Allows Mobile Operators to Enhance Network Performance and Customer Experience

TEWKSBURY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Starent Networks, Corp. (Nasdaq: STAR), a leading provider of infrastructure solutions that enable mobile operators to deliver multimedia services, today announced its suite of intelligent In-line Services will be available for its LTE evolved packet core (EPC) offering. Starent’s In-line Services help operators improve the subscriber experience and the performance of the core network. Based on a flexible architecture model, Starent’s EPC solutions combined with its In-line Services, allow mobile operators to add new services to meet ever-increasing subscriber demands, network security and optimization requirements without deploying external servers or elements.

With mobile broadband, applications are becoming more sophisticated from real-time latency sensitive services such as voice and video to larger bandwidth gaming and rich media applications. Starent’s In-line Services for EPC are designed with the flexibility to accommodate and optimize for this wide variety of applications, providing mobile operators with a simple and economic way of delivering intelligent services over their current 2G/3G, and in the future, 4G networks.

“Mobile operators are expanding their portfolio of services to satisfy subscribers and ensure competitive differentiation,” said Ashraf Dahod, president and chief executive officer of Starent Networks. “As more operators evolve to 4G, network intelligence is critical for both service differentiation and network optimization. Starent’s multimedia core networking solutions are specifically designed to simply add intelligent services to existing core elements to further improve network performance, reliability and cost control.”

Starent’s current suite of in-line services includes:

  • Enhanced content charging - deep-packet inspection (DPI) of all data traffic provides an understanding of each session or subscriber transaction. Through DPI, operators can implement detailed billing schemes based on each mobile subscriber session or transaction.
  • Content filtering - controls access to defined content enabling services such as parental controls.
  • Network-based traffic optimization - optimizes sessions or flows and provides quality of service based on parameters such as volume, usage, time-of-day, and traffic type, such as increasing or restricting bandwidth based on service per user.
  • Application detection and optimization - detects specific applications, such as peer-to-peer, and allows the network to appropriately manage those applications.
  • Stateful firewall – provides a security layer application to detect and prevent unsolicited network applications, Denial of Service (DOS) attacks and efficient management of IP addressing through Network Address Translation (NAT)/ Port Address Translation (NAPT).

Traditionally, operators have deployed new services through large server clusters combined with load balancers, or on special purpose equipment. This approach makes networks more vulnerable to errors and introduces session latency or delay as every session sequentially flows through equipment whether or not the particular service is applied to the subscriber. This can result in higher costs and more network complexity by requiring mobile carriers to provision hardware and software for services their subscribers may not use.

Starent’s services are deployed “in-line” or integrated into the bearer plane at the edge of the multimedia core network in the mobile gateway. By having services deployed within the bearer plane, as opposed to requiring the session to be off-loaded to external application servers, Starent’s In-Line Services provides simpler manageability, a reduction in the number of ‘hops’ required within a transaction, fewer points of configuration, consolidated accounting and billing and integrated policy enforcement — all which reduce costs and greatly increase performance.

Mobile operators are utilizing Starent’s In-line Services worldwide in their current 3G networks.

Starent will demonstrate In-line Service capabilities for its open LTE Evolved Packet Core (EPC) at booth #4531 at CTIA Wireless 2009, April 1-3, 2009.

About Starent Networks

Starent Networks, Corp. is a leading provider of infrastructure solutions that enable mobile operators to deliver multimedia services to their subscribers. Starent Networks has created solutions that provide mobile operators with the functions and services needed for access, mobility management and call control in their networks. Through integrated intelligence and high performance capabilities, Starent Networks’ solutions also enhance subscriber management, billing and session policy enforcement. The company’s products are capable of supporting a wide range of mobile wireless networks, such as UMTS/HSPA, CDMA2000, WiFi, and WiMAX. Starent Networks’ products have been deployed by over 95 mobile operators in over 40 countries. Additional information about Starent Networks is available at www.starentnetworks.com.

Starent Networks’ Safe Harbor Statement

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Starent Networks, including statements about expectations related to the company's multimedia solutions constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements contain the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will" and similar expressions. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the inability to predict the future success or market acceptance of Starent Networks’ multimedia core platform solutions, the highly competitive and rapidly evolving market in which Starent Networks’ competes, Starent Networks’ limited operating history, the fluctuation of its past operating results, its reliance on a limited number of customers for a significant portion of its revenues and its reliance on a single line of products and other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of Starent Networks’ Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent Starent Networks’ views as of the date of this press release. Starent Networks anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its views to change. However, while Starent Networks may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Starent Networks’ views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Starent® and the Starent Networks logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Starent Networks, Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of other companies and products mentioned in this release may be the trademarks of their respective owners.