Skyfire Joins F5’s Technology Alliance Program to Deliver Best-in-Class, Cloud-Based Mobile Video Optimization

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA; OCTOBER 17, 2013 - Skyfire, an Opera Software company and leader in cloud-based traffic management solutions for mobile operators, today announced that it has joined F5 Networks’ Technology Alliance Program (TAP). This follows the two companies’ joint implementation of multiple live mobile operator trials across Europe and the Middle East, with more planned this quarter.

“Skyfire’s partnership with F5 is based on a robust combination of hardware, software, and cloud resources that help global mobile operators manage the ever-growing amounts of high-density multimedia traffic being pushed across their networks,” said Jeff Glueck, CEO at Skyfire and EVP of Opera’s Operator Solutions division. “We have been working closely together with F5 to develop highly-scalable, virtualized solutions that leverage the network and the cloud intelligently, and the two companies partnered to bring to market our mobile video QoE solution Experience Assurance as a joint development project.”

Skyfire’s Rocket Controller, a key component of its Rocket Optimizer mobile video optimization solution, seamlessly integrates with an F5 BIG-IP® device configured for intelligent traffic steering to enable highly accurate video detection and NFV-friendly policy enforcement. The joint solution works in a surgical fashion, solving unpredictable video and data demand and end-user QoE issues by means of scalable infrastructure than can be efficiently shared across the operator network. The solution leverages F5’s powerful, intelligent capabilities—including routing, load balancing, ICAP, and high-value layer 7 subscriber and application-aware services management—combined with Skyfire’s cloud-based optimization solution to provide superior video quality and up to 60 percent improvement in bandwidth capacity.

“Skyfire joining our Technology Alliance Program provides a strong platform for collaboration, with the goal of further enhancing joint deployments,” said Mallik Tatipamula, VP of Service Provider and Cloud Solutions at F5 Networks. “As video continues to be a preferred way for customers to consume web content, solutions combining network optimization, availability, and cloud services will continue to play a central role.”

For a demonstration of how F5’s BIG-IP PEM monitors network traffic and congestion in real time, and steers video traffic to Skyfire’s Rocket Optimizer, please come watch this video overview that shows how the two companies jointly reduce network traffic and improve the subscriber quality of experience: http://www.f5.com/featured/video/icap-skyfire-video/.