
US
: KDDI Corp., a leading CDMA2000 mobile operator in Japan, has deployed
Starent Networks' high-performance core network platform for its 1xEV-DO
network at 800 Mhz. The Starent ST16 Intelligent Mobile Gateway is
providing high-speed data services to KDDI's subscribers through its
CDMA 1X WIN broadband service.
KDDI
has the largest CDMA network in Japan with more than 18 million subscribers
and has the most third-generation (3G) subscribers in the country
with over 16.1 million. The Japanese mobile communications market
has long been one of the largest and most progressive, with a projected
$13.4 billion in data revenue for 2004. This makes it the world's
largest market with two to three times the revenue of other leading
countries according to analyst firm Ovum.
KDDI
has built its 1xEV-DO data core network using the Starent Networks'
ST16 Intelligent Mobile Gateway. The nationwide deployment of the
ST16 allows subscribers to access innovative new multimedia services,
achieving data rates peaking at 2.4Mbps while averaging 300-600Kbps.
The services will also be delivered over KDDI's 2.1 GHz spectrum radio
networks.
Subscribers
can quickly interact and download a larger variety of services and
applications. KDDI offers its customers unique services such as Movie
Mail, Photo Mail, EZ Channel (movie program downloads), EZ Web (a
collection of domestic and international Web sites), EZ Chaku-uta
(music distribution and download service), and many others.
"Working
with KDDI is a tremendous opportunity for Starent Networks,"
said Ashraf Dahod, president and CEO of Starent Networks Corp. "It
allows us to experience and deliver some of the world's most compelling
and unique multimedia services to a very sophisticated subscriber
base."
"KDDI
is a dynamic force in the Japanese telecommunications market. It has
clearly defined and branded products which resonate with customers,
and a cohesive technology and portfolio strategy," said Neale
Anderson, Asia Pacific Research Director for Ovum. "KDDI has
vastly increased its share of net subscriber additions over the past
year."
As KDDI
examined potential solutions for their deployment they had a number
of key requirements. These requirements called for a carrier-class
platform capable of offering high-density and seamless scalability,
rapid call transaction rates and powerful throughput. As a top-of-class
solution, the Starent ST16 Intelligent Mobile Gateway met these performance
criteria.
"The
Starent ST16 Intelligent Mobile Gateway is the ideal solution for
a network like KDDI's," said Keisuke Sakamoto, president of Starent
Networks Japan K.K. "With the size of its subscriber base, the
diversity of services offered and the significant amount of traffic
flowing through the data network, KDDI will benefit from Starent's
one-of-a-kind platform."
About
the Starent ST16 Intelligent Mobile Gateway
The Starent
ST16 Intelligent Mobile Gateway is designed to enhance the capabilities
and experience of the mobile subscriber while increasing the carriers'
profitability. The ST16 system fully addresses mobile network requirements,
including multimedia service delivery, mobility, capacity and scalability,
enhanced billing, carrier-class availability and a clear migration
to an all-IP network.
The Starent
ST16 Intelligent Mobile Gateway has become a preferred next-generation
solution for mobile operators worldwide. The system uniquely integrates
voice, data and multimedia to meet the service delivery requirements
of mobile subscribers now and in the future.
Mobile
operators are increasingly looking at deployment of advanced services
such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Push-to-Talk (PTT), PTT
over Cellular (PoC), Voice Instant Messaging, video telephony and
many others. Because these services are highly delay sensitive, they
require key performance characteristics in the network. The ST16 is
ideally suited to meets these requirements as it provides high session
support, Quality of Service (QoS), rapid call transaction processing,
compression services, among others.
Additionally,
with the deployment of new services, mobile operators are looking
to increase their ability to bill for services and network usage in
a flexible manner. The ST16 provides enhanced "user understanding"
opening the way to tiered and detailed billing schemes. Through its
Enhanced Charging Solution (ECS), the ST16 allows operators to bill
on a variety of parameters including: destination, reverse billing,
pre-paid, post-paid, Quality-of-Service-based, application-based and
many others.
The capabilities
of the Starent ST16 Intelligent Mobile Gateway allow mobile operators
to offer services that go beyond current subscriber expectations.