ATCA Platform Providers Battle IBM for Telco Market

In-Stat: Competitors in the carrier-grade, blade-based server market for the telecom industry are gearing up for a major battle. In one corner are a group of industry heavyweights including Hewlett Packard, Motorola, Radisys, and Sun Microsystems, and in the opposite corner is IBM, . The AdvancedTCA platform is built on an open industry standard, while IBM’s entry is a beefed-up version of its enterprise-class BladeCenter. Although the IBM BladeCenter T may have a few disadvantages, IBM will present the BladeCenter series T platform to prospective customers as a product offering similar to AdvancedTCA platforms. IBM is leveraging the strength it has with its Telco customer back office systems by offering a companion Central Office product known as the BladeCenter T.

• Telcos are now beginning to demand open, cost-effective, high-performance, next-generation, carrier-grade platforms in order to pass on improved performance and innovation to their customers at a reasonable cost.

• Platform providers feel that Telecom Equipment Makers are best served if they can minimize their cost by acquiring Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components to put together an application-ready platform rather than developing a platform using proprietary technology.

• AdvancedTCA platform providers offer Telcos and their customers reinforced protection of their long-term investment when introducing new functionality in their networks.

A Comprehensive Comparison of Major AdvancedTCA Platforms Versus IBM’s BladeCenter T

Publ 20060717