Delivering Innovative Signaling and Routing Control Solutions: NetNumber

“NetNumber delivers innovative NFV solutions that enable carriers to deploy next-generation services with lower Opex investment, while easing the transition from legacy to IP networks and managing the ever-increasing signaling load brought on by new devices and new services on the network.”

The security of the signaling network is at risk today due to several factors, including new telecom operators requiring mobile roaming interconnection and the use of femtocells with direct signaling access. With up to 20-30 billion network connected devices, applications and sensors predicted by 2020, the Internet of Things (IoT) represents a critical challenge for operators in terms of signaling and security. The very high level of authentication and registration events, signaling traffic bursts, unpredictable effects of these unmanaged devices, complex network interconnection scenarios, and possible hostile hacker attacks all pose real threats to networks supporting IoT traffic. Telecom operators need a highly secure signaling architecture protected by a robust multi-protocol signaling firewall as delivered in NetNumber TITAN to address these challenges.

NetNumber brings 16 years of experience delivering innovative signaling and routing control solutions that enable carriers to accelerate implementation of new services across multiple generations of networks, while dramatically simplifying the core network and reducing operating costs. The company recently announced the industry’s most comprehensive multi-protocol signaling firewall on its TITAN Centralized Signaling and Routing Control (CSRC) platform.

Smarter Signaling for Faster IP Services Delivery
NetNumber was founded in 1999 with the goal of simplifying the migration of SS7/C7 signaling to next-generation signaling while enabling service providers to continue to use telephone numbers to identify subscribers. As networks evolve to handle new digital services, the signaling requirements are changing. The signaling infrastructure must support the next generation IP and other new services enabled by DIAMETER, while also interworking with legacy protocols SS7, ENUM/DNS and SIP. This is a top priority for carriers. NetNumber TITAN is transforming how carriers architect their core networks for next-generation services. A centralized signaling and routing control (CSRC) platform that supports many network functions, such as TITAN, best enables a carrier to get to market faster, reduce OPEX investment, and increase customer services.

The company’s expertise in the signaling space is a key differentiator, as well as its single platform approach, and the ability to add new virtualized network functions as needed. NetNumber enables carriers to accelerate the implementation of new services across multiple generations of networks, while dramatically simplifying the core network and reducing operating costs.

NetNumber TITAN
NetNumber TITAN plays a unique role in simplifying the core of the network and reducing the negative impact of signaling traffic. TITAN is the only platform to deliver SS7/C7, SIGTRAN, ENUM, DNS, SIP, RADIUS and DIAMETER services on the same signaling control infrastructure. Carriers deploy this single, common platform and add virtualized network functions as needed. Centralized provisioning and management have been combined in the TITAN platform, and a powerful distributed, in-memory database enables all signaling processing to happen at the optimal location in the network. By dramatically reducing network complexity, TITAN helps operators reduce the time to deliver new services to their customers. Specifically, carriers can benefit from deploying TITAN in the following ways:

• Accelerate Migration to Next Generation Services: TITAN enables smooth interworking with legacy signaling management services and protocols during the transition to a next-generation network.

• Increase Service Agility: TITAN provides a programmable service logic execution environment accelerating time to market for new service control functions and customer-defined service logic on a call-by-call basis.

• Mitigate Signaling Surges: TITAN utilizes dynamic service chaining techniques to combine scalable database services (HSS, PCRF, LRF) with DIAMETER signaling-control (DSC, DRA, SLF) to eliminate up to 67% of DIAMETER signaling traffic. Other DIAMETER vendors can only help to “manage the signaling” surge. TITAN eliminates more than half of traffic with real-time distribution of policy and/or subscriber data to the edge of the network.

• Reduce Operating Costs: TITAN is deployed as a common infrastructure for all signaling control services and database functions (HSS, NP, LCR, PCRF, etc.).

Clientele
The company serves more than 150 customers comprising mobile and fixed carriers, operators and intermediaries around the globe. To serve these customers, NetNumber has headquarters in the US and the Netherlands, and sales and architecture satellite offices in over 25 cities around the globe. As carriers are transitioning rapidly to converged network architectures led by VoLTE and DIAMETER, NetNumber is positioned to be a solution provider of choice around the globe.

Client Case Studies and Feedback

• CETIN, or Czech Telecommunications Infrastructure, the leading infrastructure-based telecommunications service provider in Central Europe, selected NetNumber TITAN to help enable delivery of voice services to its customers across the region. CETIN chose TITAN to provide them with an advanced STP application in a multi-protocol signaling control platform that easily integrates into their core network and supports the migration to next-generation capabilities. “After carefully looking at the market of available STP vendors, we chose NetNumber and its TITAN Platform because of the best combination of technical and commercial conditions as well as offered flexibility during implementation and future platform development,” said Vladimir Filip, director, Core Network from CETIN.

• British Telecommunications (BT), one of the world’s leading communications services companies, has expanded the deployment of NetNumber TITAN in its converged network to deliver new and enhanced services to customers in the UK and in more than 170 countries worldwide. As Stephen Sherry, head of Signaling, Messaging and Numbering at BT said, “BT has been working with NetNumber for several years to support our next-generation network. TITAN plays a unique role in simplifying the core of our network and reducing the negative impact of signaling traffic. By drastically reducing network complexity, TITAN helps us reduce the time to deliver new services to our customers.”

Future Outlook
IoT will result in an explosion of devices. Carrier networks today are not architected to handle efficiently the additional signaling load expected from billions of devices. Additionally, these devices will have much lower price points than traditional data, voice and video services. NetNumber provides a common software platform that virtualizes all signaling functions, dramatically simplifying the core network and enabling carriers to offload less financially valued IoT traffic to where it can be handled most efficiently and not put higher-revenue producing traffic at risk. Recently announced multi-protocol signaling firewall and authentication features in the NetNumber TITAN platform protect the network core against current and emerging security threats.

Knowing the Masterminds

Douglas Ranalli, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer
Douglas is a serial entrepreneur having created three successful startup businesses in his career. He is the author of six communications related patents and is the subject of several case studies developed by the Harvard Business School that are utilized by MBA programs around the world. Douglas holds an engineering degree from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard.

Brad Boston, President and CEO
Brad brings more than thirty years of relevant industry experience to this role. He is a recognized team builder and leader, known for his business acumen and technological innovation. Brad has successfully managed organizations well known for harnessing technology for enhanced services, productivity gains and competitive advantage. He joined Cisco in August 2001 as Chief Information Officer, and held key executive level positions during his tenure before retiring in late 2012. Brad most recently served as Senior Vice President of Cisco Global Government Solutions Group and Corporate Security Programs. He also has held executive positions at Corio, Sabre Computer Services, American Express, Visa, United Airlines/Covia and at American National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago, where he began his career. Brad holds a B.S. in Computer Science from University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.