Wireless service provider MetroPCS has deployed Acme Packet's Net-Net Session director to support the world's first commercially available Voice over LTE (News - Alert) (VoLTE) service launched in August 2012, as well as MetroPCS' recent launch of Rich Communication Services (RCS).

The GSMA’s Rich Communications Suite of services (joyn) presents an opportunity for service providers to stage an offensive strike against competing over-the-top (OTT) telephony applications.  

RCS enables service providers around the globe to offer their subscribers instant messaging, presence and availability services - built around the globally-unique MSISDN - that are as ubiquitous as SMS is today. With cross-platform support that includes PCs, users can also share files, photos or video either inside or outside the context of a phone call. Most importantly, with an optional centralized network address book, RCS enables service providers to safely and securely maintain their customer’s contact list.

Deploying these RCS services presents service providers with a unique set of challenges. Delivering on the promise of RCS requires a fundamental re-engineering of a service provider's core session control infrastructure. The adoption of RCS-e and then RCS will result in an explosive grown in SIP IM and presence methods, such as Invite, Options, Subscribe and Notify packets, which will significantly outpace the growth in media traffic – even as SBCs evolve to support MSRP-based session mode IM and file sharing. 

MetroPCS deployed the Acme Packet (News - Alert) Net-Net Session director session border controller to support its VoLTE and RCS deployments. Acme Packet’s Net-Net Session Director (SD) is Acme Packet’s session border controller for fixed line, mobile and over-the-top (OTT) service providers.

Based on Net-Net Operating Software (Net-Net OS), the Net-Net SD operates on Acme Packet’s range of purpose-built hardware platforms or general purpose servers to deliver a unique combination of performance, capacity, high-availability and manageability that has made it the most widely-deployed SBC in the world. The Net-Net SD enables service providers to deliver trusted, first-class interactive communications services across IP network borders.

MetroPCS recently launched its RCS services, offering a variety of services like contacts presence, contact availability, status sync, chat, messaging and even content sharing all over the MetroPCS LTE network.

Getting access to the service requires customers to subscribe to an LTE plan and get a handset that works with RCS/joyn. Then, users will download the joyn app from either Google (News - Alert) Play or the @metro App Store. MetroPCS expects that the service will “bring about substantial changes for customers,” as expressed by MetroPCS' vice president of product management, Solyman Ashrafi.

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