Caribbean broadband wireless operator Onemax has selected softswitch and media gateway vendor Veraz Networks for deployment of an IP multimedia subsystem-over-WiMAX solution.

A statement from the companies said Onemax, which is based in the Dominican Republic and previously has said it would launch service using 802.16e in the 3.5 GHz frequency bands, is one of the first companies to offer IMS-over-WiMAX services in the Americas.

Onemax chose Veraz's User Services Core to offer its subscribers VoIP and IP-based multimedia services while Veraz's ControlSwitch and I-Gate 4000 series of media gateways will enable Onemax to connect to other operators, the statement said. Veraz, which will be exhibiting at NXTcomm, provides key network and service delivery infrastructure that integrates with third-party components including application servers, end user devices, session border controllers and Business and Operational Support Systems for service delivery on the WiMAX network.

"The IMS piece is just so critical,” said Raoul Fontanez, CEO of Onemax. “The Veraz softswitch and media gateway is an efficient solution that guarantees interoperability for all our IP-based services. We needed a system that is fundamentally built to handle the sophisticated interaction in a fast growing multi-vendor environment.” He added that the carrier evaluated several different vendors.

The Veraz solution is based upon 3GPP IMS Release 7. It includes core IMS functionalities, for routing (call session and control function) and customer identification (home subscriber server), plus key IMS service delivery components such as Application Server Function and SCIM (service capability interaction manager); as well as interconnect functions (PSTN) such as Signaling Gateway Function, and Media Gateway Control Function. Additionally, Veraz integrated this solution with third-party network and management components selected by Onemax.