Oi Selects F5 Diameter Signaling Solution

Major Latin America telecommunications company taps F5 Traffix Signaling Delivery Controller to manage its LTE network signaling and enable roaming

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, BARCELONA – F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) announced today that Oi selected the F5®Traffix™ Signaling Delivery Controller™ (SDC™) to meet the Diameter signaling management demands of their LTE network.

Signaling serves a crucial function within a telecommunications network’s internal communication system. For 4G/LTE, signaling is based on the Diameter protocol, with agents that control LTE device (smartphones, tablets, etc.) communications. Each user action (such as web browsing, sending photos, or downloading videos) generates signaling messages that traverse the network. To streamline the user experience and achieve optimum LTE network performance, these communications require management and resource prioritization.

Given the Diameter protocol’s essential role in modern data networks, the efficient handling of signaling traffic is an important element of F5’s offerings for service providers, and of the company’s goal to help mobility clients maintain optimal network performance. Innovative Diameter signaling solutions such as the F5 Traffix SDC provide telecommunications operators the information they need to employ user-specific management policies, perform user device authentication, and efficiently manage network performance. Additionally, users can configure the Diameter protocol as a Diameter Edge Agent to enable global roaming services.
 

F5 Traffix SDC Deployed by Organizations Worldwide

“F5’s signaling solutions have been deployed by more than 30 operators around the world,” said Tom Carter, VP of Worldwide Sales, Carriers and Service Providers at F5 Networks. “We view this as a result of F5 offering the most mature routing, load distribution, and Diameter signaling capabilities on the market.”

“F5 technology can help us fully control and manage our LTE network, and also ensure interoperability between legacy systems and other telecommunications environments,” said Pedro Falcão, Director of Network Development and Engineering at Oi. “Our aim is to ensure the continuous quality of user services, and looking ahead, to be ready for the kinds of peak demand that the market will surely see during large events like the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Games in Rio.”
 

Signaling Volume Increasing Dramatically

The rollout of LTE networks has led to massive increases in network traffic. In turn, each LTE-enabled device adds demands on signaling as well. The F5 Traffix SDC ensures the delivery of signaling volumes, regardless of the operators’ LTE core network equipment. Additionally, with its wide range of interoperability, the SDC solution enables roaming operations with optimum security, even between telecommunications operators that use different technologies and vendors for services.

“Many users keep certain applications available 24/7,” added Carter. “We see this frequently with social media sites like Facebook. The demand is virtually constant. With the F5 Traffix SDC solution, Oi will be much better equipped to handle this type of demand while continuing to deliver high-performing applications.”

F5 will be exhibiting its service provider technologies in Hall 5 Stand 5G11 at this year’s Mobile World Congress event, taking place February 24–27 in Barcelona.
 

About Oi

Oi is a pioneer in providing convergent services in Brazil, offering local and long-distance voice transmission, mobile phones, broadband and pay TV. Oi is present throughout the country. In September 2013, the company had 74.8 million Revenue Generating Units (RGU). From this total, 47.3 million were in the Personal Mobile segment, 18.3 million in the Residential segment, 8.5 million in the Business/Corporate segment, and 657,000 Phones of Public Utility (PPU).

For the fifth consecutive year, Oi is part of the Corporate Sustainability Index of BM&FBOVESPA, reflecting the company’s commitment to social responsibility and the adoption of sustainable management practices. The company is also part of the Carbon Efficient Index of BM&FBOVESPA for the fourth consecutive year. In 2013, Oi became part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index portfolio in the Emerging Markets category.

Oi’s social responsibility institute, Oi Futuro, supports education, sustainability, sports, and cultural projects to actively create opportunities all around Brazil. For more information, go to www.oi.com.br, www.oi.com.br/ri, and www.oifuturo.org.br.

F5 claims no affiliation with or any endorsement or funding by: the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB), the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of any other country, the Olympic Games, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) or the FIFA World Cup.

About F5

F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV) makes apps go faster, smarter, and safer for the world’s largest businesses, service providers, governments, and consumer brands. F5 delivers cloud and security solutions that enable organizations to embrace the application infrastructure they choose without sacrificing speed and control. For more information, go to f5.com. You can also follow @f5networks on Twitter or visit us on LinkedIn and Facebook for more information about F5, its partners, and technologies.

F5 is a trademark or service mark of F5 Networks, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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