IPX to Provide Secure and Reliable Next Generation Services

    BARCELONA, Spain, February 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Following successful
trials run by the GSM Association (GSMA), international carriers are
preparing to rollout the first commercial IPX(1) services. When IPX is
fully established, it will enable mobile operators and other service
providers to exchange Internet Protocol-based traffic, including both
person-to-person communications and content, securely and with a guaranteed
quality of service.

    Open to any company willing to adopt the necessary technical and
commercial principles, the IPX is a private global IP backbone designed
specifically to provide guaranteed levels of quality of service and
security.

    "The open Internet is a wonderful thing, but when it comes to providing
a guaranteed quality of service, particularly for time-critical services,
there is still a long way to go," said Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology
Officer of the GSMA, the global trade association for the mobile industry.
"By contrast, IPX should guarantee reliable and secure carriage of traffic
between networks because each party involved in transmitting the data
offers a pre-defined service-level agreement."

    In the IPX network, a high level of quality will be maintained because
each party in the transmission chain will have a consistent and enforceable
contract, which will make them responsible for the performance and the
service they provide. IPX networks have been designed to ensure a high
level of security and to provide protection from spam and interference by
remaining separate from the Internet and providing full traceability.

    The GSMA completed the IPX specifications in 2006 and the first phase
of trials of packet voice services over IPX-enabled networks ran from April
2007 to the end of that year. The trials demonstrated that IPX networks can
deliver high-quality, low latency and secure services. Further trials will
be completed in the second quarter of 2008.

    The development of the IPX enjoys broad support from the industry.
Fixed operators, mobile operators and carriers participating in existing or
planned trials include Belgacom ICS, BT, Cable&Wireless, DTAC, Elisa,
France Telecom/Orange, iBasis, Mobilkom, Proximus, T-Com, T-Mobile, Telecom
Italia, Telecom Italia Sparkle, Telefonica/O2, Telefonica IWS, Telekom
Austria, Telenor, Telenor Global Services, TeliaSonera, TeliaSonera
International Carrier, Telus, Telecom New Zealand, Telecom New Zealand
InternationalI, Vipnet, Vodafone and Teleglobe/VSNL.

    About the GSMA:

    The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade association representing
more than 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 218 countries and
territories of the world. In addition, more than 200 manufacturers and
suppliers support the Association's initiatives as key partners.

    The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless
services work globally and are easily accessible, enhancing their value to
individual customers and national economies, while creating new business
opportunities for operators and their suppliers. The Association's members
serve more than 2.5 billion customers - 85% of the world's mobile phone
users.

    (1) IP eXchange

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