Ken Lee's Blog tag:dev2dev.bea.com,2008:/blog/jusmagk//53 2008-04-07T20:57:10Z Movable Type 3.31 <![CDATA[SDPs need Web-Telecom convergence for next-gen "communi-tainment" devices and services]]> http://dev2dev.bea.com/blog/jusmagk/archive/2008/04/sdps_need_webte.html 2008-04-07T20:53:13Z 2008-04-07T20:57:10Z Network operators and service providers need to evolve their current generation of Service Delivery Platforms (SDP) to converge Web and Telecom domains in order to adequately address the booming demand for "communi-tainment" (communication-entertainment) devices and services from Internet and Web 2.0-savvy end users. jusmagk Network operators and service providers need to evolve their current generation of Service Delivery Platforms (SDP) to converge Web and Telecom domains in order to adequately address the booming demand for "communi-tainment" (communication-entertainment) devices and services from Internet and Web 2.0-savvy end users.

Market Trend: Telecom-only NGN services are not enough

In the course of my job, I travel frequently (some would say way too frequently) to many different countries worldwide, in order to support key customers, and partners in their evaluations, and implementations of next-generation services layer infrastructure in their SDP and NGN architectures.  Most, if not all, major network operators, whether they operate fixed, mobile or cable networks, have started to make significant investments towards evolving their existing SDPs to a next-generation architecture, which is primarily based on IP technologies and standards such as SIP, SOA and increasingly, Web 2.0.

Also, I see that operators are continuing to make significant investments in building-out next-generation networks, based on IMS, or in some cases, just SIP.  I have seen first-hand the continued operator demand worldwide, with some rolling out initial commercial deployments, of NGN services based on IMS and SIP, to realize that the market for NGN, and NGN-based services, are very much real.  These investments in SDP and NGN are tightly-coupled with operator demand for associated SDP/NGN middleware infrastructures, to allow for rapid service creation and execution, efficient service integration, orchestration and management, and flexible service exposure capabilities.

Based on my customer interactions, one thing is clear.  Telecom-only services, whether they are VoIP telephony or conferencing, or whether they are SIP/IMS-based messaging or video telephony services, are not resulting in wide-scale consumer adoption of these services, and thereby the desired increases in ARPU and ROI.  Whether the operator is in APAC or EMEA or Americas, the current portfolio of NGN services are focused on IM/presence, video telephony/sharing, VoIP, conferencing, group lists, or a combination of these features.  For mobile operators, the lack of SIP/IMS-enabled handsets, or 3G/WiFi handsets, are delaying service launches.

Emergence of "Communi-tainment" devices and services

At the same time, consumer end-users are flocking by the millions to Web 2.0-based Internet social networks and communities, and to user-friendly consumer "communi-tainment" (i.e. communication and entertainment) devices, such as the Apple iPhone.  Samsung and LG have recently publicly launched similar touch-based, consumer-friendly devices which provide "communi-tainment" capabilities.  What social networking communities and "communi-tainment" devices have in common is the ability to easily create and share multi-media user-created content (MM-UCC), and the ability to communicate and discuss with their social networks about their MM-UCC.

In order for operators and service providers to meet this largely unmet consumer demand, it is clear that offering mobile devices which cannot converge the Web and Telecom experiences into a single application/service is going to be a significant challenge to capturing this next-gen "communi-tainment" end-user.  Not only do fixed-mobile devices need to transform, but a fundamental evolution in the SDPs which support NGN-fixed-mobile-broadband access networks is required as well.  The key to this evolution towards a next-gen SDP is the integration of Web and SOA middleware together with Telecom middleware, thereby creating a converged Web-Telecom services layer.

Need for Web and Telecom convergence in the "killer Service Delivery Platforms (SDP)"

In other words, operators and service providers must now think of new services, and the associated business models, in the context of Web and Telecom, and not just Telecom and NGN.  IMS and NGN services need to integrate fully and comprehensively with Web-based services, thereby embedding Telecom capabilities to Web 2.0-based Internet social networks and communities.  Likewise, Internet social networks and communities need to extend their large user bases with high value-add Telecom and NGN features, such as IM, presence, conferencing, group lists, location, etc.

"Communi-tainment" devices, whether they are fixed or mobile, can also better serve their end-users when the device's Internet, Web 2.0 and RIA (Rich Internet Application) capabilities can be tightly integrated and combined with the device's inherent 3G/WiFi communication capabilities.  And as the telecom and Internet networks evolve to 4G and WiMax, the benefits of the converged Web and Telecom will become even more pronounced.

Also, mobile communication device manufacturers need to begin realizing that the definition of "mobile" and "communication device" is also transforming.  High-end gaming devices, televisions, automobiles, audio/video entertainment devices, and much more, will increasingly be connected to fixed and mobile broadband Internet services, combined with IP communication capabilities.  The concept of "communi-tainmennt" is are being realized by many non-telecom "device" manufacturers.

I strongly believe that network operators and service providers have an enormous business and market opportunity to provide the most "killer SDP" to as many "communi-tainment" devices worldwide, where the consumer end-users are not looking for a single killer application, but rather, a collection of killer services and features, which brings together the best of the Web domain with the Telecom domain, into the simplest, most friendly, user experience possible, regardless of whether the access was over fixed, mobile, broadband or satellite networks.

]]> BEA WebLogic Communication Platform Products Ideal for Mobile Operators Supporting iPhone and Google Phone http://dev2dev.bea.com/blog/jusmagk/archive/2007/11/bea_weblogic_co_1.html 2007-11-06T22:15:52Z 2007-11-06T22:15:59Z As consumers increasingly adopt data-service-centric mobile infotainment-communication devices, such as Apple iPhone or the forthcoming "Google Phone", mobile operators will need to prepare their Service Delivery Platforms (SDP) to be able to support the rich, multimedia, multi-party communication, collaboration, and entertainment services envisioned for devices such as iPhone and "Gphone". jusmagk
The operator's Service Delivery Platform (SDP) needed to support the networked, multimedia entertainment and collaboration services on devices such as the Google Phone or iPhone will require an evolution to an IP-based infrastructure, for service creation and execution, as well as service exposure. Mobile operators will greatly benefit by evolving their existing SDPs to a next-generation architecture, based on SIP, Web Services, and SOA.

This SDP evolution process will translate into greater demand for IP-based, convergent NGN-SDP middleware products, such as the BEA WebLogic Communications Platform (WLCP) family of products. BEA WebLogic SIP Server will be a key anchor element within the mobile carrier's SDP, as the key converged Web-telecom application creation, deployment and execution environment. Applications developed on WebLogic SIP Server can seamlessly integrate with Web-based applications, and also integrate with mobile telecom networks. WebLogic Network Gatekeeper will provide secure, extensible telecom service exposure to developers and partners, as well as SLA enforcement for the entire SDP.

Innovative new communication and infotainment devices will require innovative new services which takes advantage of the new capabilities in these devices. Mobile network operators, who partner with these new device providers, will need to ensure their SDP and network capabilities can be fully leveraged, extended, and customized, to meet the innovation requirements of their device partners.

BEA WebLogic Communications Platform products have been very successful worldwide in helping network operators to manage and strengthen their existing SDPs, such as O2 UK and Vodafone Netherlands. With the proliferation of hybrid infotainment-communication devices such as iPhone and the future Google Phone, the demand for next-generation telecom middleware products such as BEA WebLogic Network Gatekeeper and BEA WebLogic SIP Server will only increase. As the telecom industry's leading NGN-SDP middleware platform, the BEA WebLogic Communications Platform product family is ready to help mobile network operators meet the challenges, and the enormous business opportunities, ]]> Expanding JSR 116 Community in 2007 http://dev2dev.bea.com/blog/jusmagk/archive/2007/06/expanding_jsr_1.html 2007-06-20T07:00:56Z 2007-06-20T07:05:01Z During the 1st half of 2007, the JCP community of JSR 116-compliant, SIP Servlet API 1.0-based J2EE-SIP application servers has increased with the addition of Oracle, Project Sailfin, and Sun. This is a very encouraging development for all vendors of JSR 116-based SIP application servers, as it validates the SIP Servlet programming model for creating converged IT-telecom applications based on SIP. jusmagk BEA WebLogic SIP Server has been the industry's leading converged J2EE-SIP-IMS application server based on the JSR 116 SIP Servlet API 1.0 standard. It has been successfully deployed in commercial telecom networks globally, both in SIP and IMS environments. Since it's initial launch in 2005, BEA WebLogic SIP Server has gained tremendous traction with ISVs porting their applications and services to the BEA SIP servlet container, as well as with key industry-leading network equipment providers (NEP).

Since then, the telecom industry has seen several entrants into the JSR 116-compliant SIP application server market, such as Oracle, IBM, Project Sailfin and Sun. This is a very encouraging development, as it will help to expand the overall market for SIP application servers, as well as increase the number of Java developers building SIP servlet applications. And with Project Sailfin, the community gains an open-source implementation of JSR 116. BEA welcomes the expanding community of JSR 116-compliant vendors.

In February 2007, Oracle announced their JSR 116-compliant, J2EE-SIP application server, called Oracle Communications and Mobility Server (OCMS), which was originally based on their Hotsip acquisition, but is now ported to Oracle Application Server.

In May 2007, Sun and Ericsson announced the contribution of Ericsson's JSR 116 implementation into the open-source J2EE project called Project Glassfish. Their jointly developed JSR 116 implementation will be called Project Sailfin, and Sun announced their plans to create a commercial JSR 116-compliant product based on Sailfin, to be called Sun Java System Communications Application Server.

At the same time, the 1st half of 2007 has seen some consolidation occurring in the JSR 116 market, resulting in the pooling of limited financial resources for smaller vendors. In January 2007, Avaya acquired Ubiquity Software (which in turn was acquired by private equity firm Silver Lake and TPG). In June 2007, Aepona acquired Appium, thereby gaining a JSR 116 container in the process.

As the JSR 116 community continues to grow, consolidate and mature, BEA will benefit from the enlarged market for J2EE-SIP application servers and increased SIP servlet developers. And BEA WebLogic SIP Server will continue to deliver the industry's most innovative, differentiated, and comprehensive J2EE-SIP-IMS application server, which operators, NEPs and ISVs continue to adopt worldwide.
]]> New entrants validate BEA WLCP's industry leadership http://dev2dev.bea.com/blog/jusmagk/archive/2006/04/new_entrants_va.html 2006-04-28T01:02:21Z 2006-09-12T20:56:19Z

More than a year after BEA launched the industry's first converged IT-telecom services layer platform called BEA WebLogic Communications Platform (WLCP), and the industry's first converged JavaEE-SIP-IMS application server in BEA WebLogic SIP Server, the market is beginning to see vendor consolidations, and new market entrants, such as Oracle and IBM. jusmagk
Since then, BEA WLCP has experienced significant customer traction, and commercial product deployments, from network operators, network equipment providers (NEP), and partners on a global basis. Smaller niche ISVs who had been in the market prior to the launch of BEA WLCP, are struggling financially and strategically to compete to be selected as the services container platform standard for the next-generation IMS network deployments.

As other major JavaEE platform vendors such as Oracle acquires some of these small, niche ISVs, and announces their own JavaEE-SIP application servers, and IT-telecom convergence platforms, it highlights the fact that not only are they attempting to emulate the market success of BEA WLCP and BEA WebLogic SIP Server, but it also serves to validate the market leadership BEA WLCP has been providing to the rest of the industry for the last year. By delivering successive iterations of BEA WebLogic SIP Server and BEA WebLogic Network Gatekeeper, and by announcing real-world, commercial deployments of BEA WLCP products, BEA WLCP has shown the small, niche ISVs, as well as the larger JavaEE platform vendors, that the markets for converged IT-telecom network solutions based on Java EE, Telecom Web Services, SIP servlets, policy enforcement and partner management are real, are global, and are growing rapidly.

The announcements of Oracle SDP (as well as their acquisitions of Hotsip, Net4Call), and IBM's support for JSR 116 SIP servlets in the next version of WebSphere Application Server (WAS), serve to validate the BEA WLCP technology and product vision and strategies. But whereas BEA WLCP is based on the telecom industry's most-widely deployed and used JavaEE server, BEA WebLogic Server, Oracle SDP, IBM WAS and IBM WES-T are based on JavaEE containers which have not yet been proven within the telecom network, such as JBoss, IBM WAS, and Oracle Application Server 10g.

These announcements also highlight the fact that neither Oracle SDP nor IBM WAS & WES-T provide the integrated, full capabilities delivered by BEA WLCP. BEA WLCP continues to be the industry's only integrated IT-telecom convergence platform based on the combined capabilities of Java EE, SIP servlets, ISC, Diameter, Telecom Web Services, SOA, policy enforcement, and partner management, thereby enabling customers to get to increased revenue more quickly, and more cost effectively.]]> Oracle Buys Non-SIP Servlet Compliant, JBoss-based Hotsip http://dev2dev.bea.com/blog/jusmagk/archive/2006/02/oracle_buys_non.html 2006-02-16T07:02:43Z 2006-09-12T20:56:17Z Oracle announced it's entrance into the SIP application server market by purchasing a non-SIP Servlet compliant, open-source JBoss-based product in Hotsip M2CE. Given that open-source application servers such as JBoss have not seen adoption by the telecom network operators, their prospects for carrier adoption looks cloudy. jusmagk As this community continues to grow, it becomes even more important for telecom network operators, as well as enterprise customers, to be able to expect a Java community standard for developing, deploying and managing converged HTTP-SIP applications. Currently, the Java community standard for developing and deploying SIP applications is the SIP Servlet API, specified in JSR 116. And the next iteration of this standard is being led by BEA as JSR 289. The SIP Servlet standard is especially important for the Java developer community looking to develop new applications to enable next-generation communication services.

So it is interesting that Oracle has acquired a non-SIP Servlet compliant SIP application server in Hotsip. Hotsip has implemented a version of the SIP servlet specification which is not compliant to JSR 116, and which they call SIP Handlet APIs. This means that the future Oracle SIP application server will require developers, partners, and service providers to create non-standards based applications which can only work with Oracle's platform. For service providers, this means the need to foster and sustain a separate SIP Handlet developer community which can only be used with the Oracle SIP platform.

Another interesting aspect of Oracle's Hotsip acquisition is their underlying Java EE platform, JBoss Application Server. Instead of creating a SIP servlet container integrated with the Oracle Application Server OC4J container, Oracle has opted for an open-source Java EE platform as their SIP application server. Given that telecom network operators have not adopted open-source software to run their business-critical telecom network and services layers, it's very unclear what level of traction JBoss will see in the telecom network.

As the telecom network operators look to implement next-generation IP network infrastructures based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architecture, they are increasingly looking for a standards-based services layer infrastructure to layer above their IMS network layers. And when it comes to SIP-based IMS service infrastructure, operators are looking towards commercial-grade Java EE platforms which implement the SIP Servlet APIs and programming model, such as BEA WebLogic SIP Server.

It remains to be seen whether operators will decide to put signficant investmenst into non-standards based SIP programming models, such as SIP Handlets, and non-carrier grade, open-source Java EE platforms such as JBoss Application Server, to form the foundation of their strategic deployments of IMS-based next-generation networks.]]> BEA WebLogic Communications Platform Center on dev2dev http://dev2dev.bea.com/blog/jusmagk/archive/2006/02/bea_weblogic_co.html 2006-02-16T05:56:35Z 2006-09-12T20:56:17Z

BEA launches the BEA WebLogic Communications Platform Developer Center on dev2dev to support and advance the adoption of SIP and SIP servlet application development. jusmagk BEA is also making the industry's first integrated Java EE-SIP application server, BEA WebLogic SIP Server, available for free on a limited evaluation license from the BEA WebLogic Communications Platform Product Center.

It is widely accepted that SIP has the tremendous potential and opportunity to evolve the HTTP-based Internet to a converged HTTP-SIP model, where real-time, interactive, multi-party, multi-media capabilities can be all leveraged within a single Web application. For developers, the innovation and creativity around buiding converged HTTP-SIP applications using the Java EE platform has yet to be fully realized, and the BEA WebLogic Communications Platform products are designed to help facilitate this innovation creation process which awaits the IT and telecom industries.

The Java community's standard for developing SIP applications has been defined as SIP Servlets in JSR 116, and BEA has taken the spec leadership role for the next version of the SIP Servlet APIs in JSR 289. More information about this draft JSR can be found at: http://jcp.org/en/jsr/detail?id=289.]]> SIP is for MMoIP (Multi-Media over IP) http://dev2dev.bea.com/blog/jusmagk/archive/2005/09/sip_is_for_mmoi.html 2005-09-28T08:34:40Z 2006-09-12T20:56:14Z

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is commonly referred to as a Voice over IP (VoIP) protocol, or sometimes even as a "telco" protocol. These are inaccurate statements about SIP, which is an Internet protocol, as set forth by the Internet standards body, IETF. And SIP has nothing to do with any specific type of media, such as voice, since SIP is entirely media agnostic. jusmagk The promise and strength of SIP is not VoIP, but rather something much larger than broader than voice services over the Internet. Because SIP is media-type agnostic, by leveraging the existing Internet standard called RTP, or Realtime Transport Protocol. Once SIP is used to establish a communication session between two or more endpoints, the media channels established among the various endpoints all run over RTP.

And because RTP is media agnostic, SIP User Agents and applications can send and receive any type of multimedia content, making SIP into a Multi-Media over IP protocol.

In the press, there have been VoIP related acquisitions, such as eBay and Skype (who do not provide an industry standard implementation), as well as new SIP-based services, or intent for new services. The industry trend towards adding voice-enabled IM capabilities to their existing IP network services will be interesting initial steps towards a much larger business value proposition.

]]> Turbo SIP Performance: WebLogic SIP Server on Intel and JRockit http://dev2dev.bea.com/blog/jusmagk/archive/2005/09/turbo_sip_perfo.html 2005-09-28T08:17:06Z 2006-09-12T20:56:14Z BEA WebLogic SIP Server running on Intel Xeon and BEA JRockit JVM has generated industry-leading SIP performance benchmarks, exceeding 12 million busy hour call attempts (BHCA), with low SIP message processing latency of under 40 milli-seconds. Industry norms for call processing are 1M BHCA, and under 200 ms message processing latency. jusmagk BEA, in cooperation with Intel, have produced SIP message and call processing performance benchmarks which have blown-away industry norms for busy hour call attempts (BHCA), and message processing latency.

Using BEA's SIP application server, BEA WebLogic SIP Server, and running it on Intel Xeon blade servers running Red Hat Linux on the BEA JRockit JVM, BEA and Intel have posted SIP performance benchmarks of well over 10M BHCA, which translates to 500 calls per second, while retaining low SIP message processing latency of under 40msec. This compares with industry norms of handling 1M BHCA per node, while processing messages in less than 200msec.

As developers and telecom network operators deploy SIP and IMS based new services, it is critical that the SIP and IMS network architects take into consideration the performance issues as more and more complex, converged IT-telecom applications are brought to market. And as operators plan out an IMS-based network architecture, it's critical for them to size their respective markets separately, and be able to do effective subscriber as well as network capacity planning. Larger the capacity requirements, the more important the WebLogic SIP Server-like performance numbers become more attractive, and in fact, very business critical to network operators.

]]> SIP Service Logic Programming Models http://dev2dev.bea.com/blog/jusmagk/archive/2005/09/sip_service_log.html 2005-09-20T20:03:51Z 2006-09-12T20:56:14Z BEA WLSS is a SIP Servlet based J2EE-SIP application server. IETF has drafted several programming languages and models which can be used to develop and implement SIP-based service logic which can control a specific SIP message flow, or can react to a SIP message request. The main approaches are: Call Processing Language (CPL), SIP-CGI, and SIP Servlets (JSR 116). jusmagk Application and service logic using the IETF Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) can be developed using any programming language, in general. IETF has drafted 3 programming languages for the implementation of SIP-based service logic: Call Processing Language (CPL), SIP-CGI, and SIP Servlets (JSR 116). SIP-based service logic implies application logic which controls a specific SIP message flow, or reacts to a SIP message request to perform a certain series of transactions, which then results in the creation of one or more SIP message responses. IETF differentiates SIP application programming models between so-called trusted (server-side administrators and developers) and untrusted users (e.g. end-users). CPL is targeted at untrusted users, whereas SIP CGI and SIP Servlets are mainly for trusted users. BEA WebLogic SIP Server is a SIP application server based on the SIP Servlet programming model.

Call Processing Language (CPL) is an XML-based scripting language used to describe and control call services, such as handling SIP INVITE messages. CPL scripts can make determinations on whether an incoming request should be proxied, forwarded, or rejected, and CPL functions are designed to be very restrictive to avoid security and performance problems. Geared towards "untrusted" users, such as inexperienced end-users, CPL is designed to be simple, extensible, and easy to edit using GUI-based clients, allowing end-users to personalize their calls based on call properties, such as time of day, caller, called party, etc. CPL can be implemented on network servers or user agent servers, and is indepedent of operating systems or signaling protocols.

SIP CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripts are derived from the popular World Wide Web HTTP CGI scripts, which has been widely used as the initial means to enable HTTP websites to interact with databases and other applications. SIP CGI scripts are almost identical to HTTP CGI scripts, and as such, is hosted on a server, passing message parameters to other processes via environment variables, and is best suited for applications which contain significant amounts of web components. SIP CGI scripts add key enhancements to HTTP CGI, such as the ability to generate multiple responses, handle multiple requests, and manage complete SIP transactions. CGI scripts are programming language independent.

SIP Servlets is an extension to the J2EE HTTP Servlet APIs and container model, and has become an industry standard specification through the Java Community Process (JCP) as JSR 116, and unlike SIP CGI, is Java language-specific. SIP Servlets are used to develop applications which can process SIP signalling, such as telephony and presence applications. Much like J2EE HTTP Servlets, which are Java applications hosted on web/application servers, providing server-side transaction processing, SIP Servlets are hosted on SIP Servlet-based application servers, and process SIP message flows and requests. Key benefits of using SIP Servlets over SIP CGI for SIP service logic implementation are that servlet APIs are typed, run as a single process, and are portable across SIP Servlet compliant application servers. SIP Servlets are designed to respond to incoming requests, proxy request forward, initiate new requests, and in general, hides the complexities of the SIP protocol from application developers.]]> No SIP app servers from Oracle, IBM, SAP or Sun http://dev2dev.bea.com/blog/jusmagk/archive/2005/09/no_sip_app_serv.html 2005-09-19T19:30:29Z 2006-09-12T20:56:14Z

BEA is the only vendor among the leading J2EE-SOA vendors with an integrated J2EE-SIP application server. jusmagk BEA has a unique competitive advantage over the other J2EE-SOA industry vendors, such as Oracle, IBM, SAP and Sun, by offering the industry's only J2EE-SIP application server in BEA WebLogic SIP Server (WLSS). By doing so, BEA offers customers and developers with a unique platform to created "blended" applications which combine J2EE-SOA-SIP, and for the telecom next-generation networks (NGN), and IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) application server. WLSS provides an industry standards based SIP application server, by integrating a JSR 116 (SIP Servlet API) compliant SIP Servlet container with WebLogic Server, with clustering, fail-over, high performance, and IMS Service Control (ISC) support. Although Oracle and IBM offer SIP support in some of their non-app server products, such as Oracle Collaboration Suite and IBM Lotus, just supporting the SIP stack doesn't equate to having a full-blown SIP application progamming model and container, integrated with an industry-leading J2EE platform. IBM Global Services and IBM Telecom Sales does partner with a WLSS competitor called Ubiquity Software, and there are rumours that IBM may acquire Ubiquity (which IPO'd in London earlier this year). But Ubiquity's product is not based on J2EE, although it is written in Java and also supports JSR 116. Oracle Application Server 10g's OC4J container does not support JSR 116 SIP Servlet API, and has no IMS support. Same applies for SAP NetWeaver Web Application Server and Sun Java System Application Server. Difference between WebLogic Communications Platform and WebLogic SIP Server http://dev2dev.bea.com/blog/jusmagk/archive/2005/09/difference_betw.html 2005-09-11T05:52:36Z 2006-09-12T20:56:13Z WebLogic Communications Platform is a product family, of which WebLogic SIP Server is a part, along with WebLogic Network Gatekeeper. jusmagk It is important to understand that WebLogic Communications Platform is not a product, but rather a product family name, which consists of a SIP application server called WebLogic SIP Server, and a policy-based network access control engine called WebLogic Network Gatekeeper. So WebLogic Communications Platform is a product suite that delivers an application development and deployment platform, together with the ability to provide telco's with fine-grain control of which of these applications can access the carrier's network, and at what levels. The product which enables the development, and deployment of next-generation SIP applications is WebLogic SIP Server. VoIP is one use-case for SIP, but since SIP uses RTP (Realtime Transport Protocol) for it's media channel, this means any type of multimedia content type can be delivered as part of a SIP session. VoIP by mega Internet portals http://dev2dev.bea.com/blog/jusmagk/archive/2005/09/voip_by_mega_in.html 2005-09-09T22:35:53Z 2006-09-12T20:56:13Z AOL, Yahoo, MSN, Google, and now eBay, are jumping into the VoIP services play, but not everyone is using SIP. jusmagk Usage of SIP in the consumer market has centered largely on voice-over-IP (VoIP) services. There are pure-play VoIP service providers like Vonage and Skype (not SIP based). There are fixedline carriers offering VoIP services, like AT&T CallVantage. And now, there are the mega Internet portals and ISPs offering VoIP thru their IM clients. AOL has announced intent to offer video-calling and video IM, based on SIP. MSN and Yahoo are also based on SIP. Google Talk has chosen XMPP has it's IM/presence protocol, but has announced intent to support SIP in the future. Skype, rumored to be acquired by eBay, doesn't use IETF standards such as SIP or XMPP, but use their internal proprietary protocol. Carriers are largely standardizing around SIP for VoIP, and in general, any IP multimedia services. Link to BEA IMS Whitepaper http://dev2dev.bea.com/blog/jusmagk/archive/2005/07/link_to_bea_ims.html 2005-07-12T01:56:12Z 2006-09-12T20:56:11Z BEA IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) whitepaper jusmagk Here is the link to the BEA IMS whitepaper that we distributed at JavaOne 2005, available on bea.com: http://bea.com/content/news_events/white_papers/BEA_IMS_wp.pdf SIP at JavaOne 2005 http://dev2dev.bea.com/blog/jusmagk/archive/2005/07/sip_at_javaone.html 2005-07-12T01:52:00Z 2006-09-12T20:56:11Z Lots of interest in SIP at JavaOne 2005 jusmagk This was the first year that BEA showcased it's SIP application server, BEA WebLogic SIP Server (WLSS) to the Java developer community at JavaOne. SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is an IETF standard for bringing real-time, multiparty, multimedia communication services to the Internet. SIP is the underlying protocol for many of the voice over IP services being launched globally, and it has been adopted by the telecom industry as the underlying session control standard for the next-generation all-IP multimedia network architecture standard specified by 3GPP called IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). There are multiple application programming model options for implementing SIP applications, such as Call Processing Language (CPL), SIP CGI, and SIP Servlet APIs. BEA WLSS implements the SIP Servlet programming model for creating next-generation SIP applications, which has been standardized in the Java Community Process as JSR 116. At JavaOne 2005, BEA showcased SIP Servlets in action by demo'ing two SIP servlet applications running on WLSS: 1) click-to-dial from a contact list, and 2) find-me-follow-me. BEA also featured it's IMS whitepaper, highlighting WLSS and the overall product family, WebLogic Communications Platform (WLCP) in the IMS architecture.