MetaSwitch and SOMA Networks announce at the IP Possibilities Conference & Expo a partnership that provides a proven solution for carriers looking to deploy next generation applications over wireless broadband services. As a result of the partnership’s rigorous interoperability testing, service providers can quickly and confidently deploy VoIP and high speed Internet access to subscribers without requiring access to the incumbent carriers’ local loop facilities.

A key differentiator for the combined solution is that both the SOMA broadband wireless system and MetaSwitch elements integrate native support for VoIP. All MetaSwitch systems are built around an IP switching architecture, while SOMA indoor gateways, which reside in the home or office of the end user, offer an all-in-one device that integrates the functionality of a wireless broadband modem, analog terminal adaptor and Session Initiation Protocol user agent. As a result, no additional gateway hardware or telephone adaptors are required at either the service provider’s or the end user’s premises to enable an end-to-end high-quality voice service.

For carriers operating in rural areas, the solution will be particularly appealing since both SOMA Networks and MetaSwitch have received Rural Utilities Service listing for their products. This means that qualifying rural telephone companies can purchase the end-to-end VoIP switching and broadband wireless system with federally subsidized funds. For 2007, the program budget provides for more than $1 billion in loans and grants for telecommunications and broadband access equipment.

MetaSwitch’s switching and applications solutions build on field-proven open softswitch architecture to deliver deployment flexibility, scalability and carrier-class reliability. Through the use of open protocols and interfaces based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem standards, the MetaSwitch open softswitch architecture is a platform for the future that, crucially, also interoperates with a wide range of legacy equipment deployed in today's carrier networks.

By integrating SOMA's FlexMAX Mobile WiMAX Systems with ecosystem companies such as MetaSwitch, wireless operators that want to offer reliable voice service and other multimedia applications, have the added assurance of high quality of service, scalability, and bandwidth efficiency for VoIP applications over a broadband wireless infrastructure. With an all-IP architecture that supports the Mobile WiMAX 802.16e-2005 standard, the FlexMAX System base stations and subscriber devices and the SoftAir Wireless Multimedia Application System integrate with existing core network applications and infrastructures and provide a business case that ensures rapid payback.