Acme Packet Rolls Out HD Voice - Xtended Reach

Acme Packet® (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, today announced HD Voice - Xtended Reach (HDV-XR), a set of capabilities for its industry-leading Net-Net® session border controllers (SBCs) family that bridge high definition (HD) voice services and applications across IP network borders and ease the transition from standard definition (SD) to HD voice. Support for new HD coder/decoders (codecs) on Acme Packet’s Net-Net 9200 platform delivers the transcoding and transrating flexibility needed by fixed and mobile service providers, as well as enterprises and contact centers, to leverage the new generation of codecs found in audio endpoints such as HD-capable mobile handsets, HD telepresence, and IP phones used in audio conferencing and contact center solutions. Additionally, new codec management functions for Acme Packet’s entire Net-Net SBC family control codec selection and session routing based on codec to optimize subscriber quality of experience.

HD voice features endpoints equipped with wideband coders/decoders (codecs) that deliver CD-quality audio, enabling a much richer communications experience for both wireless and wireline services. Communications-oriented business functions such as audio and video conferencing and customer service can be significantly enhanced by the life-like clarity of HD voice. The high audio quality levels also improve perception in challenging environments such as international phone conversations and noisy venues. Mobile service providers also view HD voice as a driver for the adoption of fixed mobile substitution (FMS), as the single-pair wiring still found in many homes is insufficient for supporting HD phones, many of which require Category 4 wiring or better.

In spite of its promise, delivery of HD voice across IP network borders can be challenging. First, wireline, 3G GSM/UMTS, CDMA and emerging 4G LTE networks each utilize different wideband codec standards. Second, IP networks that support wideband codecs must still be able to communicate with those that do not. Third, calls originated on HD-capable networks are sometimes routed across transit networks that are not HD-capable, leading to degraded voice quality. To address these challenges for VoIP service providers, enterprises and contact centers, Acme Packet’s Net-Net 9200 SBC supports transcoding and transrating for three new codecs:

• G.722 – a wideband codec used in wireline HD VoIP services and applications
• G.722.2 – also known as Adaptive Multirate Wideband (AMR-WB), is the standard codec used for GSM/UMTS-based HD voice services
• EVRC-B – Enhanced Variable Rate Codec Revision B (EVRC-B), a bandwidth-efficient narrowband codec used in CDMA services

Support for these codecs expands the abilities of the Net-Net 9200 SBC to perform wideband-to wideband, as well as wideband-to-narrowband transcoding and transrating in HD-to-HD, as well as HD to non-HD VoIP service and application scenarios. Examples include extending HD VoIP services between HD-capable GSM/UMTS mobile handsets and wired VoIP phones, or peering relationships between service providers who support wideband codecs for HD voice services and those who do not. More specifically, the Net-Net 9200 also supports transcoding and transrating for a broad selection of other wireline and wireless codecs including G.711 a-law & mu-law, G.729a/b, G.729e, G.723.1, G.726, G.728, iLBC, AMR-NB, GSM FR, EVRC-A and EVRC0.

Acme Packet’s HDV-XR, which leverages Net-Net OS across Acme Packet’s Net-Net SBC family, delivers additional features that further assure HD-quality VoIP service across network borders:

• Codec re-ordering elevates wideband codecs to the top of codec preference lists in the Session Description Protocol (SDP) used to set-up of SIP calls. For scenarios where endpoints use the same HD codec, this ensures transcoder-free operation (TrFO) and preserves HD voice communications end-to-end.
• The Net-Net SBC, as well as Acme Packet’s session routing proxy (SRP), the Net-Net Session Router (SR), can route SIP sessions based on the selected codec. If an endpoint uses a wideband codec, the Net-Net SBC or SRP will attempt to route that session over a transit network that ensures it will not be transcoded to a lower quality codec. If the session negotiates the use of a narrowband codec, it is routed along an alternate path configured for standard definition service.

“The increased availability of applications and services that utilize HD voice is one of the more significant trends we’re seeing for service providers and enterprise customers alike,” said Seamus Hourihan, vice president of marketing and product management for Acme Packet. “The ability of our SBCs with HDV-XR to control both standard and high definition VoIP sessions based on codec continues Acme Packet’s leadership in bridging both fixed and mobile communications networks at the forefront of the HD VoIP revolution.”

About Acme Packet

Acme Packet, Inc. (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, enables the delivery of trusted, first-class interactive communications—voice, video and multimedia sessions—and data services across IP network borders. Our Net-Net family of session border controllers, multiservice security gateways and session routing proxies supports multiple applications in service provider, enterprise and contact center networks--from VoIP trunking to hosted enterprise and residential services to fixed-mobile convergence. They satisfy critical security, service assurance and regulatory requirements in wireline, cable and wireless networks; and support multiple protocols--SIP, H.323, MGCP/NCS, H.248 and RTSP--and multiple border points--service provider access and interconnect, and enterprise access and trunking. Our products have been selected by more than 980 customers in 104 countries. They include 90 of the top 100 service providers in the world; and 11 of the Fortune 25. For more information, contact us at +1 781.328.4400, or visit www.acmepacket.com.

Acme Packet Safe Harbor Statement

Statements contained herein that are not historical fact may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements may relate, among other things, to our position in the session border control market, our expected financial and operating results, our ability to establish and maintain intellectual property rights, our ability to build and grow Acme Packet, the benefits and advantages of our products, including any enhancements or new features, services and programs, and our ability to achieve our goals, plans and objectives. Such forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These include, but are not limited to: difficulties in growing our customer base, difficulties leveraging market opportunities, difficulties providing solutions that meet the needs of customers, poor product sales, long sales cycles, difficulty developing new products, difficulty in relationships with vendors and partners, higher risk in international operations, difficulty managing rapid growth, and increased competition. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially form those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements are contained in our recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in such filings.