BEA Systems has unveiled BEA WebLogic SIP Server 2.1, the industry's first standards-based, carrier-grade, integrated J2EE and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) application server providing support for IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), clustering-based high availability, and industry-leading high performance based on optimized SIP engine tier tuning. BEA WebLogic SIP Server 2.1 is designed to help telecommunications network operators accelerate the deployment of next-generation network architectures based on IMS and increase revenue by more readily capitalizing on IMS and next-generation service delivery opportunities.

IMS is a telecommunications network architecture standard that was initiated by the third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards group. IMS provides an IP-based, converged, multimedia network architecture and environment with powerful network service enabling capabilities. These capabilities can help fixed and wireless network operators create, deploy and deliver higher revenue-generating interactive, multimedia services that can provide end users with a seamless user experience across multiple access networks. IMS has been widely adopted by other telecom network standards groups as the foundation for the industry's next-generation IP-based network architectures.

"As network operators develop their IMS network deployment plans, service creation platform products such as the BEA WebLogic Communications Platform can help accelerate the 'build out' of their portfolio of new IMS-based services," said Mike McHugh, vice president and general manager, BEA WebLogic Communications Platform, BEA Systems, Inc. "With the BEA WebLogic Communications Platform product suite, BEA becomes the first vendor in the industry to provide both a Java and Telecom Web Services path to developing IMS applications and a policy-based IMS network access control technology."

The BEA IMS application server is the latest release of the BEA WebLogic SIP Server component of the BEA WebLogic Communications Platform. The BEA WebLogic Communications Platform is a suite of products based on Internet and
telecom industry standards such as J2EE, SIP, Parlay X and IMS, and focuses on enabling the application layer of an IMS network architecture. It also contains the BEA WebLogic Network Gatekeeper, a policy enforcement and Telecom Web Services platform. BEA WebLogic Network Gatekeeper is designed to provide network operators and developers with a Telecom Web Services interface into the IMS core network, together with the ability to apply policy-based network access control to third party applications needing to access an IMS core network. As a result, BEA WebLogic Communications Platform products can help integrate and interoperate with IMS core network elements and softswitches provided by the leading network equipment providers (NEP).

BEA WebLogic SIP Server 2.1 is designed to deliver support for 3GPP IMS, clustering, session state fail-over, high performance, and enhanced security. BEA WebLogic SIP Server 2.1 is the first IMS application server to designed to provide a powerful, converged J2EE-SIP-IMS service logic creation and execution environment based on the industry standard SIP Servlet APIs. The software is also designed to support IMS Service Control (ISC), the 3GPP standard interface for IMS application servers. IMS networks can allow network operators to integrate multiple access network types and help enable fixed-mobile convergence, thereby adding agility to their traditionally vertically silo'd legacy network assets. BEA WebLogic SIP Server 2.1 is designed to help network operators gain a powerful IMS service creation and execution platform to help them more rapidly create, deploy and manage their next-generation IP-based multimedia services.