LTE NORTH AMERICA, DALLAS, NOVEMBER 14, 2012 – F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) announced that its Traffix™ Signaling Delivery Controller™ (SDC™) is the market’s first Diameter solution to support the new Diameter specifications per the latest release of RFC 6733 by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The release of this new standard makes the previous RFC 3588 and 5719 obsolete. Diameter is the base protocol for Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA), enabling network access and IP mobility in both home and roaming mobile LTE networks.

F5’s SDC product is the market-leading, multifunctional platform for Diameter routing, load balancing, and gateway connectivity. Since the product’s inception, it has been fully compliant with IETF, 3GPP, and GSMA standards. In addition, all current deployments of the SDC are forward compatible with the new standard.

“Through our work with communications service providers and global network equipment providers, we are able to stay apprised of what’s on the horizon for industry standards bodies,” said Ben Volkow, VP of Product Development at F5. “We have been aware of RFC 6733 and welcome its arrival because it provides for several enhancements for CSPs in the areas of security, management, and flexibility. We see this leading to better routing and management capabilities for operators to handle the challenges inherent with LTE.”

“The new IETF standard release RFC 6733 will be an asset to operators as it adds flexibility in configuring their networks for the many situations and use cases that LTE will bring—some of which we are already aware, and some which we have yet to encounter,” said Dimitris Mavrakis, Principal Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media, a leading research firm. “F5 should be recognized for its far-ranging vision into the LTE ecosystem, particularly around how Diameter plays the enabling role for the success and profitability of operators rolling out LTE technology.” 

Some of the highlights of RFC 6733 are as follows:

• Tighter security with better connections between peers by requiring the use of TLS/TCP and DTLS/SCTP
• Added routing functionality and flexibility using routing table add-ons
• Additional SCTP functionality
• Updates to AVPs and messages to enable additional functionality and better interworking
• Caching mechanism to reduce signaling, increase performance, and enable additional routing capabilities

For a more comprehensive view of RFC 6733, go to http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6733.

F5 solutions are a core component in service provider networks as they transition from a 2G/3G to a 4G LTE all-IP infrastructure. F5 provides intelligent and context-aware solutions enabling CSPs to gain greater application visibility, optimize service delivery, and secure their networks—leading to increased ARPU and reduced CAPEX/OPEX. F5 enables CSPs to optimize, scale, and simplify their service architectures and monetize their layer 4–7 networks with new revenue generating application services. With Traffix Diameter solutions deployed at more than 100 locations, F5 and its 4G and Diameter expertise provide significant benefits to customers around the world.

F5’s data and signaling experts will be at the Informa LTE North America conference, November 14–15. To schedule a meeting with an F5 representative, please visit the registration page: http://bit.ly/RxyGnp