIP URI address and physical UE IP address and a security association, for both authentication and confidentiality. It supports emergency call (E911) local routing within the visited network, accounting, session timers and admission control. Session admission control uses the DIAMETER protocol (Rx interface) to query an external Policy Charging and Rating Function (PCRF) element for bandwidth-based admission control and resource reservation. Acme Packet's implementation of the P-CSCF also supports an advanced signaling firewall to protect itself and the IMS infrastructure from attacks and overloads. The P-CSCF interacts with AGW (described below) for control of the boundary at the signaling and media layers including pinhole firewall, Network Address and Port Translations (NAPT) lawful intercept and numerous other features.

* Access Gateway Function (AGW) controls the transport boundary at layers 3 and 4 between subscribers and the service provider's network. This function acts as a pinhole firewall and NAT device protecting the service provider's IMS network. It controls access by packet filtering on IP address/port and opening/closing gates (pinholes) into the network. It uses NAPT to hide the IP addresses/ports of the service elements in the IMS network. Other features include QoS packet marking, bandwidth and signaling rate policing, usage metering and QoS measurements for the media flows.

Interconnect Session Border Controller

This session border controller addresses the requirements at the boundary where service provider networks interconnect or "peer" for the exchange of inbound and outbound SIP sessions. It integrates three IMS functional elements of 3GPP Release 8:

* Interconnect Border Control Function (IBCF) provides overall control of the boundary between different service provider networks. It provides security for the IMS network in terms of signaling information by implementing a Topology-Hiding Inter-network Gateway (THIG) sub-function. This sub-function performs signaling-based topology hiding, IPv4-IPv6 inter-working and session screening based upon source and destination signaling addresses. The IBCF also invokes the Inter-Working Function (described below) when connecting non-SIP or non-IPv6 networks, and performs admission control and bandwidth allocation using local policies or via interface to PCRF elements. Lastly, the IBCF interacts with TrGW (described below) for control of the boundary at the transport layers including pinhole firewall, NAPT and numerous other features.

* Inter-Working Function (IWF) provides signaling protocol inter-working between the SIP-based IMS network and other service provider networks using H.323 or different SIP profiles.

* Transition Gateway (TrGW) controls the transport boundary at layers 3 and 4 between service provider networks with similar media functions as the AGW.

Multiservice Security Gateway

In SAE, the Evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePDG) is the functional element that delivers voice and data services over the untrusted Internet and WiFi networks to femtocells and dual-mode handsets. Acme Packet's Net-Net Security Gateway (SG) fulfills the role of the ePDG. It authenticates subscribers and uses IPsec to securely tunnel voice and data to devices over the Internet and WiFi. For preceding 3GPP architectures, the Net-Net SG also supports the functional elements of I-WLAN Tunnel Terminating Gateway (TTG) for 3GPP Release 7, UMA/GAN Security Gateway (SeGW) for Release 6 and the Femtocell Security Gateway (SeGW) for Release 8.

Session Routing Proxy

Acme Packet's session routing proxy, the Net-Net Session Router (SR), routes SIP-based, interactive communication sessions between SIP network border points, including SBCs, mobile switching centers (MSC), IMS subscriber call control elements, CLASS 5 softswitches and softswitches controlling media gateways. From an IMS SIP signaling perspective, the Net-Net SR serves as the Breakout Gateway Control Function (BGCF). This function is responsible for selecting the optimum session border controller or softswitch/media gateway for sessions leaving a provider's network, and the Serving Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) for incoming sessions.

Acme Packet will demonstrate its SBC and MSG solutions during the GSMA Mobile World Congress at Fira de Barcelona February 16-19, 2009 in hospitality suite Z3.12.

About Acme Packet

Acme Packet, Inc. (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, enables the delivery of trusted, first-class interactive communications--voice, video and multimedia sessions--and data services across IP network borders. Our Net-Net family of session border controllers, multiservice security gateways and session routing proxies supports multiple applications in service provider, large enterprise and contact center networks--from VoIP trunking to hosted enterprise and residential services to fixed-mobile convergence. They satisfy critical security, service assurance and regulatory requirements in wireline, cable and wireless networks; and support multiple protocols--SIP, H.323, MGCP/NCS and H.248--and multiple border points--interconnect, access and data center. Our products have been selected by more than 635 customers in 92 countries, including 29 of the top 30, and 89 of the top 100 service providers in the world. For more information, contact us at +1 781.328.4400, or visit www.acmepacket.com.

Acme Packet Safe Harbor Statement

Statements contained herein that are not historical fact may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements may relate, among other things, to our position in the session border control market, our ability to build and grow Acme Packet, the benefits, functionality and expected deployments of our products or services, and our ability to achieve our goals, plans and objectives. Such forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These include, but are not limited to: difficulties in growing our customer base, difficulties leveraging market opportunities, difficulties providing solutions that meet the needs of customers, poor product sales, long sales cycles, difficulty developing new products, difficulty in relationships with vendors and partners, higher risk in international operations, difficulty managing rapid growth, and increased competition. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially form those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements are contained in our recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in such filings.