The network you can see versus the one you can’t In 2012, Tektronix Communications’ systems shipped over 17 Petabytes of data, which is a 5th of Facebook’s stored data capacity. What can operators do with that data? Lyn Cantor, President and CEO, tells us.
a subscriber on the same cell could be kept local (something of particular value in remote applications). One of the major companies making the case for increased edge intelligence is Intel. Of course the chip player is keen to see its platforms integrated into more telco equipment as it opens up a new market. At the moment, Intel hardware is integrated by platform providers such as Kontron for high capacity solutions in the core. But Intel is gunning for more of a role across the network. Ubiquisys is using Intel processors allied to its small cell platform to provide the capability to provide functions such as content and DNS caching at the edge - and has demonstrated applications with optimisation company Saguna, for example. Other companies in this area include Altobridge, which optimises and caches content using a concept it calls Data at the Edge. Altobridge has claimed it can reduce backhaul payloads by 40% by implementing these WAN data optimisation techniques. Altobridge builds its solutions on Intel hardware, incorporating its remote gateway into an enclosure with a small cell from Argela, optimising data within the encrytped iUB interface to the RNC.
There are many mobile operators who regard a ‘green’ indication for their network as a sign that their subscribers are satisfied. Yet problems occur in areas not always revealed in the network overview. Dropped calls, failed handovers, interrupted videos, delayed receipt of messages, and the many other glitches that may have passed unnoticed in the mobile world of yesteryear are unacceptable today. To interpret and monetise the data available to them mobile operators have to approach it on a micro level, rather than as indicative trend data. Without a view of precisely what’s going on, from a user perspective, there can never be a truly endto-end solution that eradicates the glitches. The days of one-dimensional and two-dimensional passive monitoring are over; operators need to appreciate the rich insights hidden in the wealth of data stored across their networks. If operators fail to follow and analyse every path of the data journey they will miss valuable insights and will never deliver the customer experience their users demand.
The ability to extract information historically, and in real-time, provides the operator with an unparalleled breadth and depth of insight into the subscriber’s behaviour, the services and applications they’re consuming, the performance of the network they’re using and the different technology standards it supports. In 2012 we shipped over 17 Petabytes of data, which is a 5th of Facebook’s stored data capacity. The combination of ‘Big Data’ and the granular detail that we can provide has presented the carriers with more intelligence about their business, and their customers, than they have previously had access to. Real-time end-to-end data collection and analysis can give operators the visibility they need, to deliver the experience and services their customers want. Operators are using this information to develop new business models rooted in security and quality of service. Lyn Cantor, President, Tektronix Communications
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