Telcos have to move from a bit-pipe model to a revenue-generating services model. 3GPP evolved its mobile network architecture to meet these requirements and introduced the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) to enable Web-like services and business model in the telephony world.

IMS introduces architecture and new protocols allowing the Telecom carriers and content providers to bring attractive new services to their customers. Such protocols are namely SIP for Signalling and Diameter for Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA).

In the IMS network and services architecture, Diameter and SIP are natively implemented:

• In IMS network elements supplied by Network Equipment Providers (NEP), like Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Call Session Control Function (CSCF), Media Resource Function (MRF).
• In Telecom Application Servers (AS) that can be provided either by NEPs, dedicated telecom to software publisher or custom developed with Java application servers.
• In the IMS nodes close to the OSS and BSS functions dealing with authorization and charging (mediation, rating, billing, policy server,…).

IMS Domain

The MARBEN™ IMS Solutions address the needs of the IMS market players by providing them with key software to interface their equipments or applications to the IMS and NGN control plane. This product line encompasses two classes of products:

• MARBEN™ Diameter stacks
  
  

  MARBEN™ Diameter stacks are fast, robust and efficient implementations of the Diameter Protocol and more than 15 of the Diameter based interfaces specified by standard bodies involved in the IMS and NGN design (see product features). There are two Diameter stack products:

  • MARBEN™ C++ Diameter, a pure C++ performance oriented implementation of the Diameter protocol and its interfaces.

  • MARBEN™ Java Diameter, a native Java implementation targeted at the increasing number of telecom products developed and running in a native Java environment. It extends the benefits of the Java experience to the use of the Diameter protocol, especially in bringing platform independence, easy development and extensibility.

  MARBEN™ Diameter stacks are ready-to-integrate software that will allow you to rapidly tick the Diameter conformance item of the IMS architecture requirements. Their high level object oriented APIs make it possible to add Diameter Authorization or Accounting with minimal development effort. It will help you considerably reduce the time to market of your IMS product which is a crucial advantage in the fast moving and highly competitive IMS market.

• MARBEN™ HSS Emulator
  
  

  MARBEN™ HSS Emulator is an end-user easy to use IMS test enabling tool implementing HSS functions. With MARBEN™ HSS Emulator IMS/NGN service developers or IMS solution integrators can equip their testing environment with a powerful, complete, IMS standard compliant Authentication and profile management server offering extended debugging help at a fraction of the cost of a commercial HSS.