New Sonus firmware adds something special to SBCs - Q-KON SA reports

By Akhona for Q-KON
Johannesburg, 04 Feb 2014

Sonus Networks, a global leader in SIP communications, has released new firmware enhancements to its SBC 1000 and SBC 2000 session border controllers (SBCs). The result is a better Microsoft quality of experience (QOE) infrastructure within Lync Enterprise Voice environments, and improved ability to manage and scale enterprise unified communications (UC) networks.

Today, businesses in Africa stand to benefit from the enhancement because Q-KON SA, the distributor of the Sonus products to the African market since 2002, is providing the new firmware, and upgrading the existing equipment at no charge to its customers.

SBCs previously did not report statistics for the entire call path to the Lync Monitoring Server (as per the diagnostics and statistics collated via the server, according to Microsoft's QOE technology) - but the increase in QOE, as a result of the enhancements, mean that Sonus is first to enable media quality monitoring for the entire Lync call.

This means businesses are assured of having a comprehensive view of the entire environment, without the risk of missing any aspect of the Lync Enterprise voice call flow.

Another advantage introduced through the enhancement is that the SBC 1000 and SBC 2000 can now also be managed under the Sonus Element Management System, (EMS). This simplifies the network and empowers users with the resources to effectively manage UC - which is being readily adopted by businesses in many emerging markets.

Q-KON SA has an established and entrenched partnership with Sonus and this affords its exposure to groundbreaking technology roll-outs and upgrades.

"Emerging markets in Africa continue to derive a substantial amount of value from investment in advanced technology that enhances Lync Enterprise environments," says Tjaart de Wet, MD of Q-KON SA. "Sonus is on top of upgrades to flexible, feature-rich technology that makes a critical difference to operations.

"Despite legacy issues in regions in Africa, there is progress being made in terms of adapting and utilising solutions to acquire this agility," he adds.

QKON SA

Q-KON SA has been a leading value-added distributor since 2005, focusing exclusively on the VOIP, SIP trunking, and UC markets. As part of the Q-KON Group, Q-KON SA has served as a first tier satellite network provider and turnkey telecommunications provider to the African telecommunications market for more than 25 years.

Q-KON SA's distribution portfolio includes gateways, MSBRs, edge SBCs, core SBCs, SBAs, UC phones, VOIP recording platforms and billing solutions from industry leaders such as AudioCodes, Sonus, RedBox, BroadSoft and PhonEX One, and perfectly align and support Q-KON SA's end-to-end solution approach to its system integrators, service providers, SIP trunking providers, and Microsoft Lync partners.

Q-KON SA's Satellite Broadband Internet Access solutions provide access to the Internet from a local teleport in Midrand, capped/uncapped services, contract/contract free options, typically for rural Internet access, VOIP, disaster recovery, and digital signage applications.

Q-KON SA's level of technical expertise and number of product-specific certified engineers are unrivalled, and the company's intense focus on its services to its customers is Q-KON SA's key differentiator to the market.

Editorial contacts