Tag: Telecom Service Provider

Business Challenges for a telecom service provider

With the fast pace of telecom evolution both towards the access network front ( ie GSM , UMTS , 3G , 4G , LTE , VOLTE ) to core network side ( ie application servers , registrar , proxies , gateway , media server etc ) a CSP ( content service provider ) is trying hard to keep up with the user expectation . The user expects a plethora of services , reduced cost and high speed bandwidth . If this was not enough a CSP also has competition  OTT (   Over The Top ) Players who provide communication and messaging for FREE .

You can read on how OTT’s players are disruption the revenue streams of traditional telecom operators and how can Telco’s develop  their own OTT app , integrated with their backend system to answer to that challenge  here – OTT ( Over the Top ) Communication applications

The following points outline the major business challenges faced by telecom operators today .

Technology Evolution Challenges

  •  The increased data speeds and further more increasing hunger for the data overwhelms the existing network infrastructures.
  • Ensure uniform service experience across the network technologies to check the customer churn.
  • Access / Radio Technology independent delivery of services.
  • Enhance Reuse for exiting investments.

Multiple Service Platform Challenges

  • Typical network constitutes of Multiple Service Platforms increasing network complexity and integration challenges many fold.
  • Heterogeneous multiple SDP Solutions typically deployed to cater to Multiple Types of Networks/ Standards/Variants
  • Service Islands makes introduction of seamless services a challenging task for the CSP

Transport Upgrade and Convergence of Wireless Wireline

  • Retain investments in copper wire systems while migrating towards next generation Fiber Optic systems.
  • Severe competition among wire-line and wireless operators to provide latest services to retain subscriber base.
  • Fixed Mobile Convergence leading to a diminishing gap among the revenue shares of various operators in the space, and leading to losses for wire-line only players.

IMS in EPC ( Evolved Packet Core )

Packet Switched and/or Circuit swicthed Communication

The earlier models were distributed between legacy circuit switched networks and evolving packet switched networks

Sources : NEC eNB SGW E-UTRAN PDG MME

With the massive improvents in quality of network srevices packet switched comunication protocls became more resilent and replaced the circuit swicthed protcols for realtime communication.

LTE ( Long Term Evolution )

LTE evolved its precursor Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), which in turn evolved from the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).

It defines the access layer of Telecom architecture. EPC is the core of LTE system . LTE is often linked with evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) and evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN). With this eco-system Evolved NodeB (eNodeB) is the base station for LTE radio.

Read more on Long Term Evolution (LTE), VOLTE and VOWifi 

What is EPC (Evolved Packet Core )  ?

EPC is a core network architecture framework by 3GPP. It conncets the E-UTRAN to server-PDNs and is largely responsible in controlling the application flow.

 Primarily EPC has 4 sub parts

  1. HSS
  2. Serving Gateway ( S-Gw)
  3. PDN gateway ( P-Gw)
  4. MME (Mobility Management Entity)

It is most often an IMS environment contgainings CSCF as Gateways with various roles .

IP Multimedia SubSystem was originally meant for evolved UMTS network to provider IP communication to mobile UAs. Today IMS is gaining plenty of attention due to oncoming

More information on IMS and IP Communication go here 

What is IMS or IP Multimedia System ?

A standardized IP-based architecture that allows the convergence of fixed and mobile communication devices and multimedia applications.  

ims arc1

Using IMS, applications can combine voice, text, pictures, and video in call sessions, offering significant ease-of-use to subscribers and allowing service providers to drive branding through a common interface  

Defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project  (3GPP) and supported by major Network Equipment Providers and service providers.  

The standard supports multiple access types – including GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WCDMA, CDMA2000, wireline broadband access and wireless LAN.