Convergent Networks Acquires Billing Mediation Technology for Broadband Switching Solution.Business/Technology Editors LOWELL, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 2001 Company Opens New Engineering Facility in New Jersey To Develop Advanced Billing Mediation Solutions For Cohesion(TM) Product Family Convergent Networks, a leading provider of broadband voice infrastructure solutions, today announced that it has acquired the source code and a worldwide license to OpenCon Communication Systems' billing mediation platform A billing mediation platform is a system used to convert datatypes of a certain type to other datatypes, usually for billing purposes. They are used mostly by telephone companies, who typically need to process UDRs (Usage Detail Records). (BMP (1) (BitMaP) Also known as a "bump" file, it is the native, bitmapped graphics format in Windows. A BMP can be saved in several color options: 1-, 4-, 8- and 24-bit color provide 2, 16, 256 and 16,000,000 colors respectively. BMP files use the .BMP or . ). The BMP, which will be tightly integrated into the company's Cohesion(TM) product family, stores and manages critical network traffic data and delivers the information in a form compatible with service providers' existing billing systems, enabling carriers to more rapidly deploy and bill for next-generation services. Convergent Networks licensed the technology for the past year and has it installed in several customer networks. The company also announced the immediate opening of a new research and development center, located in Rutherford, New Jersey Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 18,110. Rutherford was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on September 21, 1881, from portions of Union Township, . This team will initially focus on the continued development of advanced billing and protocol mediation solutions, including TL-1 (transaction layer) support, for the company's Cohesion product family. "By acquiring our own billing mediation platform, we are extending the completeness of our Cohesion packet switching A network technology that breaks up a message into small packets for transmission. Unlike circuit switching, which requires the establishment of a dedicated point-to-point connection, each packet in a packet-switched network contains a destination address. solution," said Sally Bament, vice president, marketing, Convergent Networks. "After an extensive review of the market for these products, it became clear that OpenCon's BMP offered Convergent Networks the best technology and economic fit, enabling us to more effectively support carriers' critical billing needs as they deliver next-generation subscriber services. Having our own BMP provides Convergent Networks with a distinct competitive advantage in the marketplace for next-generation solutions." Convergent Networks' BMP is a flexible data management solution that enables service providers to convert raw data, collected from multiple sources, into useful billing and traffic analysis information. For example, when a telephone call is made, a switch within a carrier's network generates one or more call detail records (CDRs) that provide important descriptive details about the connection, including call origination Call Origination, also known as voice origination, refers to the collecting of the calls initiated by a calling party on a telephone exchange of PSTN, and handing off the calls to a VoIP endpoint or to another exchange or telephone company for completion to a called party. , call destination and identification of the caller. Convergent Networks' Cohesion product suite captures detailed information in its CDRs, which are made available via the BMP to carriers in either industry-standard automatic message accounting Automatic Message Accounting (AMA) provides detail billing for telephone calls. When Direct Distance Dialing (DDD) was introduced in the USA, message registers no longer sufficed for dialed telephone calls. (AMA (Automatic Message Accounting) The recording and reporting of telephone calls within a telephone system. It includes the calling and called parties and start and stop times of the call. ) or customer-specific formats for integration into the carriers' back-end billing and customer information systems. "As packet-based CLASS features and next-generation services, such as presence applications or unified communications The real time redirection of a voice, text or e-mail message to the device closest to the intended recipient at any given time. For example, voice calls to desk phones could be routed to the user's cellphone when required. , are deployed, the complexity of the necessary billing systems will increase," said industry analyst Grier Hansen of Current Analysis. "Convergent Networks will be able to minimize this complexity by delivering a softswitch solution featuring integrated billing mediation functionality. Convergent has created a significant competitive advantage by bringing the development of the billing mediation platform in house." "Convergent Networks understands that service providers want complete next-generation switching solutions that can seamlessly integrate with existing back office systems," said John Barnicle, chief operating officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. of Focal Communications. "By integrating billing mediation into their next-generation switching solution they have demonstrated their commitment to meeting this need. For Focal Communications, this means that we can stay focused on providing our customers reliable, high-quality communications services." About the Cohesion Product Family Convergent Networks' Cohesion product family represents a complete next-generation switching solution, composed of the ICS (1) (Internet Connection Sharing) A Windows feature that enables two or more computers to share one Internet connection. First introduced in Windows 98 Second Edition, sharing is accomplished with network address translation (NAT), which is the common method. 2000(TM) broadband switch, ICServiceWorks(TM) service creation softswitch, ICView(TM) management system and carrier-ready applications, such as a Class 5 feature set. When deployed as a complete solution, the Cohesion product suite represents a packet-based, Class 5 circuit switch alternative, enabling established and emerging carriers to pursue additional revenue opportunities by delivering enhanced voice and integrated data services, such as voice over digital subscriber lines See DSL. (communications, protocol) Digital Subscriber Line - (DSL, or Digital Subscriber Loop, xDSL - see below) A family of digital telecommunications protocols designed to allow high speed data communication over the existing copper telephone lines between end-users and (VoDSL). Using industry standard interfaces, elements of the product family are designed to work together as an integrated total switching solution or can be deployed separately, interworking (standard) interworking - Systems or components, possibly from different origins, working together to perform some task. Interworking depends crucially on standards to define the interfaces between the components. with products from third-party vendors. About Convergent Networks, Inc. Founded in 1998, Convergent Networks is the Voice of Broadband Networking(TM). The company designs, develops and markets carrier-class switching Typically refers to highly reliable TDM-based circuit switches used by the telephone companies. See end office switch and tandem switch. solutions that enable emerging and incumbent carriers to economically deliver innovative broadband services to their business and residential customers. Convergent Networks' Cohesion product family is comprised of three primary elements: the ICS2000 broadband switch, the ICServiceWorks service creation softswitch and the ICView network management system. More information about the company can be found at www.convergentnet.com. Cohesion, ICS2000, ICServiceWorks, ICView, and The Voice of Broadband Networking are trademarks of Convergent Networks. |
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