This might not be the year the world ends, as some say the Mayans prophesized, but it may seem like it for a telecommunications industry under pressure to meet booming demand for Internet resources.

By some projections, the explosion in adoption of Internet connected devices such as laptops, tablets, smart phones, blue ray players and Internet TVs could strain network bandwidth beyond capacity as soon as this year, causing cases of services loss as available access to network bandwidth becomes completely consumed by peak demand.

From the testing to the deployment of fiber cables, submarine communication networks come with many challenges. For one, the cost and time associated with submarine networks far exceed that of terrestrial networks—whether it is being deployed or repaired. Furthermore, the number of customers relying on these networks is vast, making a damaged cable critical to repair as soon as possible. Considering these factors, it is essential that these fiber cables be meticulously tested and re-tested before being deployed.

From the planning stage to the deployment of an undersea fiber-optic cable, a considerable amount of time, money and resources are invested to ensure the success of a submarine network. Yet one point that is often overlooked during this process, and which can lead to unfortunate delays, is the final acceptance test of the fiber. Simply put, it comes down to making sure that the fiber can deliver on the promised and expected bandwidth.

The scalability, flexibility and cost advantages of Ethernet are fueling a massive and rapid transformation of Wireless Service Providers’ transport network infrastructure—from TDM to Ethernet. According to Infonetics Research, only 45% of Wireless Service Providers considered moving to all IP/Ethernet backhaul network infrastructures in 2009, whereas in 2010, 65% planned to make the change including 100 operators already deploying it.

The scalability, flexibility and cost advantages of Carrier Ethernet are fueling a massive transformation of Wireless Service Providers’ legacy TDM transport network infrastructures.

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It is quite apparent that the mobile backhaul industry is in a transition from legacy TDM transport network infrastructures to that of carrier Ethernet.  This transition is fueled by the increased use of data-hungry devices that demand more bandwidth, as well as the advantages of deploying carrier Ethernet services (i.e. scalability, flexibility and cost). TelecomEngine got a chance to speak with Juan Prieto, Product Marketing Manager at InfoVista, about the perspective from both Mobile Operators and wholesale providers transitioning to carrier Ethernet transport.

While their predictions may vary, virtually every industry analyst foresees staggering growth in mobile data in the next five to ten years. ABI Research expects a 39% compound annual growth rate from 2011 to 2016 in mobile data traffic. Looking out to the year 2020, Jeffries forecasts a 100x ramp in mobile data, and, the firm admits, that’s likely a conservative estimate. Faced with this looming data deluge, operators are turning to all-IP networks like IMS and LTE, which rely heavily on Diameter protocol, to move and monetize their data traffic. 

Mobile data traffic is increasing at an enormous rate, which is driving many mobile operators to switch from a 3G network to all-internet protocol (IP) network, such as LTE, to manage the high volume of traffic.  The Diameter protocol, which is used on most IP networks, plays a central role in the management of 4G LTE and IMS networks and 3G charging and policy deployments.  TelecomEngine spoke with Jason Emery, Director of Product Management at Tekelec, to discuss how its Diameter Signaling Router (DSR) product supports multiple networks, including LTE, through the centralization

The Diameter protocol defines a new network node - the Diameter agent (DA) – which operators can leverage to create a Diameter signaling layer in IP networks. This paper looks at how to improve the performance of 3G, IMS and LTE networks with the Diameter Agent.

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The growth of data-centric services driven by smartphone technologies, along with the growth of the social Internet (e.g., My Space, Facebook) and multimedia applications (e.g., gaming, YouTube, etc.), has prompted wireless service operators to shift toward packet-based Ethernet/IP technologies in their access and core networks. The most important drivers for this decision: scalability and cost savings.