Digital Fountain's FEC technology standardized by 3GPP
June 21, 2005
Digital Fountain, a supplier of FEC (forward error correction) technology for reliable communications, announced that its patented DF Raptor technology has been standardized by 3GPP, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, as a mandatory component of the Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) for 3G cellular networks. By adopting DF Raptor as part of the MBMS standard for both streaming and file download services, 3G service providers and end users are assured of both high-quality delivery of audio and video services, and fast and reliable data transfer.
Digital Fountain's DF Raptor is an advanced and highly flexible FEC technology that ensures the efficient and error-free delivery of both multimedia streams and data files even in the presence of a wide range of network impairments. MBMS employs multicast and broadcast transmission for bandwidth-hungry multimedia services so that many mobile devices can efficiently share common radio and network resources. By protecting MBMS signals from packet loss, DF Raptor enhances the overall user experience and assures the service provider that multimedia content will be delivered in its entirety without degradation.
In choosing DF Raptor as part of the 3GPP MBMS standard, its performance was compared to other alternatives in a rigorous evaluation process. DF Raptor, in comparison to other FEC options, makes optimal use of transmission bandwidth and imposes a minimal processing burden on the receiving devices in order to protect against a wide range of packet loss. With DF Raptor employed to guarantee error-free delivery, MBMS enables the wireless delivery of music videos, live sports events, and other revenue-generating multimedia services.
"3GPP's decision to adopt DF Raptor as a mandatory part of the MBMS standard is a bold endorsement of our technology as the new international benchmark for FEC performance," said Charlie Oppenheimer, President and CEO of Digital Fountain. "The technical merits of DF Raptor convinced 3GPP members that our FEC technology is the best solution to flawlessly deliver both file download and multimedia streaming services."
Within that overall specification, 3GPP's MBMS standard aims to provide uniform and efficient delivery of rich multimedia content over 3G mobile networks to the latest multimedia-enabled cell phones and mobile devices.
Commented Frederic Gabin, 3G Standards Project Leader at NEC, "Digital Fountain's FEC provides the best of all worlds: low bandwidth overhead, low processing requirements for client devices, and effective protection of MBMS file transfer and streaming services from packet loss over 3G wireless channels."
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