Agito Networks has announced a Linux-powered communications router aimed at helping enterprises cut mobile phone usage fees. The RoamAnywhere Mobility Router works with dual-mode phones, routing calls over WiFi when available, and handing calls between WiFi and cellular networks as needed, the company claims.

(Click for larger image of the RoamAnywhere Mobility Router)

The device works in tandem with a client application that can be installed over the air on Windows Mobile or Symbian phones. The product works with any cellular network, the company claims, and users' phones have only a single number, regardless of their location. The RoamAnywhere router can even route calls over WiFi when users are at home, according to the company.

Agito's dual-mode call routing architecture
A 2000 model supports up to 100 simultaneous users, while a 4000 model supports up to 1,000, the company claims.

What's under the hood?

Agito describes its RoamAnywhere Mobility Router as a “hardened, turn-key Linux-based appliance” with a “simple, intuitive web management GUI.” It appears to be based on a standard off-the-shelf 1U server platform powered by an Intel Xeon processor of unspecified speed. The 2000-series device features a single dual-core Xeon processor, while the 4000-series model employs two. The appliance may also have some kind of DSP (digital signal processor) co-processor — perhaps on a PCI-based line card or other add-in board — as the company refers to a “hybrid” architecture said to separate data flow from control tasks.

The company declined to say how much RAM the devices have. The 4000 model comes standard with 250GB of redundant SATA hard drive storage.

I/O includes a 9-pin serial port interface supporting a console connection, a pair of gigabit Ethernet ports, and a USB port “not used for basic operation of the platform,” the company says.

Agito declined to say what version of the 2.6-series Linux kernel it used, nor what other open source software is in the RoamAnywhere router's filesystem. The Linux implementation was reportedly developed in-house. Agito's core applications were developed to be cross-platform, and “software integration into Linux was very seamless,” according to Pejman Roshan, VP of marketing.

Asked for a prediction about embedded Linux, Roshan ventured, “Linux will continue to be one of many strategic options for vendors to deliver innovative software services to the Enterprise.”

Availability

Agito is currently trialing the RoamAnywhere Mobile Router, with general availability expected later this year. The 2000 model is expected to start at $10,000, while the 4000 model will go for $25,000.

This device is Agito's first product. The company was founded in 2006 by former Cisco employees, with funding from Battery Ventures.

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