i3forum Expands on Telco IP Transformation to Address IPX, IMS, NFV, APIs, and IoT

PARIS, FRANCE--(Marketwired - February 17, 2016) -  The i3forum, established in September 2007 to drive development of international IP interconnections among telecommunications providers and fight fraud, today announced that it has expanded its scope to focus on a number of new areas of technology and business innovation. The new areas for development, each supported by its own workgroup with the forum, include IPX, IMS, NFV, APIs and IoT.

"The i3forum and the telecommunications industry have both come a long way in eight years, and we are ready to move together into this new era of innovation through virtualization," said Philippe Millet, i3forum president and vice president of partnerships at Orange. "The forum's membership has never been stronger, in terms of both numbers and quality, and I look forward to our working closely together to continue to drive service enhancements for ourselves and our global customers." 

With 55 member organizations, including the top telecommunications providers in every global region, the i3forum has a strong history of driving collaboration and innovation to advance the business goals and technology of members and their customers. Working to promote the role of carriers in the emergence of new ecosystems, technical, operational and commercial models, in addition to combatting telecommunications fraud directed at businesses and consumers, the forum publishes recommendations for and fosters cooperation and sharing of best practices among industry leaders.

The group's annual conference, held in conjunction with ITW in Chicago, attracts hundreds of participants from member and other organisations and is considered among the industry's leading venues for discussion of topics including IPX, VoLTE and virtual PoPs.

Some members of i3forum have taken the lead of this transformation initiative and are facilitating the transitions for other members. Those Founding Members include AT&T, BTS, Deutsche Telekom, Epsilon Group, iBasis, Metaswitch, Orange, OTEGLOBE, PCCW Global, Post Luxembourg, Tata Communications, Telefonica Business Solutions, TeliaSonera, Telenor and TI Sparkle.

"The i3forum has significantly advanced global service providers' transition from legacy infrastructure to IP, paving the way for development and deployment of innumerable advanced, value-added services," said Isabelle Paradis, president, Hot Telecom. "The expansion of the forum's mission positions it to drive advancements in the most critical technologies being implemented by global carriers today, and to help address the industry's most pressing business needs."

About The i3forum
The i3forum is an organization of the international carrier ecosystem that brings together all stakeholders in order to help define best practices, promote and foster adoption of Industry transformation, and encourage innovation. The i3forum is a not-for-profit, membership funded forum. It is not a standardization body. It works closely with other Industry organizations, avoiding duplication of work and focusing on actionable practical recommendations and solutions for the Int'l Carriers industry. i3forum recommendations are made public when finalized. The i3forum values the diversity of its membership. It strives to take an unbiased, holistic approach -- factoring in the multiple technical, operational, business angles from the perspective of the various types of stakeholders. For more information visit www.i3forum.org.