[VoiceOps] Acquire MetaSwitch

Tue Aug 13 08:48:16 EDT 2024

"Azure for Operators" is what Microsoft was calling the Metaswitch products.

This went out a couple months ago:

---

We are reaching out to customers of our Azure for Operators portfolio,
which includes products we acquired from Affirmed Networks and
Metaswitch Networks,
to explain recent updates to our portfolio.

In 2020, we announced our Azure for Operators initiative.  As part of this
effort, we acquired Affirmed Networks, Metaswitch Networks, and IP from
AT&T to acquire “Telco DNA” that would enhance our operational / technical
engineering skills for building a carrier grade platform.  As these
acquisitions came together with Azure, we created Azure Operator Nexus – a
carrier grade, hybrid cloud platform.  We are moving Azure Operator Nexus
into our broader Azure Edge and Platform portfolio and continue to service
operators.

Based on customer demand, the Azure for Operators initiative also focused
on automation and analytics capabilities as early products.  Given the
acceleration of Microsoft’s AI capabilities overall, we are now aligning
these early efforts with Microsoft’s broader portfolio.

As we advance our platform and AI capabilities, we are shifting our focus
from the Network Function layer to partnerships with industry leaders of
these capabilities. We will fulfill all our contractual obligations to
existing customers and we will be consistent with published end-of-life
policies.  We will not expand our customer base for Microsoft’s Network
Functions, including the former Metaswitch and Affirmed Networks software
products.

The telecommunications industry remains a priority industry for Microsoft.
We will continue to empower telecommunications organizations to achieve
more through a trusted and secure platform built to elevate customer
experiences, streamline enterprise operations and business support systems,
accelerate network transformation, reinvent product innovation and
monetization, and build a secure data-driven business.

We appreciate the importance our products provide in supporting your
network.  We also appreciate the long-term planning that network
development requires, so we will communicate our roadmap plans at the
earliest opportunity.  It is important to note that these changes do not
require immediate action from you today, nor do they change any agreement
that you have in place with Microsoft.  We will continue to meet all
customer contractual commitments.

If you have any questions, please contact: AFO Sales Questions afosalesqst@
microsoft.com.

Thank you.

*FAQ*

*Q:  Is there any action I need to take today?  When will you have more
details to share about retirement dates (Azure services) or End of Life
dates (Metaswitch Networks & Affirmed Networks products)?*

A:  We will continue to meet all customer contractual commitments and be
consistent with published end-of-life policies.  We also appreciate the
long-term planning that network development requires, so we will
communicate our roadmap plans at the earliest opportunity.

*Q:  Will you still support our cloud and AI transformation?*

A:  Yes, Microsoft is refining the offers we provide to operators to
reflect the strong demand for cloud and AI based solutions.

*Q:  If you are announcing an End of Sale for the Affirmed Network
and Metaswitch Network products for new customers and net new deployments,
what does this mean for my existing service?*

   - We will meet all existing customer contractual obligations.
   - We will continue to maintain the software to provide security patches
   and bug fixes.  We highly recommend that customers follow standard security
   practices and upgrade to the latest releases.
   - We will provide support consistent with existing contracts.
   - We will continue to offer project level support / maintenance services
   on a case-by-case basis (as we do today).
   - We will support the expansion of volumes of current deployments.
   - We will not expand the customer base / add new customers.
   - We will not expand to entirely new deployments for existing customers
   (e.g., launching for a new OpCo or OpCo not currently deployed) where the
   new deployment is not already contractually committed.
   - We will not expand or offer new feature sets beyond those that have
   already been committed.

*Q:  What Are you announcing for the Azure for Operators products?*

A:   Here is a summary of these changes:

   - We promoted Azure Operator Nexus to Azure’s Edge and Platform
   portfolio and will continue to sell it.
   - We will continue to support Azure Programmable Connectivity.
   - We will support existing customers of Azure Operator Insights / AIOps
   Copilot, but we will not accept new customers.  Microsoft Fabric will
   address this functionality.
   - We will no longer add new customers for: Azure Communication Gateway
   (ACG), Azure Operator Insights (AOI), Azure Private 5G Core (AP5GC),
   Affirmed Mobile Content Cloud (MCC), Affirmed UnityCloud (UC),
Metaswitch Rhino
   TAS, and Metaswitch Perimeta SBC.  If you have a customer who is in the
   process of onboarding, please contact the appropriate In-flight Projects
   contact: sallywathen at microsoft.com (APAC and EMEA) or seanjames at microsoft
   .com (Americas).
   - We will not accept more preview candidates for: Azure Operator Call
   Protection (AOCP) and Azure Operator 5G Core (AO5GC), and we will not move
   these services to General Availability.

*Q:  What is next after you stop selling a product, and how will you manage
these products?*

A:  We will continue to support these products in accordance with our
existing customer commitments.  We will eventually retire these services in
accordance with our lifecycle policies.  In advance of retirement, we will
provide notification as well as details on transition recommendations.  We
are committed to supporting you through this transition.

Here are the current plans for each product, but plans may evolve as we
work with customers:

   - *Azure Communication Gateway (ACG) *– We will publish a transition
   roadmap to recommend options to migrate off these services to partner
   solutions when the service is retired.
   - *Azure Operator Insights (AOI) *– We will work with customers to align
   this service to Microsoft Fabric before the service is retired.
   - *Azure Operator 5G Core (AO5GC) * – We will not move this product from
   Public Preview to GA
   - *Azure Private 5G Core (AP5GC)* – We will provide options to adopt
   services using partner solutions before the service is retired.
   - *Azure Operator Call Protection (AOCP)* – We will not move this
   product from Private Preview to GA.  Operators may still use existing
   Microsoft tooling and partner solutions to create a similar solution.
   - *Affirmed Mobile Content Cloud (MCC)* – We will meet obligations as
   defined above until product End of Life.
   - *Affirmed UnityCloud (UC)* – We will meet obligations as defined above
   and move to product End of Life.
   - *Metaswitch Rhino TAS* – We will meet obligations as defined above
   until product End of Life.
   - *Metaswitch Perimeta SBC* – We will meet obligations as defined above
   until product End of Life.

*Q:  Is Microsoft exiting the telecommunications industry?*

A:  No.  Microsoft remains fully committed to supporting the
telecommunications industry by empowering them to achieve more with the
power of Cloud and AI.  The changes to the Azure for Operator portfolio
reflect customer demand and enable us to focus on the technologies that
drive the most value for our customers and partners.

*Q:  If these changes impacted my contacts at Microsoft, who can I contact?*

A:  We apologize for any inconvenience personnel changes have caused you.
Please reach out to your assigned Microsoft Account Executive.  For issues
requiring escalation, you may contact the following:

Questions / inquiries:
              afosalesqst at microsoft.com

Industry Lead Sponsor:
silvia.candiani at microsoft.com

Support Issues:
mhenderson at microsoft.com

In-flight Projects (APAC and EMEA)                     sallywathen at microsoft
.com

In-flight Projects (Americas):                                 seanjames@
microsoft.com

Purchase Orders:
jason.ryberg at microsoft.com

Executive Escalation:                                          shawn.hakl@
microsoft.com

On Tue, Aug 13, 2024 at 8:41 AM Mike Hammett <voiceops at ics-il.net> wrote:

> "Given the MetaSwitch products are no longer sold, and Microsoft is EOLing
> them, and not taking new support contracts..."
>
>
> That's news to me.
>
>
>
> -----
> Mike Hammett
> Intelligent Computing Solutions
> http://www.ics-il.com
>
>
>
> Midwest Internet Exchange
> http://www.midwest-ix.com
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
> *From: *"Jawaid Bazyar via VoiceOps" <voiceops at voiceops.org>
> *To: *"voiceops" <voiceops at voiceops.org>
> *Sent: *Tuesday, August 13, 2024 7:23:05 AM
> *Subject: *[VoiceOps] Acquire MetaSwitch
>
> Hello,
>
> We are in the market to acquire / take over a MetaSwitch CFS. In
> particular, we're looking for the virtual edition that runs purely in
> VMWare.
>
> The components we'd need are:
>     CFS
>     MRS (Media Resource Server)
>     Perimeta
>     SAS (Service Assurance Server)
>     MetaView Server
>
> These are fairly common components.
>
> Given the MetaSwitch products are no longer sold, and Microsoft is EOLing
> them, and not taking new support contracts, we're not talking about a big
> cash up front kind of deal, but, instead a revenue share kind of
> arrangement.
>
> Anyone that has one and is interested, contact me directly off-list.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jawaid
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> VoiceOps mailing list
> VoiceOps at voiceops.org
> https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/voiceops
>
>
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