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Policy-driven optimizationManaging the mobile data tsunami -Is 4G the answer?by Constantine Polychronopoulos, Founder and CTO, BytemobileThe explosive growth of data traffic generated by smartphones has created significantchallenges for network operators, imposing an immense strain on available network resourcesand a negative impact on the user experience. Policy-driven optimization is perhaps the onlytechnology that can alleviate the bandwidth crunch in existing 3G networks and also expandthe effective capacity of emerging 4G networks.Constantine Polychronopoulos, PhD. is the Founder and CTO of Bytemobile. Dr Polychronopoulos has been a professor of Electricaland Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 1986 and director of the Center for SupercomputingResearch and Development since 1995.Dr. Polychronopoulos holds a PhD. from the University of Illinois, an M.S. from Vanderbilt University and a B.S. from the NationalUniversity of Athens.The latest generation of smartphones,particularly the Apple iPhone and GoogleAndroid devices, has contributed toexponential growth of data traffic in 3Gnetworks. According to recent data from across-section of tier-one wireless networkoperators, those providing service fortouchscreen smartphones have seen adramatic increase in data volume - in somecases overwhelming their networks.Source: Bytemobile, 4Q 2009Projections from industry analysts, wirelessoperators and suppliers of mobile internetinfrastructure technology converge on thefact that the pace of data traffic growth willcontinue to accelerate rapidly through 2014and beyond.Source: Cisco Systems, 2010New realities of the mobile Internet eraExplosive traffic growth has created not onlytremendous opportunities for all players inthe wireless broadband ecosystem, but alsosignificant challenges - especially for networkoperators. Most of these challenges stem fromthe fact that today’s HSDPA (High SpeedDownlink Packet Access) and HSPA+ (HSPAEvolution) networks - as well as emergingLTE (Long Term Evolution) networks -were not provisioned to process the trafficloads that high-end smartphones have beengenerating over the last two years.The growth in traffic has imposed animmense strain on available networkresources. This in turn has had a negativeimpact on the user experience. The resultis often that subscribers churn to anothernetwork with more capacity and thereforea better experience. Another consequenceof the data traffic strain on networks is thatoperators are delaying the rollout of newdata applications, which slows revenuegrowth. It also provides a unique advantageto non-traditional service providers such asGoogle, RIM, Yahoo, and others to step inand offer smartphone applications for socialnetworking and location-based servicesthat create stickiness and loyalty amongsmartphone users.The figures below show a direct correlationbetween traffic volume, network bandwidthavailability and the user experience. Asexpected, decreased bandwidth directlyimpacts the quality of the experience.36 • North America 2010
Policy-driven Mobile payment Mobile optimization systemsaccessSource: Bytemobile 2Q 2010As data traffic continues to increase, not onlywill the user experience deteriorate further,but also operators will have to implementand enforce new billing policies and serviceplans in order to remain profitable. Aswe have seen in the transition from 2G to3G, it will become critical for operators toserve more users and traffic within theirexisting infrastructure and offer a betteruser experience to reduce churn and remaincompetitive in the 4G environment.No panaceaThere are those who tout LTE as the ultimatesolution for limitless bandwidth. While thenew architecture will dramatically expandthe bandwidth currently provided by 3Gtechnology, different and complementarysolutions will be required to address thequantum leap in LTE-enabled traffic byextending the capacity of the network. LTEwill increase bandwidth to the device tenfoldover HSPA+, but at a cost of increasedspectrum allocation. Effective bandwidthto the device is limited by the maximumbandwidth supported by the slowest linkin an end-to-end connection. Given thatLTE addresses only radio access, operatorswill need to re-provision the rest of theirnetwork infrastructure in order to address thebandwidth crunch.Significant capital expenditure (CAPEX)allocations for new infrastructure may be badnews for an operator’s bottom line, but theworse news is that CAPEX alone cannot fixthe problem. However, there is good news foroperators. A combination of commerciallyavailable technologies can deliver a definitivesolution to backhaul network congestion byaddressing the problem at its root and doingso in a cost-effective manner.Options available to operatorsFemtocells, Wi-Fi offload, content caching,traffic management, and optimization willbe critical components of future wirelesscommunication systems, enabling operatorsto deliver a high-quality user experiencewith a limited set of resources in the form ofspectrum and radio technology.These options are by no means mutuallyexclusive. In fact, most operators willuse a combination of them and others asappropriate to meet their requirements.Optimization’s enduring valueWhile there is no single solution for theeffects of explosive data growth on networkcapacity, it is important to understandoptimization and how it enhances thepositive impact of all solutions across allnetwork elements.Optimization encompasses an array ofsynergistic technologies for upgrading thewireless network infrastructure from endto end. It is the single fastest and most costeffectiveway to boost network capacity anddeliver a higher-quality experience. Unlikeother approaches to capacity management, thebenefit of network optimization is enduringin the sense that it increases effectivebandwidth and decreases congestion andlatency, regardless of the radio or networktechnology used. Moreover, optimization canbe deployed easily and without the expensiveinfrastructure changes required by almost allother network upgrade technologies.The adaptive nature of optimization makesit an invaluable embedded performancebooster on an ongoing basis as operatorsupgrade segments of their networkstoward 4G. Optimization expands effectivebandwidth and network capacity throughthe dynamic application of differenttechnologies, including hierarchicalcontent caching, adaptive video streaming,policy-controlled content compression,adaptive transport resource scheduling, andcongestion management.Policy-driven optimizationPolicy-driven optimization - which combinesoptimization with policy enforcement in asingle gateway platform - results in moreefficient utilization of spectrum and hardware,more effective distribution and prioritizationof traffic, more flexibility of service plansacross user profiles, and ultimately, morebandwidth for the unprecedented surgeof data that LTE will inevitably produce.Unlike infrastructure-intense networkupgrades, policy-driven optimization can beimplemented quickly, with little or no changeto the rest of the network. It provides an endto-endbandwidth and network capacity boostof up to 50 per cent, depending on trafficprofiles. It is perhaps the only technology thatcan alleviate the bandwidth crunch in existing3G networks and also expand the effectivecapacity of emerging 4G networks.When it comes to wireless broadbandcapacity, operators will continue to invest inoptimization for as long as they continue toinvest in better radio technologies - and aslong as users demand higher levels of service.Policy-driven optimization comprises theonly set of technologies that provide enduringvalue regardless of radio access technologyand network architecture - and yet will beessential in the LTE environment. •Connect-World iscelebrating its 15 thanniversaryThrough the years, Connect-World’s authors told of the riseof mobile, of fibre, of wirelessand of broadband; they told ofthe dot.com meltdown, ofdigital inclusion and convergence,of standards and breakthroughs,the rise of IP andthe fall of switching and of theregulatory turnaround.In every issue of Connect-Worldheads of state, ministers andregulators, heads ofinternational institutions andleaders of industry speak ofwhat the ICT revolution, as ithappens, means to the peoplein their regions of the world.www.connect-world.comNorth America 2010 • 37
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As the workforce becomes wireless so does the ... - Connect-World

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