Vodafone Uses Java to Run Multiple IN Services

While the telecommunications industry readies for the deployment of truly programmable network services that provides service portability in both IN and 3G/IMS, Vodafone Spain has already successfully used JAIN SLEE (Java) technology to deploy and run a real life commercial IN service on two different vendors platforms.

The service, which is live in the Vodafone Spain network, is an enhancement to a typical IN voice service. This service requires support for MAP, CAP and INAP SS7 protocols and is integrated into the Vodafone Spain 2G and 3G networks. Vodafone Spain successfully deployed and ran this service on the jNetX and Open Cloud platforms, both of which have passed and registered JAIN SLEE 1.0 compliance.

Jorge Gato, Head of Design and Engineering of Vodafone Spain, said: "Wherever possible, Vodafone Spain is committed to adopting standards-based technology and moving away from proprietary systems. Proprietary systems drive up the cost of deploying services and significantly prolong time to market. This portability project is a major step for the telecommunications industry, demonstrating that the binary code of a telecommunications application could run unchanged on two different vendors platforms."

JAIN SLEE is an open industry standard primarily designed to support the rapid development of portable, robust telecommunications applications as collections of reusable software components.

Complex IT and network elements can be connected in a standard way to a JAIN SLEE server and exposed to services via simple Java APIs. These APIs can be used time and time again for new services and because JAIN SLEE is Java technology, services can be programmed by any of the 5 million Java developers worldwide.

The benefits of JAIN SLEE technology makes it possible for large operators like Vodafone to quickly deploy services across multiple countries, irrespective of the underlying network specifics of each regional operator. JAIN SLEE also enables operators to protect investment in network services by enabling a cost effective migration path to future network infrastructure.

In addition, by acting as a single point of integration between the network and back-office systems, JAIN SLEE enables cost reduction through operational efficiency, and new revenue to be generated through deployment of complex, customer-focused services."

Posted to the site on 6th July 2005