Openwave Introduces Smart Policy

Openwave Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: OPWV), a global software innovator delivering context-aware mediation and messaging solutions that enable communication service providers and the broader ecosystem to create and deliver smarter services, today announced Openwave® Smart Policy, a context-aware smart policy management solution that is designed to help operators better monitor and manage their network utilization at a user, device and application level, and addresses the rising tide of mobile broadband data consumption.

Openwave Smart Policy solution operates on the network data path and is designed to serve as a control point for total traffic mediation capable of applying dynamic application level policy rules through a rich set of data sources including existing policy and traffic management systems within the operator networks.

“As mobile operators evolve their networks to 3G HSPA and IP-based 4G technologies, the context of the data network requests will become essential information,” said Elisabeth Rainge, director, NGN Operations, IDC. “A more efficient way for operators to manage the growing deluge of data is essential to service and network operations, such as using software that enables monitoring, managing and monetization of traffic through smart, policy-driven services. Supporting a stellar user experience will require a contextually aware view of devices, content, application-specific policies and usage activity on their network.”

“The explosion in demand for mobile content and data services signifies the end of a distinctly mobile web and the beginning of one web, universally available across all devices. If operators want to compete in this new, untethered, IP-based information age, they need more visibility over what is happening in their networks,” said John Giere, senior vice president, products and marketing, Openwave. “Smart Policy operates on an open, IP framework acting as a single control point for total traffic management. This helps operators make more dynamic and informed decisions on how to best manage existing network resources in real-time based on detailed and actionable traffic insights, such as online behavioral patterns and service plans, network conditions, device and application/content mix.”

Openwave Smart Policy adds application specific policy dimensions, complimenting overall network policy, to mobile broadband traffic. Through dynamic feedback and greater visibility into the traffic flow, Smart Policy enables creative service plan options. Policies based on factors such as the access network used, the user social group, the volume consumption per service and/or time of day/week and the bandwidth usage level in different areas of the network, allow the operator to have better control of the user experience and cost of the service delivery.

Openwave Smart Policy combines a set of six unique components, which together enable the provision of a truly comprehensive solution for application specific policy management:

• An IP mediation framework - built using best-of-breed Packet Classification technology residing directly in the data path, working to ensure complete visibility of all traffic while dynamically enforcing appropriate application-specific policy rules.
• Context-aware policy engine - that works to aggregate and analyze session data relating to each user’s activity potentially across multiple access networks and devices, creating an understanding of associated service plans and the nature of content being accessed to make informed policy decisions.
• Subscriber Aware - can integrate with existing operator usage data.
• Operational analytics - to influence policy decisions in real-time; for example, network congestion events that call for policy changes to be applied dynamically.
• Inline charging and notification services - to bill the user for service when appropriate ─ for example on upgrade or top-up of a service plan, and to intuitively notify the user when a policy defined threshold ─ for example 90 percent of allowed data volume or allocated online time ─ is about to be exceeded.
• Extensible - enabling integration with external end-to-end policy management infrastructure such as Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF).

Openwave Smart Policy Solution will be available at the end of the first quarter of 2010.