Oracle 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 Database 10g, Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle TimesTen In-Memory Database, and leverages AdvancedTCA (ATCA)-compliant Intel 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.