Oracle Opens Global Carrier Grade Framework Competency Center to Enable Communications Companies to Bring New Technologies to Market Quickly and Enhance Cost Efficiencies

Network Equipment Manufacturers Applaud Center’s Focus on Broad Adoption of Open Standards Technology.

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. 13-OCT-2005 Oracle today announced the opening of the Oracle Carrier Grade Framework (CGF) Competency Center at the Oracle China Development Center (CDC) in Shenzhen, China. The CGF Competency Center, featuring a development team from Oracle and Intel, will drive the adoption of standards-based technology in communications networks worldwide, enabling communications service providers (CSPs) and network equipment manufacturers (NEMs) to more effectively meet customer demands and speed time to market for innovative services.

Oracle’s CGF initiative aims to replace proprietary, siloed communications technology with a modular, standards-based data management offering that combines Oracle(r) Database 10g, Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle TimesTen In-Memory Database, and leverages AdvancedTCA (ATCA)-compliant Intel(r) servers. ATCA is an industry standard that provides a scalable, reliable platform architecture for carrier-grade (99.999% availability) communications applications.

“The Oracle Carrier Grade Framework Competency Center will enable Oracle to provide customers with cost-effective, integrated solutions built on open standards,” said Oracle Senior Vice President of Database Server Technologies, Andy Mendelsohn. “As communications service providers strive to increase margins, they must continue to meet customer demands for new services. By leveraging a standards-based architecture, they can deliver innovative services much more quickly and cost effectively.”

“Intel and Oracle are committed to helping our mutual customers in the communications industry focus on innovation to meet their customer demands,” said Intel Communications Infrastructure Group General Manager of Marketing and Platform Programs, Kevin D. Johnson. “We are dedicating technical resources and engineering talent to the new CGF Competency Center, enabling greater service development efficiencies through the benefits of Intel microprocessor-based modular communications platforms.”

Oracle TimesTen In-Memory Database plays a key role in Oracle CGF. It provides real-time data management for event-centric network systems such as HSS (Home Subscriber Server), location-aware emergency services and push-to-talk. The combination of Oracle Database 10g and Oracle TimesTen In-Memory Database provides a complete data management solution for the Oracle CGF. The shift from proprietary to commercial software will also allow CSPs and NEMs to realize dramatic new cost efficiencies and provide new services like personalized digital content, 3G mobile applications and location-based services more efficiently and cost-effectively while maintaining carrier-grade availability and performance.

In addition, NEMs including ASPire, Huawei, UTStarcom, Xin Wei and ZTE have expressed significant interest in the program and will attend the official launch of the Oracle Carrier Grade Framework Competency Center in Shenzhen, China today.

CGF Competency Center Finds Home at Oracle’s China Development Center in Shenzhen
Oracle’s China Development Centers (CDCs) are located in Shenzhen and Beijing. The Oracle CDCs are responsible for global and regional research and development, as well as solution development to support Oracle’s industry initiatives. The new CGF Competency Center at the Oracle CDC in Shenzhen boasts state-of-the-art technology resources and a dedicated engineering team focused on advancing the proliferation of commercial, standards-based technology in the communications industry. Initially, the CGF Competency Center will focus on working closely with the top-tier NEMs and mobile carriers. The center’s initial objectives include:
* Develop a dynamically scalable demo solution for NEMs to establish benchmarking, as well as showcase the reliability, performance and scalability of Oracle Real Application Clusters and Oracle Application Server running on Linux and Intel servers
* Develop a demo solution for mobile carriers in order to benchmark an application such as home subscriber server running on top of the Oracle and Intel platform
* Work closely with participating CSPs and NEMs to develop prototype Oracle CGF solutions and produce specific and auditable performance numbers - valuable information as organizations look to roll-out solutions commercially
* Optimize and tune Oracle CGF on ATCA blade servers, providing feedback to Oracle and Intel development teams as they work on future product upgrades for the communications industry
* Align Oracle CGF with open standards such as Service Availability Forum, Open Source Development labs and ATCA

Intel products included in Oracle’s China Development Center lab include: Intel NetStructure(r) MPCHC0001 14U Shelf, Intel NetStructure(r) MPCMM0001 Chassis Management Module and Intel NetStructure(r) MPCBL0001 Single Board Computer.

Oracle is an Affiliate Member of the Intel(r) Communications Alliance, which is committed to developing modular, standards-based solutions based on technologies, processors, products and services from Intel. Intel enables the modular network with standards-based, building blocks for the converged network that deliver enhanced performance, greater scalability and maximum flexibility, offering profitable new communications services and lower infrastructure costs. Visit http://www.intel.com/go/ica to learn more about these products and the Alliance.

About Oracle
Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is the world’s largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com.

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Oracle, JD Edwards, and PeopleSoft are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Intel, the Intel logo and NetStructure(r) are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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