Sunday, June 30, 2013

Volubill Launches Cloud-based Analytics Reporting


The trend of cloud-based analytics reporting continues (see Openwave, Movik).

Volubill launched its ".. new analytical reporting solution that allows operators to offer more compelling packages, answer key business stakeholder questions and predict consumer behavior using a highly-visual dashboard. With a number of unique functions, such as remote cloud-based access and real-time high-performance data manipulation, operators can determine more clearly than ever exactly how to design policies to maximize revenue and customer satisfaction.



Volubill’s analytical reporting solution is accessible from any HTML5-capable device, allowing for flexible reporting and ad-hoc queries and data drill down, regardless of location. Volubill’s analytical reporting solution offers a number of additional features for premiere control and analysis, including: In-memory analytics .. Trend and threshold analysis .. Visualized data and Operational intelligence" 


See "Volubill's New Analytical Reporting Solution Reveals Unique Business Opportunities for Operators" - here.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Accedian Launches Low-Cost Programmable 10GE Node


Accedian Networks announced the ".. launch of the MetroNODE LT™, a fully programmable 10GbE, Performance Assured Networking node .. This ultra-compact solution enables service providers and mobile operators to deliver high performance services with a 10GbE solution at a 1GbE price point .. The MetroNODE LT™ delivers on the 4P’s of Performance Assured Networking™:  Programmability .. Performance Assurance .. High Performance and Accelerated Profitability".




See "Accedian Launches Fully Programmable Performance Assured Networking Node" - here

Google Offers Airtel Subscribers Toll-Free Data to its Services

   
Yet another 1-800 data service (see also AT&T/Verizon, Vimpelcom, Facebook).
Read the terms carefully!
   
Airtel is "Presenting Free Zone powered by Google, an innovative service that allows you to access Google mobile services on the go at absolutely no data costs! Now with your internet-enabled mobile on the airtel network you can: Search on Google and browse the internet for FREE Send and read emails on Gmail for FREE Stay connected with your friends on Google+ for FREE"
"The free data usage on Free Zone is available up to a limit of 1GB per month .. you don’t need a data plan to use Free Zone as it is free of charge .. If you click on a link that takes you outside Google+ or Gmail or if you want to view an email attachment, you will need to pay data charges. Before you are charged, you will see a notification page, you can purchase a data plan or you can proceed further with the default pay-as-you use data charges .. When you click on a link in the search results page, you don’t pay anything. The first page(s) linking from Google Search are free, for pages thereafter you will need to pay for data usage".

"Can I use Free Zone on my computer or tablet? No, you can only use Free Zone on internet-enabled mobile phones"


Friday, June 28, 2013

Monday's Guest Post: Mobile Video is Changing


A new guest post will be published on Monday. In his article, "Mobile Video is changing – as much to do with people as technology", my 28th guest, Chris Goswami, will discuss the future and changes in mobile video.

"When it came to mobile video and 3G, it was always a clear case of video killed the radio star, with the surge in demand for video delivered to smart devices completely overtaking the ability of networks and operators to manage. Based on my attendance at the Global Mobile Video Summit in Berlin, it seems that things are changing" says Chris.

Stay tuned!

BroadForward Helps Convergence w/RADIUS to Diameter Interworking


BroadForward (see "BroadForward CEO: 'We have a very ambitious 5 year growth plan'" - here) announced that the "..latest release of the BFX Interface Gateway introduces further service logic enhancements for advanced RADIUS to Diameter Interworking scenarios. Users of BFX get sample configuration templates to quickly connect RADIUS based Fixed network elements such as Edge Gateways and Wi-Fi Packet Gateways with Diameter based Mobile network elements such as PCRF, OCS, optionally through a DRA. 

The ability to connect RADIUS and Diameter network elements allows service providers to enable service continuity scenarios with converged policy control and integrated data bundles. Examples of such converged services are: common charging and subscriber policies across access networks, automatic access to Wi-Fi offload, seamless roaming scenarios between access providers including authentication and accounting of the subscriber, portable security and service assurance amongst others".

See "BroadForward enables advanced RADIUS -Diameter interworking for Fixed-Mobile Convergence" - here.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Who is Using ALU's PCRF?


A document by Alcatel-Lucent posted to PolicyChargingControl provides some insights into the vendor's deployment list of its 5780 Dynamic Services Controller.

Source: PolicyChargingControl


According to the document, ALU's PCRF and Diameter Router is deployed by the following operators: Antel Uruguay, Big River Broadband, Etisalat Sri-Lanka, Etisalat UAE, Blegacom [here], Fuego Telecom, West Central Wireless, C-Spire, Telesis Tanzania, Sasktel, Regional Telecom [Iraq] and BT.

See "Alcatel-Lucent 5780 Dynamic Services Controller (DSC) Product Highlights" - here.




Avvasi: "Instagram videos immediately flooded mobile networks"

 
Avvasi published its analysis on the ".. impact of Facebook’s Instagram video launch on mobile networks .. the impact on mobile networks is significant as the total number of video sessions observed has doubled since service launch, with Instagram now accounting for over 30% of the total OTT video, instantaneously passing Google’s YouTube and Twitter’s Vine. Furthermore, in some networks, the service launch has negatively impacted the overall quality of video delivered, due to the sudden increase in traffic and network congestion".



See "This is your Network on Instagram – Avvasi Highlights the Impact of Facebook’s Instagram videos" - here.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

HP Launches Intelligent Wi-Fi Solution - Integrates Offload, Analytics and Policy Management

 
HP announced a ".. new solution designed to help mobile network operators (MNOs) improve overall service quality and customer experience by leveraging WiFi technologies .. HP is providing a wide set of modules that can be used independently or together to enable WiFi services such as WiFi Offload .. HP’s Intelligent WiFi solutions are available worldwide with pricing based on solution size and architecture".  

HP Intelligent WiFi Offload solutions rely on many HP sub-domains and define a wide framework
divided into five layers:
 

  • Access point control provides a complete range of networking products for offloading, including a large portfolio of hotspots scaling
     
  • Gateway and switching link WiFi traffic with the data network, tunneling data to ensure security, and providing protection against attacks and identity theft
     
  • Authentication and routing methods identify the user who wants to connect on WiFi and includes HSS core network elements and the deep packet inspection (DPI) function to collect user information for further business analysis
     
  • Data logical layer stores subscriber data and applies analytics and business intelligence [here]
     
  • Policies and rules dictate hotspot network selection, policy control rule function (PCRF - here), real time charging (RTC) rules, and where business analytics reside.
 

 
 
See "HP Helps Mobile Operators Enhance Services through Intelligent WiFi Technologies" - here.

Polystar Expands DPI-based Analytics w/Subscriber Awareness and OTT Usage


Polystar announced that it ".. expands its Customer Insight solution and introduces "Marketing Analytics" for telco marketers. The product is designed to deliver comprehensive real-time subscriber awareness and enhanced business intelligence of over-the-top (OTT) application usage ..  Polystar's "Application Recognition" (Deep packet inspection (DPI)), combined with the "Marketing Analytics" application enables Mobile Network Operators and service providers to go well beyond conventional network monitoring and troubleshooting. The advanced Polystar solutions offer sophisticated network analytics and enhanced troubleshooting capabilities, as well as real-time visibility of bandwidth consumptions and application utilisation down to each subscriber segment".

Polystar uses Qosmos' DPI engine (see "Polystar Enhances Network Analytics and Business Intelligence Solution with Qosmos Network Intelligence Technology" - here).

".. As an example, Mobile Network Operator might look into details on how different customer groups behave and utilise the available set of services in relation to their subscription plans, and how age and gender generate different scenarios. By analysing customer profiles and utilisation, subscriptions and price plans can be continuously improved and adopted. Besides, Polystar "Marketing Analytics" give network operators the ability to monitor the utilisation and service quality and evaluate the success of new services introduction".

See "Polystar Introduces Marketing Analytics Solution for Telco Marketers" - here.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

DSC Deployments [259]: Telenor Global Services Uses Oracle (Tekelec) for Roaming


Oracle announced that "Telenor Global Services intends to make its LTE roaming services available around the world using Oracle’s Tekelec Diameter Signaling RouterThe solution will enable national and international roaming and over-the-top (OTT) services, such as voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) for partner service providers, helping to increase revenues and provide subscribers with greater LTE network access.

Telenor Global Services will deploy Oracle’s Tekelec Diameter Signaling Router as part of its Global LTE Roaming Signaling and IP packet eXchange (IPX) offerings. The solution will provide Diameter Edge Agent (DEA) functionality, which will enable Telenor to connect securely with third-party partners to share resources – such as when a customer is roaming between networks. The solution will deliver essential interoperability and interworking as the central point in Telenor Global Services’ network to relay Diameter messages across operators’ networks".


Source: Telenor IPX Datasheet

See "Telenor Global Services Selects Oracle’s Tekelec Diameter Signaling Router to Support New International LTE Network Roaming" - here.

Telenor Manages OTT Video Traffic With: ALU, Opera/SkyFire, ConteXtream and Velocix


Alcatel-Lucent and TelenorGroup have "signed a three-year global frame agreement that will give customers fast, buffering-free mobile video and improve overall Internet service quality. The agreement will enable the deployment of mobile Internet optimization for Telenor’s 2G, 3G and 4G networks in Europe and AsiaAlcatel-Lucent will help Telenor address the challenges caused by mobile users accessing ‘over the top’ (OTT) video from sites like YouTube or Netflix"

"Telenor will deploy technology that automatically manages the delivery of Internet traffic over a mobile network, optimizing the experience for customers watching video and accessing web content while ensuring a surge in demand doesn’t affect those using the network for other activities.

The mobile Internet optimization solution includes: Opera’s  SkyfireRocket Controller and Optimizer [see Opera Buys Skyfire for (up to) $155M" - hereConteXtream’s [here, here] Session Control to manage end-to-end sessions across the network, automatically directing video traffic to Skyfire based on rules or policies decided on by the operator, Velocix 7810 Transparent Caching [hereand  9900 Wireless Network Guardian".

 
See "Telenor Group selects Alcatel-Lucent to enhance mobile Internet experience in 11 countries" - here.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Allot Enhances DPI Gateway with Standard TDF; Deployed by LTE Operators


Allot Communications announced the ".. availability of its pure-play, 3GPP-compliant Traffic Detection Function (TDF) for LTE networks. Allot is a leader in LTE TDF [learn more about TDF - heresolutions, and several top tier LTE operators are already utilizing the TDF-enabled Allot Service Gateway to analyze subscriber behavior and monetize their broadband networks .. The TDF-enabled Allot Service Gateway is a pure-play solution that enables CSPs to analyze and monetize OTT traffic by leveraging application awareness and transaction information in order to deploy innovative pricing plans, drive new service revenues and increase customer loyalty. Allot led the standardization efforts of TDF for LTE and continues to lead standardization activity for connecting TDF to other 3GPP components for policy control and charging purposes".



See "Allot Communications' 3GPP-Compliant TDF Offers CSPs Innovative Ways to Analyze and Capitalize on LTE Traffic" - here.

[Guest post]:Video adverts – glass half empty or half full for mobile operators?

By Chris Koopmans*, VP and GM, Service Provider Platforms, Citrix

As radio access technologies have evolved and downlink speeds have increased, we’ve seen video content taking up a larger proportion of the total data traffic on mobile networks. Specifically, as RANs have moved through 2G to EDGE, UMTS and into HSPA, the combination of faster networks, cheaper data, smarter devices and better QoS for video means that video as a percentage of traffic has risen from 30 percent to over 50 percent.
 
In the five years since the iPhone first launched and kick-started a smartphone revolution, video has become a much bigger portion of traffic on mobile networks. Unfortunately for mobile operators, the proportion of revenue that video brings in has not grown at the same rate as the traffic. As we move into LTE and towards LTE-Advanced we’re going to see the share of video continue to grow.
 
We may not need to wait long for video traffic to accelerate its growth. Facebook looks set to begin moving forward with video adverts, a step that may be setting off alarm bells at networks operators around the world – or at least wherever Facebook has a presence. In the Citrix Bytemobile Q2 2013 Mobile Analytics Report we found mobile Facebook usage has grown five-fold in a year, with the level of traffic Facebook generates growing from one to five percent of overall data traffic. That includes very little video. So, what happens when we add video adverts to Facebook? 
 
In the same Mobile Analytics Report, we indicate that a single mobile YouTube session contributes the equivalent of ten mobile Facebook sessions -- that’s the power of video. When Facebook rolls out video adverts, there will be an unavoidable bump in data traffic associated with Facebook. When video adverts are added to all of the other online services, that new traffic could start to have a seriously detrimental impact on the quality of service subscribers enjoy.



Of course, even in the absence of video adverts, operators have had to manage the growth of data on their networks – or risk financial implosion. The tools used range from relatively blunt instruments such as throttling and lossy compression to more nuanced approaches such as adaptive traffic management, the latter employed in the service of ensuring the best possible subscriber QoE within the constraints of the network. More recently, operators have begun to consider QoE as part and parcel of a differentiated services plan in which the subscriber experience – including access to particular content – is tied directly to willingness to pay. The question at hand is: which of the above approaches – or other approaches -- are most relevant in the context of video adverts?
 
There are a few things to consider. First, these adverts will be pushed over the network over and over again, making the excess traffic challenge that much worse. Second, at approximately 2MB each, these adverts, if seen many times per day and month, can serve to consume a significant portion of the subscriber’s quota. Finally, the effectiveness of the advert and the likelihood of having a subscriber click through will be related to the video experience, for example the amount of time it takes for the advert to load.
 
Given these considerations, it’s clear that some degree of data optimization is required in order to reduce the overall transport costs and, perhaps more importantly, to minimize the hit to subscriber quotas. Adverts can be easily cached and highly compressed, so the blunt instrument approach could certainly be justified. After all, the operator isn’t making any extra money from these adverts. But they could be.
 
If ever there were an opportunity to pursue a two-sided business model – one in which the operator collects revenue not just from subscribers but from content providers as well – this is it. Both Facebook and its advertisers have a financial incentive to generate as many click-throughs as possible. Meanwhile, the operator -- in partnership with an optimization vendor -- has the tools at its disposal to affect this click-through rate while better serving the interests of its subscribers. 
 
At the most basic level, an improved user experience enabled by optimization would better ensure the timely delivery of the advertisement. Taken a step further, the operator could use its understanding of real-time user experience to only send adverts when the subscriber is likely to have a good experience. Who’s benefitting here? Facebook (or equivalent). The basis for an agreement between the operator and the social networking site is thus established.
 
And it doesn’t need to end there for either party. The operator has the option of zero-rating the traffic associated with these video adverts, so as not to unfairly consume the subscriber’s data quota. The presence of a business arrangement between the two makes doing so even more palatable. Perhaps of most interest (and most controversy) is the idea of sharing certain elements of the subscriber profile – elements inaccessible to Facebook or the advertiser – thus enabling the more effective targeting of adverts. This, of course, is exactly what all parties want.
 
What looks at first like a network burden that must be ignominiously accommodated like so many others is in fact an opportunity for operators to establish partnerships with the content providers, for whom an enhanced subscriber experience translates to revenue.


________

*Chris Koopmans joined Citrix as vice president, Service Provider Platforms, with the acquisition of Bytemobile in 2012. He is responsible for product development, management and marketing for the Service Provider Platforms group, as well as the Citrix business strategy for telecommunications service providers. Koopmans was a founding engineer at Bytemobile in 2000 and rose to the position of chief operating officer, responsible for all aspects of product development, management, marketing, delivery, and support, as well as information technology (IT). He has over 14 years of industry experience in hardware and software engineering and architecture.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Net Neutrality Debate Returns to Germany


The political debate over Net Neutrality in Germany started 3 years ago (see "Net Neutrality Discussion in Germany (II) - DT Position" - here), and has been quiet since then. Recently, Deutsche Telecom created some partnerships with OTT providers (see "DT to Offer Zero-Rate Video Calls, Messaging, File sharing and Music Services" - here) while introducing a new DSL throttling policy (here).

This may have been too much (remember the KPN case? - here).

Iain Morris reports to Telecom Engine that "Germany’s government is planning to introduce new ‘net neutrality’ [see below and here, German] legislation that would prevent internet service providers like Deutsche Telekom from treating content providers differently in terms of connection speeds .. The rules have been proposed by Philipp Roesler [pictured], Germany’s economy minister, who is set to present them before Germany’s government at the end of the current legislative period .. If approved by both the upper and lower houses of parliament, the legislation would allow the Federal Network Agency, Germany’s telecoms regulator, to penalize abuses of so-called ‘net neutrality’ – the principle that all internet traffic be treated equally and fairly by network operators".

See also "Internetanbieter müssen alle Daten in gleicher Weise übermitteln" - here.


 
See "German minister proposes net neutrality rules to rein in Deutsche Telekom: report" - here.

Citrix Identifies the 4 Top Mobile iOS Applications


Citrix released the ".. Citrix ByteMobile Mobile Analytics Report for the second quarter of 2013. The Mobile Analytics report provides insight into mobile data subscriber usage patterns and the impact this behavior has on operators’ networks".

An interesting finding is that "four apps – Media Player, Safari, App Store and Facebook – generate 82 percent of mobile data volume on iOS devices, with Media Player accounting for nearly half .. Facebook has risen in prominence and increased its relative volume by 5X over previous measurements. Facebook generated 1% of data volume in Feb 2012 and now generates 5%. With 1% of mobile transactions, the eBay app now generates enough traffic to be a significant mobile data contributor and in so doing becomes the first Ecommerce app to pass the 1% threshold".

Source: Citrix ByteMobile Mobile Analytics Report

See "Citrix: Data Provides Insight into Mobile Subscriber Behavior and Mobile App Preference" - here.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Tektronix Launches Vendor-agnostic LTE Optimization Consulting Serivces


Tektronix Communications announced the ".. launch of its Professional Services Technology Consulting offering, designed to provide carriers with world-class optimisation solutions for the rollout of LTE networks ..  [the] new Technology Consulting service provides NEM-agnostic, strategic end-to-end consulting services, delivered by a dedicated team of in-region consultants, focused on LTE network optimisation and customer experience improvements"

See "Tektronix Communications launches LTE Network Optimisation Services" - here.

Major UK ISPs & Google Increase Contribution to Fight Illegal Content


The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) announced that ".. we are pleased with the announcement of the UK’s four largest ISPs – BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media – that they will commit an additional £1m collectively over the next four years to further crack down on the creation and distribution of child abuse material online. The companies will work together with Government, IWF and CEOP to establish how best these funds can be spent to tackle the availability of online child abuse content. The additional funding will supplement the existing zero tolerance approach to child sexual abuse material online, adding to the existing contributions that each company makes both in relation to the ongoing battle against illegal material online, and investment in technology and awareness raising to help parents protect children in the online world".

IWF is also supported by traffic management vendors, who can use its blacklist to block illegal content.  Among the members are ByteMobile (Citrix), Cisco, Checkpoint, Allot Communications, Huawei, Fortinet, BlueCoat, Optenet, Adaptive Mobile, Sandvine and Openwave Mobility. See the complete list here. Google also donated £1M - See "£1million donation for child sexual abuse charity" - here and announced its ".. continued commitment to combating child exploitation online" - here. .

Susie Hargreaves, IWF Chief Executive, said: “This is a great commitment from the UK internet industry. We are ready to step up the fight against online child sexual abuse content. By expanding our resources and by allowing the IWF to proactively target child sexual abuse content, we can make real headway towards our shared vision of an internet free of child sexual abuse content.”

See "IWF ready to step up the fight against online child sexual abuse content" - here.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Monday's Guest Post: Video Ads Monetization


A new guest post will be published on Monday. In his article, "Video adverts – glass half empty or half full for mobile operators?" my 27th guest, Chris Koopmans, will discuss video ads - The impact that streamed video ads will have on the mobile networks and on users’ quality of experience, how operators can understand subscriber behavior and act on it to lessen the deleterious impact of high levels of video traffic and use this understanding to monetize customer experience.

"We may not need to wait long for video traffic to accelerate its growth. Facebook looks set to begin moving forward with video adverts, a step that may be setting off alarm bells at networks operators" says Chris.

Stay tuned!

    DSC Deployments [258]: Swisscom Uses Ericsson for LTE Roaming


    Ericsson announced that its "Diameter Signaling Controller, is enabling Swisscom to become the first European operator to launch LTE roaming services on a global basis .. LTE roaming is based on diameter signaling, a protocol used between virtually all nodes in mobile-broadband networks. The rapid increase in mobile-broadband traffic also means the signaling required to set up and manage sessions for individual subscribers is growing very fast; a tenfold increase is expected between 2011 and 2016.

    .. Ericsson's Diameter Signaling Controller is implemented on the Ericsson Blade System platform. This means the capacity of the product is truly scalable, and it caters for the forecasted continued growth in mobile-broadband traffic. It will also support and play a key role with the introduction of voice over LTE services".

    Swisscom has 6.3M mobile customers.



    See "Ericsson enables Swisscom to provide LTE Roaming" - here.

    Thursday, June 20, 2013

    How to Build DPI Products? (Part XXIII -DPI by GPU)


    Article by Alysson Feitoza Santos, Stenio Flavio de Lacerda Fernandes, Petrônio Gomes Lopes Júnior, Djamel Fawzi Hadj Sadok (pictured), UFPE, Recife, Brazil and Geza Szabo Ericsson Research, Budapest, Hungary.

    ABSTRACT

    Traffic Identification is a crucial task performed by ISP administrators to evaluate and improve network service quality. Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) is a well-known technique used to identify networked traffic. DPI relies mostly on Regular Expressions (REs) evaluated by Finite Automata. Many previous studies have investigated the impacts on the classification accuracy of such systems when inspecting only a portion of the traffic. However, none have discussed the real impacts on the overall system throughput. This work presents a novel technique to perform DPI on Graphics Processing Units (GPU) called Flow-Based Traffic Identification (FBTI) and a proof-of-concept prototype analysis. Basically we want to increase DPI systems? performance on commodity platforms as well as their capacity to identify networked traffic on high speed links. By combining Deterministic Finite Automaton (DFA) for evaluating REs and flow-level packet sampling we achieve a raw performance of over 60 Gbps on GPUs. Our prototype solution could reach a real throughput of over 12 Gbps, measured as the identified volume of flows.


    See "Multi-gigabit traffic identification on GPU" (subscription required) - here

    GSMA: 50% of Mobile Connections will be on 3G/4G by 2017


    While everybody looks at LTE, the majority of mobile connections are still on 2G, according to GSMA Wireless Intelligence. We will have to wait for 2017, to see 50% of mobile connections, globally, using 3G/4G.

    Northern Europe and America are there already now (2G was less than 50% in 2012).



    See "Dashboard, Global mobile network technology migration" - here.

    Wednesday, June 19, 2013

    Time Warner Cable: Slow Internet is Normal - We don’t Throttle Traffic

     
    Jeff Simmermon (pictured), Director Digital Communications, Time Warner Cable explains in a blog post why the Internet is sometimes slow. There are many reasons - but not the speculation "A small subset of our customers" that "seem to think we are intentionally degrading their service"

    We don’t throttle traffic

    ".. We’ve invested billions of dollars to ensure that our networks deliver the best possible experience regardless of the source or nature of the traffic. However, the traffic only moves as fast as the weakest link. And when traffic travels across multiple networks, each with its own relationships, slowdowns and other problems can and do occur".

    See "Explained: Why Internet Traffic Slows At Times" - here.

    Accedian Adds Multi-vendor Visibility to SON and SDN


    Accedian Networks announced SkyLIGHT thart ".. provides mobile operators with the visibility they need to optimize backhaul performance in real-time .. SkyLIGHT delivers operators with the performance visibility required to take the self-optimization promise of SDN and SON and execute it on multivendor, heterogeneous, mobile backhaul networks (MBH-SON) using standards-based technology – a first in the industry. As Accedian currently has partnerships in place with most major base-station vendors, this makes SkyLIGHT, not only standards-based, but also fully interoperable by-design, with more than 80% of the base-stations on the market".






    See "Accedian Announces SkyLIGHT™ - its Solutions Architecture for Performance Assurance" - here.

    Tuesday, June 18, 2013

    Openet Acquires Routing Policy Technology


    Openet announced the acquisition of ".. Dublin, Ireland based Forkstream (founded in 2012 by John Fitzpatrick, pictured, and Hamid Nafaa] .. Forkstream’s technology enables operators to define policies for routing mobile data streams within and between different access networks while ensuring a seamless user experience. Forkstream’s client side technology interacts with the network core via Openet Interaction Gateway, enabling operators to manage network access policies using their Policy Controls Rules Function (PCRF). The technology is fully compliant with 3GPP Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) standards that enable consumer devices to discover and communicate with non-3GPP networks such as WiFi or WiMAX .. Forkstream technologies extend the functionality defined within the 3GPP standards to include dynamic network selection as well as analytics and monitoring".



    See "Openet Acquires Forkstream" - here.

    Largest SDN Network Deployed by US Tier1 MNO w/ConteXtream (T-Mobile?)

     
    ConteXtream (see "ConteXtream Launches Software-Defined Network Virtualization Solution for Carriers" - here and "ConteXtream Secured $14M - Investors Include Comcast and Verizon" - here), announced recently that its "ConteXtream Service Provider Software-Defined Networking (SDN) solution has been deployed by a Tier I U.S. wireless operator to virtualize a network of nearly 40 million wireless users. ConteXtream’s Service Provider-SDN technology was selected by the wireless operator to create a virtualized service abstraction layer, constructing the largest SDN implemented on production traffic to date"

    A US operator with "nearly 40 million wireless users" (if this statement refers to the whole network) is T-Mobile (here).
    ".. ConteXtream’s Service Provider-SDN solution identifies and steers traffic to the specific subset of network functions needed to support each subscriber flow, enabling far greater network efficiency, and providing improved network management and subscriber visibility. Existing network functions, as well as the ones being newly introduced, benefit from this deployment. They include content filtering, spam filtering, customized billing, distributed caching, video optimization, TCP optimization, ad insertion, and network and subscriber analytics"
    See "ConteXtream at the Core of the Largest Commercial SDN Deployment to Date by Tier 1 U.S. Wireless Service Provider" - here.

    Monday, June 17, 2013

    Cisco Integrates Acquired SON and Small Cell Technologies


    Cisco announced it has "..opened an innovation center in Israel to develop and deploy a radio network topology for handling the surge in demand for mobile Internet services. Cisco is collaborating with Pelephone Communications Ltd., an Israeli telecom service provider, to test on its live production network the world's first self-optimizing heterogeneous configuration that combines small-cell, Wi-Fi and macro technologies.

    Intucell CEO, Rani Wellingstein
    The Cisco® self-optimizing network (SON) software [see "Cisco to Acquire SON Vendor Intucell; $475M" - here] , which automatically manages the solution, is a component of the recently announced Cisco Quantum™ software suite, an integrated suite of network management tools that give service providers such as Pelephone greater capability to efficiently monetize and optimize their networks as well as to deliver a superior experience ..  Cisco has built the market's most comprehensive small-cell solution, encompassing its existing mobile core and Wi-Fi offering and bolstered by the recent acquisitions of Ubiquisys [see "Ubiquisys Partners with Saguna - Adding Cache to Small-Smart-Cells" - here], the market leader in small-cell software, and Intucell, the market leader in SON technology",

    See also "[Cisco Acquired] Intucell CEO Speaks about SON Opportunity" - here.

    See "Cisco Opens Innovation Center in Collaboration with Pelephone to Boost Mobile Internet Capacity" - here.

    StarHub Deploys Broadpeak CDN (w/ HLS Support)


    Broadpeak announced that ".. Singapore-based communications provider StarHub has deployed Broadpeak’s BkM100 Mediator content delivery network manager and BkS300 multiformat video streaming servers to power its live video services. Utilizing Broadpeak’s highly flexible and customizable CDN and video server solutions, StarHub can cost-effectively deliver live television content in a variety of adaptive streaming formats, including Apple® HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), [hereproviding end users with a superior quality of service".

    At the end of 2012, StarHub had 2.2M mobile, 444K broadband and 536K pay TV customers. See also "SwiftServe - New Transparent Cache Player/CDN" - here.



    "..Broadpeak’s BkM100 CDN Manager streamlines content delivery based on the type of service and customer location. By continuously monitoring the popularity of content based on usage patterns, it automatically pushes popular content to the edge of the servers, while long-tail content remains on the larger central library, lowering StarHub’s storage use and operating expenses. Relying on the completely open and scalable solution, StarHub can easily support additional streaming applications such as IPTV and cable TV in the future".

    See "StarHub Deploys HTTP Live Streaming Services With Broadpeak CDN and Server Solutions" - here.

    Sunday, June 16, 2013

    [TechNavio] DPI Market to Grow at 35% 2012-16


    TechNavio's analysts "forecast the Global Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) market to grow at a CAGR of 35 percent over the period 2012-2016. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the increasing bandwidth usage. The market has also been witnessing the combined use of both standalone and integrated DPI. However, the lack of awareness of benefits of DPI could pose a challenge to the growth of this market .. The key vendors dominating this market space include Allot Communications Ltd., Bivio Networks, Cisco Systems Inc., Endace Ltd., Procera Networks Inc., Qosmos, and Sandvine Inc."
      
    Last year's forecast was "33% CAGR for DPI Market (2011-15)" - here; see other forecasts - here.

    See "Global Deep Packet Inspection Market 2012-2016" - here.

    DT CEO: "We cannot Explain our DSL Throttling Policy"


    Ofir Dor interviewed Rene Obermann (pictured), CEO of Deutsche Telekon, to Calcalist (here, Hebrew) who is visiting Israel this week. Mr. Obermann provided the following insights:
    • VoIP and messaging OTT services (see "Deutsche Telekom CEO: OTT providers should pay for High Quality" - here) - "We changed our approach and decided to cooperate with OTTs while keep competing with them. The communication environment should be open - nobody is controlling the market anymore" (see "DT to Offer Zero-Rate Video Calls, Messaging, File sharing and Music Services"- here).
       
    • Throttling DSL speeds (see "Will DT Throttle DSL Speeds for Exceeding Quota?" - here) - "Mr. Obermann lost his patient", the reporter says. "I don't know how to contain this matter. The fact is that we have a big increase in internet traffic in Germany, and we have to create price differentiation. We simply cannot provide 150GB download volume for 30 Euro, so we decided to offer heavy users a slightly more expensive service plan. We may have mistaken by emphasizing the speed throttling aspect. No matter how many times I explained that, once this Genie was out of the bottle we could not put it back in









    Saturday, June 15, 2013

    Cisco - Is DPI Still about P2P File Sharing?


    A presentation by Sandesh Sawant, Principle Member of Tech Staff at Cisco Systems, Cisco on DPI.

    Appeared today, although looks a bit updated, as it puts the P2P file sharing, takes example from popular applications such as Kazaa and disregards the mobile side of business (including the related Cisco products).


    [YankeeG]: "Operators will shift their focus away from direct OTT competition to partnerships"


    A new report by Declan Lonergan (pictured), VP, Yankee Group concludes that "The next two to three years promise even bigger changes and opportunities in the trillion-dollar mobile broadband ecosystem .. 4G is on the rise and Software-defined networks (SDNs) move from concept to implementation"

    And, as has been said a number of times in the past - "Operators will shift their focus away from direct OTT competition to partnerships. These partnerships can take many forms, but in the short term they are likely to center around operator billing and the introduction of zero-rated data for access to popular communications and social media apps".

    See "Mobile Broadband: Prepping for the Next Big Wave" - here.

    Friday, June 14, 2013

    [Infonetics]: MNOs Need Carrier-class Wi-Fi


    A new survey by Richard Webb (pictured), directing analyst for microwave and carrier WiFi, Infonetics Research finds that ".. Best-effort WiFi is no longer good enough; mobile operators need carrier-class sophistication. Next-gen carrier WiFi has evolved to enable operators to deliver the same quality of experience as mobile networks through closer integration with the mobile RAN, “Hotspot 2.0 will go a long way to building the bridge between the technologies from a technical standpoint, but operators are still figuring out how to position WiFi within their broadband offerings and which service models will generate the most revenue.. Offload of data traffic is not enough; WiFi’s got to pay for itself.”




    "..  revenue generation, enhanced throughput and use of unlicensed spectrum are the top deployment drivers for carrier WiFi .. The fastest-growing monetization models for WiFi services are tiered/premium hotspots, managed hotspots and WiFi roaming".

    See "Mobile operators reveal plans to monetize WiFi" - here.

    Elitecore New Platform Integrates Session Management Products


    Elitecore Technologies announced "EliteCSM, a core session management platform for next-generation networks with preintegrated products including AAA, Map Gateway, PCRF, Diameter Signaling and Charging Gateway. The platform serves as a one-stop solution to increase revenues from existing and emerging services without having to go for a major overhaul each time there is an innovation thus, helping them adapt quickly to unpredictable changes in business environment"

    EliteCSM Architecture


    By using a common Diameter and RADIUS stack across all products which enable easy integration processes for seamless connectivity. EliteCSM drastically reduces development costs and project timelines . It also solves complex integration issues with multi-vendor network elements like GGSN, PGW, HSS, PCRF and OCS vendors, allowing operators to reuse their network for future services with negligible customization"
    .

    See "Elitecore brings Core Session Management platform for CSP’s Next-Generation Services" - here.

    Thursday, June 13, 2013

    KDDI Explains Data Outage and Actions


    A recent presentation by Takashi Tanaka (picture), President, KDDI, explaining the network service outages and the action taken.
    • A reset bug related to fragmentation processing (April 27) caused 6:17 hours of service loss, affecting 590K subscribers.
    • Hardware failure occurred when uploading to one MME port a correction file to resolve the failure that occurred on April 27. caused two days later 18:43 hours of outage, affecting 560K subscribers
    • Trying to fix it again, on April 30, caused 9:58 hours of outage, affecting 640K subscribers. 

    [ABI]: 6.3M Wi-Fi Hotspots in 2013


    While the Israeli regulator is going to ban the use of carrier Wi-Fi by MNOs (here), a recent report by ABI Research finds that this is a very popular approach by mobile operators, globally.

    Khin Sandi Lynn (pictured), industry analyst, ABI research finds that "Worldwide carrier Wi-Fi deployments reached a total 4.9 million hotspots in 2012 .. Despite the successful adoption of 3G and 4G mobile data services, the number of Wi-Fi Hotspots has continued to proliferate and are anticipated to surpass 6.3 million by the end of 2013 .. The number includes Wi-Fi hotspots deployed by fixed-line and mobile carriers as well as third-party operators (e.g., Boingo, iPass, etc)".

    "As mobility is increasingly important for users, fixed broadband operators are also building Wi-Fi hotspots in order to provide fast and reliable Internet connections when the customers are away from home. Five cable companies from the United States (Cox, Comcast, Time Warner, Optimum, and Bright House) have agreed to allow their customers to access more than 100,000 Wi-Fi hotspots installed nationwide".

    See "Growing Demand for Mobility will Boost Global Wi-Fi Hotspots to Reach 6.3 Million in 2013" - here.

    Wednesday, June 12, 2013

    PCC Deployments [257]: Globe Telecom [Philippines] Selected Amdocs


    Amdocs announced recently that "In a further development, Globe Telecom has also selected the Amdocs Policy Controller to monetize advanced data services. The Amdocs policy control solution will be integrated with the Amdocs BSS platform to support a range of use cases, including bandwidth management, fair-usage control, and bill-shock prevention. Amdocs Policy Controller will also enable the launch of innovative new services, such as data bundles across multiple lines of business and dynamic payment methods with variable spend limits, to enhance the customer experience and boost customer loyalty".

    At the end of Q1, 2013, Globe had 35.1M subscribers, of which 1.9M were postpaid.



    See "Amdocs Delivers Major BSS and BI/DW Transformation at Globe Telecom" - here.

    PCC Deployments [256]: T-Mobile [Netherlands] Selected Openet for Charging

      
    Openet announced that "..T-Mobile Netherlands, one of the largest mobile operators in the country, selected Openet Evolved Charging as its future charging platform for mobile services. Evolved Charging will enable rich customer engagement, real-time control and price plan innovations, while supporting continuous network and service evolution".

    At the end of Q1, 2013 T-Mobile Netherlands had 4.6M subscribers - 3M post paid and 1.6M prepaid, 4.8%decrease compared to Q1, 2012. 



    See "Openet closes deal with T-Mobile Netherlands" - here.

    Tuesday, June 11, 2013

    Openet and Procera Partner to Offer Integrated PCRF/PCEF Solution

      
    Several PCC vendors offer today "Out of the box" solutions for the policy management part, enabling the customer to quickly setup common use cases. Openet and Procera Networks are now taking this one step forward, by adding the DPI/PCEF element.

    The two vendors announced the "..availability of Revenue Express, the industry’s first end-to-end turnkey Policy Control and Charging (PCC) solution that includes Intelligent Policy Enforcement and analytics coupled with Policy Management functionality for mobile operators. Pre-configured and easy to deploy, Revenue Express Solutions enable operators to rapidly configure revenue generating services based on optimized software and hardware configurations. Standardized and pre-packaged functionality is designed to reduce cost of ownership and address time to market challenges faced by today's service providers while delivering flexible service configurability and interoperability with existing operator OSS/BSS systems.

    The use case offered are Fair Usage, Tiered Services, Service Passes, Shared Data, Access Type and Device Type.

    The solution’s automated installation capabilities mean Revenue Express can be configured in days instead of months. Openet and Procera have made ease of integration, reliability and flexibility a top priority, giving Tier 2 and Tier 3 operators the opportunity to take advantage of a revenue-generating policy offering, and the ability to compete with bigger players in the market like they never could before".

    See "Openet and Procera Networks Partner to Launch Revenue Express Solutions for MNOs" - here.

    DT to Use Octoshape Video Streaming Technology


    Deutsche Telekom’s Business Development and Innovation (BDI) in partnership with Octoshape, announced a "..new Deutsche Telekom cloud-based video solution, introduced as “LiveStream Perform,” powered by Octoshape. The new service provides the best quality video distribution of over-the-top (OTT) content via fixed and mobile broadband networks.Powered by Octoshape’s streaming technology, LiveStream Perform is an entirely new way of experiencing live and on-demand video content. The patented technologies employ throughput optimization methods that enable TV-like playback quality over broadband networks worldwide. In addition, the suite of multicast technologies enables scale and efficiency for operators and provides predictable business models for broadcasters". 

    LiveStream Perform splits the initial stream source into streamlets, which are duplicated and transmitted across multiple paths in the Internet. In that way, if a link becomes congested, the content can still be automatically and securely delivered through a less congested link. In addition to the high levels of quality this affords, there are no constraints on the number or location of viewers.



    See "Deutsche Telekom Announces New Multi-Device OTT Video Acceleration Platform LiveStream Perform With Octoshape" - here.