OpenCloud launches telecoms developer portal

OpenCloud, a supplier of in-network application servers for the telecoms industry, has launched a developer portal in the hope of creating new applications for heavily saturated telecoms markets such as Western Europe, the US and the Far East.

The company wants its portal to act as a resource to encourage the creation of services using its Rhino event-driven application server technology.

Built around a Java-based approach to real-time development for asynchronous telecoms applications, OpenCloud's portal features a searchable database of frequently asked questions along with plug-ins, software-development kits, application programming interfaces and discussion forums. It also features a completely virtual GSM network simulator which, according to OpenCloud, will enable telecoms application developers to test services without needing access to a GSM network.

"Working with a real-time application server allows a carrier to create telecoms services much more quickly and then expand to develop variants and differentiate their customer proposition," said Jonathan Bell, OpenCloud's vice president of product marketing, on Tuesday. "We hope this new portal will encourage the creation of brand new telephony services where the technology has added value at the application server level. Developed markets are now saturated in terms of penetration so all the pressure is on price. It's time for a new level of innovation to diffuse the market."

Closely aligned with the JAIN SLEE Java standard for high-throughput, low-latency event-processing applications suitable for the telecoms industry, OpenCloud is populating its portal with tools and knowledge it hopes will inspire healthy competition among developers and operators.