Acme Packet securing Verizon’s new VoIP offering

Acme Packet, the incumbent SBC vendor, will be providing the security aspects for Verizon Wireless’ new VoIP offering. Multiple Net-Net 4000 series SBCs from Acme Packet are deployed in Verizon data centers at both the access and interconnect borders. The SBC vendor has seen quite a shift – in terms of deployment - from carrier-to-carrier SBC application over to the access application where it supports millions of VoIP end users globally.

This could be for the first time that Acme Packet has found its way inside the Verizon network. However as an incumbent SBC vendor, the company has been providing SBC enabled carrier interconnect solutions to most major telcos. Within the new VoIP offering, for instance, Verizon uses a wholesale e911 provider and Acme’s SBC manages the interconnect between Verizon and that provider, including routing the emergency calls.
Anyway, if you are expecting paradigm shifting scenario with Verizon Wireless’ new VoIP service, you might be disappointed. It is a plain over-the-top VoIP service positioned to address fixed-to-mobile substitution. If the landline has all of a sudden become unimportant to you – as is the case for so many among us – then you might consider subscribing to Verizon’s wireless services and get a VoIP phone (not for free) along with the VoIP service (again, not for free) that runs over your broadband connection (any broadband connection).

T-Mobile USA already has a VoIP offering to address fixed-mobile substitution. However Verizon Hub is a unique offering in delivering voice as well as SMS and walled garden data services (weather, VCast, Chaperone, etc.) to the touch screen device.

There is however no handoff from cellphone to Verizon Hub. The industry has for a while put those features on hold.