Making a Smooth Transition to the Next-Generation Network
No longer a futuristic concept, nearly every major service provider worldwide, across segments, is pursuing IP-based Next-Generation Networks (IP NGNs). These networks are critical for service providers to provide current and future services, increase infrastructure efficiencies, and enable the value-added network and service control that carriers need to support competitive differentiation and the profitability for long-term success.
With its global commitment to service providers, massive investment in innovation, unmatched IP expertise, and comprehensive approach to both the network and business needs of its customers, Cisco is focused on helping service providers make this journey to the IP NGN as quickly, smoothly, and profitably as their goals dictate.
The Cisco IP NGN architecture is focused around three primary areas of convergence that are already well established in service provider networks today:
- Application convergence: Where a profusion of new capabilities and end-user devices can provide a multitude of new service opportunities for carriers.
- Service convergence: Where application and subscriber-level service control intelligence is needed for efficient and profitable delivery of mobile voice, video, and data services. Through the Service Exchange Framework, Cisco supports IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architectures and session initiation protocol (SIP) services as well as non-SIP multimedia services.
- Network convergence: Where disparate networks need to be brought together over a more efficient and cost-effective common infrastructure.
