
The above
illustration shows how an existing NML application is made service
oriented and integration ready by applying Artix. For example, if
the NML application was originally designed to offer a CORBA interface
to other applications, it can now non-invasively offer the same interface
over a range of different transports and protocols.
Europe
: IONA(R) Technologies, a world leader in high-performance
integration solutions for mission-critical IT environments, today
announced that 3 Italy, the Mobile Video Company of Hutchinson Whampoa
Group Ltd (HWL), has selected IONA's Artix(TM) to help achieve interoperability
between the wireless provider's multiple packaged and home-grown middleware
systems. The resulting infrastructure will better enable 3 Italy to
leverage its IT assets to support the introduction of new offerings
and customer service initiatives.
3 Italy was the first provider to launch UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications
System) services in Europe and its goal is to become the leading provider
of UMTS services in the Italian market. Critical to 3's strategy is
its ability to introduce new 3G services while optimising network
performance and maintaining a high quality of service. 3 selected
Artix for its high performance, small footprint and integrated security
capabilities. These qualities allow 3 to integrate disparate systems
with its existing IT infrastructure, while satisfying high-volume
transaction requirements and maintaining the highest quality of service.
"The very
nature of a carrier's infrastructure is complex," said Georges
Perez, CTO, 3 Italy. "It may include switches from different
suppliers, multiple legacy customer databases, subscriber authentication
systems and billing platforms. It can require enormous labor and maintenance
resources to ensure smooth operation. By using a platform-independent
and standards-based integration solution like Artix, we plan to reduce
the overall complexity of our IT infrastructure while at the same
time leveraging it to build and deploy new business applications."
With an increasingly
competitive telecommunications landscape, operators are constantly
seeking to improve their average revenue per user (ARPU) through the
introduction of new services, such as those based on third generation
(3G) mobile telecommunications. However, the introduction of new services
needs to be achieved in tandem with the management of those service
offerings within existing IT systems.
"As telecommunications
operators continue to expand the service offerings to their customers,
the IT environment that supports those services has become increasingly
complex," said Chris Horn, CEO and co-founder, IONA Technologies.
"Artix is expressly designed to help telecommunications carriers
connect their many existing systems to their chosen common infrastructure.
This makes it easy for them to create new service offerings that can
be seamlessly and securely integrated and managed within existing
IT environments."
About IONA
For more than
a decade, IONA(R) Technologies (NASDAQ: IONA) has been a world leader
in delivering high performance integration solutions for enterprise
IT environments. IONA pioneered standards-based integration with its
CORBA-based Orbix(R) product family. The Artix(TM) product family,
IONA's new generation of integration solutions, enables existing enterprise
systems to be integrated with an organization's common infrastructure
components. Customers use Artix to incorporate existing mission-critical
systems into new business applications through an enterprise-class
standards-based connection.
With its partners,
IONA can deliver NOW on the promise of service-oriented integration,
making it possible for customers to achieve system longevity and agility
at a significantly lower cost.
IONA's customers
include Global 2000 companies in telecommunications, financial services,
aerospace, and manufacturing, including AT&T, Verizon, BellSouth,
Deutsche Telekom, British Telecom, Hong Kong Telecom, NTT, Credit
Suisse, Merrill Lynch, Winterthur Insurance, Zurich Insurance and
Boeing.