List of the Top 5 Session Border Controllers (SBC) for OpenStack in 2025

AudioCodes introduces the Mediant Cloud Edition (CE), a cloud-native Session Border Controller (SBC) designed to provide scalable, secure, and cost-effective voice and video communication solutions in virtualized environments. With its automatic elasticity feature, the Mediant CE can dynamically adjust resources based on real-time traffic demands, ensuring optimal performance without requiring manual intervention. Built on the same core code as AudioCodes' physical SBCs, it boasts extensive SIP interoperability, advanced media processing functions such as transcoding, and robust security protocols. Its microservices architecture, coupled with a scalable media cluster, facilitates the swift and economical launch of new communication services. Additionally, the installation process is streamlined through native tools like AWS CloudFormation, which integrates effortlessly into existing automation and DevOps frameworks, thereby improving operational efficiency and adaptability to market shifts. As a result, the Mediant CE stands out as an exceptional choice for organizations aiming to enhance and modernize their communication systems, ensuring they remain competitive in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

The Ribbon SBC Software Edition (SBC SWe) serves as a flexible, cloud-centric Session Border Controller designed to improve and secure real-time communications across multiple deployment configurations. It offers the full range of features available in Ribbon's hardware models, such as the SBC 5400 and SBC 7000, including advanced audio codec transcoding, signaling interworking, call admission control, and strong security measures, which encompass encryption and protections against Denial of Service attacks. The SBC SWe can function as a Virtual Machine (VM) on typical industry servers located in data centers, operate as a Virtual Network Function (VNF) within private clouds utilizing OpenStack, or be deployed on public cloud services such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). This versatile deployment strategy allows businesses to effectively scale their communication systems without sacrificing security or performance. Furthermore, the SBC SWe's cloud-native design facilitates straightforward integration with existing systems and processes, encouraging smooth communication across a variety of environments. As a result, organizations can benefit from enhanced operational efficiency and improved collaboration, making it a valuable asset for modern communication needs.

The Perimeta Session Border Controller (SBC) from Alianza is a fully software-driven, cloud-native solution designed to provide secure, scalable, and flexible voice and multimedia communication services. It supports multiple deployment scenarios such as VoLTE, VoNR, SIP trunking, and direct routing for Microsoft Teams, making it suitable for use in fixed-line, wireless, and enterprise interconnect environments. Utilizing a zero-trust security framework, Perimeta delivers outstanding protection for cloud infrastructures. The innovative separation of media and signaling planes allows for precise scaling to meet varying demand levels effectively. Additionally, it features a secure distribution engine (SDE) that aids in efficient load balancing, along with distributed admission management (DAM) to streamline large-scale implementations. This SBC is compatible with a variety of cloud environments, whether public, private, or hybrid, and can be deployed on platforms like AWS, Azure, OpenStack, VMware, and ATCA hardware. This adaptability guarantees that organizations can select the most suitable environment tailored to their unique requirements, thereby improving both operational efficiency and security. By embracing such a versatile solution, businesses can also future-proof their communications infrastructure, ensuring it remains effective and resilient against evolving challenges.

The Ribbon PSX Software Edition (PSX SWe) is a comprehensive and virtualized solution designed specifically for service providers to optimize and oversee VoIP services across diverse network environments. It integrates sophisticated session management capabilities for session border controllers (SBCs), media gateways, and call controllers, supporting an extensive array of protocols, such as SIP, ENUM, H.323, TDM, SS7/C7, IN/AIN, and IMS. By utilizing a distributed architecture, it allows service providers to deploy localized instances that enhance both performance and reliability, while maintaining centralized oversight of policies, routing, and administration, thereby simplifying synchronization challenges across various sites. Key functionalities include Least Cost Routing (LCR), Quality of Service (QoS) routing, toll-free number routing, and number translation services, all contributing to improved operational productivity. Additionally, the PSX SWe functions as an IMS Breakout Gateway Control Function (BGCF) and features call validation treatments for STIR/SHAKEN alongside Reputation Scoring services, which collectively mitigate the threat of call spoofing. This comprehensive strategy not only safeguards the integrity of VoIP services but also fosters greater trust and satisfaction among providers and their customers, ultimately enhancing the overall user experience in telecommunications.

The Session Border Controller (SBC) from Ericsson is an advanced, virtualized product designed to provide security and seamless interoperability for IMS and various networks, effectively handling both signaling and media. It acts as a versatile solution catering to multiple services such as Voice over LTE (VoLTE), Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi), Video over LTE (ViLTE), Rich Communication Services (RCS), fixed VoIP, interconnection, and web communication applications. This SBC can be deployed on almost any x86 hardware within several cloud environments, including OpenStack, VMware, and Ericsson NFVI. Additionally, it has been validated on Ericsson's software-defined infrastructure (SDI) and can integrate into standardized industrial setups. The SBC's architecture employs a centralized control approach while managing media operations in high-traffic scenarios, thereby minimizing media latency and optimizing transmission expenses. With its wide range of features and integrative capabilities, the Ericsson SBC enables service providers to streamline their requirements into a single product, significantly leading to reductions in operational expenditure (OPEX). This integration of services not only boosts operational efficiency but also simplifies the management of varied communication solutions, making it easier for operators to oversee their processes and enhance service delivery. Ultimately, the Ericsson SBC stands out as a crucial asset in modern telecommunications infrastructure.