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Networks & Infrastructure
LTE Networks: Why we need them and how to manage them
An interview with Philippe Besset, Product Marketing Manager for Tekelec
by Beth Nicholson, TelecomEngine Newsdesk
Based on a flat IP architecture that merges data and voice on the same IP, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is the next generation of mobile broadband wireless technology. In this interview Philippe Besset, product marketing manager for the company’s wireless network monitoring system at Tekelec, helps explain why we need LTE, some of challenges associated with it and the benefits of monitoring LTE.
TelecomEngine: Why does the industry and the public need LTE?
Besset: As 3G services grow in popularity, 3G operators face exponential development of high-value mobile data services and associated bandwidth. Consumer services require more and more bandwidth for high-speed Web browsing, downloading, video streaming, social networks and more. Corporate accounts have increased needs of mobility applications like VPN access and conferencing. In addition, in emerging countries, the mobile network is an alternative to fixed line Internet access.
To continue to support this ever growing adoption, mobile operators realize that they need an upgraded path of their 3G UMTS networks. LTE meets operators’ requirements by increasing the downlink and uplink capacity, increasing cell capacity and reducing network CAPEX and OPEX. In addition LTE reduces latency to meet the requirement of time sensitive applications (like video) and prepare future transport of voice over an unified IP network. It serves as a supporting end to end QoS and relies on flat IP network architecture.
TelecomEngine: What are some of the challenges associated with implementing LTE?
Besset: The first challenge is to make LTE up and running with full interoperability with existing technologies as quickly as possible. During this crucial phase, network surveillance and troubleshooting are essential.
Any new technology requires interoperability testing and a period of adjustment, as when operators moved from GSM to GPRS and then to UMTS. Similarly, LTE will coexist with existing GSM, GRPS/EDGE and UMTS technologies, and subscribers will demand uninterrupted coverage and seamless mobility between legacy 3G and LTE networks. Once more, this will multiply the number of network elements, interfaces and protocols to be controlled, making networks more complex.
At the same time, LTE will accelerate operators’ business model to move from a bit pipe model to a content model, presenting operators’ second main problem. In this context, it will be essential to tightly control subscribers’ QoE (quality of experience) to maintain customer loyalty and assure profitability in a very competitive landscape. Not only is the network more complex, but the value chain is also shared among multiple actors, including more high-value third-party content providers and suppliers. In this context, 3G/4G operators need in-depth, real-time insight into both internal signaling and the user data itself. For assuring a customer- and service-oriented management, they need to go deep into the user data – from layer 3 to layer 7 – in real time. But analyzing this related huge amount of data will require powerful and intelligent monitoring solutions
TelecomEngine: What are the benefits for operators to monitoring? Why are operators monitoring now and why is it important for them to monitor as they move to LTE?
Besset: Non-intrusive monitoring has proven its value in both wireline and wireless networks. It is independent from network equipment and vendors and therefore has no impact on network traffic. Monitoring systems can be upgraded independently, which avoids complex release operations involving several vendors. Also, monitoring systems enable operators to control the whole network from a central management location. It provides consolidated information related to customers, handsets, services, content providers and more.
The monitoring system would measure QoE, which quantifies how customers perceive the quality of service provided through the whole delivery chain, from handset to content provider. QoE needs to be monitored in real time so that any degradation of service delivery is proactively detected before impacting end customers. Operators can detect if the problem comes form their own networks or from third-party providers, a device, an internal service or elsewhere.
QoE management requires high granularity. For example, operators could most closely monitor the highest revenue-generating customers (corporate customers), specific handsets (smartphones), or high-value services (on-demand video). The main challenge is not only to provide a high precision and resolution in QoE, but also to be able to continuously assure adaptation of QoE measurements to a very versatile environment where the highest value subscribers, services, or handsets can change daily.
TelecomEngine: I understand Tekelec has an Integrated Application Solution (IAS). How does it address these monitoring issues?
Besset: IAS, through non-intrusive monitoring of all network interfaces of GSM, GPRS/EDGE, UMTS and LTE, meets the challenges facing LTE mobile operators. IAS provides powerful tools such as network-wide calls and data session trace throughout the network to guide users to rapidly pinpoint the origin of a QoS/QoE degradation.
It also gives operators proactive surveillance of the QoE provided to end customer through flexible key performance indicators (KPIs). Once a degradation in service has been detected, IAS helps troubleshooting with step-by-step drilldowns. KPI definitions have high degrees of flexibility, assuring that the monitoring system can follow daily changes in the network and service environment.
Tekelec’s IAS provides powerful data mining tools to extract the pertinent information from a huge amount of data and provide analysis for various departments such as management, network planning, marketing and more.
Finally, the system can grow with the network, providing scalability and ensuring that the initial investment provides value as operators’ needs and subscriber bases grow. IAS takes advantage of Tekelec’s new Intelligent Data Monitoring (IDM) technology, allowing the system to monitor huge multi-Gb/second data traffic, dynamically focusing to higher value traffic. It differentiates information according to traffic and customer value, ranging from general information on the whole traffic to granular details on VIP customer traffic and QoE. Moreover, that technology also provides the advantage of adapting the monitoring system to the operator’s budget.
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