Wireless start-up Starent Networks unveiled its first product, the ST16 Intelligent Mobile Gateway, which is designed to put more data traffic into the wireless network.
Starent was founded in August 2000 to develop products that integrate voice and data for wireless networks. Its initial IMG will feature only data capabilities.
The ST16 takes data traffic from the radio network and puts it on an IP network, such as the Internet, at 150 Kilobytes-per-second (Kbps). Traffic from the radio network is packetized via a reformatting scheme that Starent designed for transportation through the Starent box.
The ST16 classifies the traffic, applies quality-of-service metrics, bills network usage to customers and manages operation and performance, Starent officials say. Voice capabilities will be added for the second phase of the product release, expected by year-end 2002.
The box was also designed with the ability to evolve from 2.5G to 3G and onto all-IP technology. It supports Linux, and Starent is working with several service providers to develop mobile applications for the ST16.
The IMG is capable of one-to-one and one-to-many redundancy, Starent says, and can serve as a Packet Data Servicing Node/Home Agent (PDSN/HA) and a Gateway General Packet Radio Services Support Node (GGSN). A PDSN/HA connects the radio access network to the application or service, and the subscriber’s anchor point for identity.
A GGSN is the interface between GPRS and IP traffic. It also can connect the GPRS service nodes to IP data networks.
The ST16 can also work as an access gateway and a media gateway, the company says.
Starent recently announced that Samsung chose its ST16 product for “significant” infrastructure deployments. Samsung will use the box in its Korean infrastructure as part of a 3G deployment of Code Division Multiple Access 2000 1x technology.
The ST16 is currently in beta tests. It will be generally available in the second quarter of 2002.
Staren can be found at http://www.starentnetworks.com.
