Starent Networks, a provider of multimedia infrastructure solutions, recently announced its XT30 Service Convergence Platform, which according to officials, enables mobile operators to bridge devices between legacy and next generation Session Initiation Protocol (News - Alert) (SIP) and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) multimedia networks.

With XT30, mobile operators can leverage existing core networks to build new multimedia applications on next-generation all-IP networks. The new platform also supports critical applications such as converged Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Femtocells (News - Alert), messaging and presence solutions.

At the core of XT30 Service Convergence Platform is a multi-service protocol conversion engine that enables inter-working between different generations of network technology, so operators are able to bridge next-generation services and multimedia devices with various networks.

Starent XT30 Service Convergence (News - Alert) Platform has already been selected by a few operators, officials said. Cellcom, a regional telecommunications carrier, selected XT30 along with Starent’s Femto Network Gateway and Session Control Manager as part of its end-to-end Femtocell offerings. Cellcom (News - Alert) will use this platform to migrate its legacy voice services to a next-generation VoIP solution with enhanced service offerings.

Starent is also offering the platform to a North American carrier for presence-based instant messaging services.

The XT30 Service Convergence Platform supports interfaces from 3GPP, 3GPP2 and IETF to interface with mobile access networks, mobile core networks, SIP/IMS Core Networks, and broadband IP access networks.

“Our XT30 Service Convergence Platform allows operators to keep up with technology advances in fixed mobile convergence services by evolving the network in a cost-effective manner,” said Ashraf Dahod (News - Alert), president and CEO of Starent Networks, in a statement. “Consumers and enterprises will realize the simplicity of a single service offering and begin benefiting from new data-services based on 3G and 4G technologies.”

Recently, TMCnet reported that mobilkom austria group (mag), a mobile services provider in central and eastern Europe, selected Starent’s multimedia core solution for deployment in its mobile operator member companies across Europe.

According to officials, mag will initially use Starent’s GGSN solution on the ST40 multimedia core platform to enable high-speed multimedia services such as video and Internet on its 3G/UMTS networks.