Reader Forum: Intelligence for a personalized mobile Internet

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly Reader Forum section. In an attempt to broaden our interaction with our readers we have created this forum for those with something meaningful to say to the wireless industry. We want to keep this as open as possible, but maintain some editorial control so as to keep it free of commercials or attacks. Please send along submissions for this section to our editors at: [email protected] [email protected].
The world loves two technologies – mobile phones and the Internet. Mobile subscriptions worldwide will exceed 5 billion this year, according to the International Telecommunications Union. And, slightly more than one out of four people now use the Internet.
More and more users combine the two technologies into the “personalized mobile Internet.” They want services tailored to their personal preferences, locations and schedules. This trend presents mobile operators with both opportunities and challenges.
Big opportunities will only get bigger
Wireless analyst Chetan Sharma states that mobile data revenues were 26% ($220 billion) of 2009 worldwide mobile revenues. Informa Telecoms & Media predicts that the combination of smart phones and mobile broadband networks will push global wireless industry revenues to exceed $1 trillion by 2013.
This growth gives operators the chance to grab the biggest shares of a potentially huge market. Operators need to must deploy network technologies that deliver Internet entertainment and information to mobile devices. They also need to tailor their services to user preferences.
Challenges are big too
Billions of people around the world access all kinds of Internet-based data. The resulting deluge of traffic creates a strain on operators’ network capacity.
The situation promises to get worse before it gets better. Recent forecasts predict the mobile data traffic volume will increase 39 times between 2009 and 2014.
The growing bandwidth demand requires capital and generates operating expenses that mobile operators cannot afford. They need an intelligent solution that can deliver a personalized mobile Internet experience to users.
They also need a solution that adds bandwidth, reduces expenses and strengthens profitability. And, that solution must provide compatibility with today’s 3G mobile networks and tomorrow’s 4G networks.
Intelligence to personalize and monetize the mobile Internet
Packet core platforms can meet mobile operators’ needs. This type of intelligent platform helps:
–enable a smart mobile Internet to support both two revenue models – transaction-oriented and flat-rate;
–provide new ways for operators to make money from the contents on their networks;
–deliver 10-30 times more network capacity than alternative solutions;
–imbue the mobile network with intelligence that prioritizes an application’s use of spectrum and backhaul capacity;
–deliver built-in security, quality of service and scalability.
One powerful aspect of an advanced mobile packet core platform is its ability to provide real-time intelligence. The platform can provide information about each user’s needs. This may include what content they are using and their location at any given time. Such content and context-awareness creates a superior mobile-Internet user experience – and huge advantages for operators.
For example, operators can adopt a two-tier business model. They can charge fees for individual transactions, such as downloading and paying for an application. And they can offer a monthly flat-rate subscription.
An intelligent platform also enables mobile operators to develop new revenue streams. For example, an operator can partner with content providers to deliver specific content over “premium pipes” for an additional fee.
An advanced platform’s real-time intelligence about individuals provides mobile operators with another competitive advantage. It enables operators to tailor services dynamically to a given user’s specific requirements. This benefit includes various levels of QoS and security requirements.
For example, operators can offer residential users more granular parental controls. Or they can provide enterprise users with QoS and security required for mission-critical applications.
With an intelligent advanced mobile packet core platform, operators can differentiate themselves in a competitive marketplace. And, as a result, reduce churn and increase average revenue per user.
Reduce expenses while scaling the network
The built-in intelligence and capabilities of an advanced mobile packet core platform help mobile operators reduce capital and operating expenses. And, at the same time, enable them to scale their networks easily and cost-effectively.
The platform can inspect and analyze content, encrypt and decrypt signals, and scale and manage traffic. Mobile operators can deliver those functions without investing in additional cards or hardware.
Such a platform reduces the operating budget by simplifying and streamlining the mobile network. Not only does it cut the number of required boxes and cards, it also delivers crucial real-time intelligence. This advantage is key for intelligent, dynamic and efficient use of the network’s spectrum and backhaul capacity. As a result, mobile operators don’t incur the costs of adding backhaul capacity or deploying more base stations to re-use the spectrum. They can also provide a better personalized mobile Internet experience for each customer.
Paving the path to a 4G world
Today’s mobile networks operate in a 3G environment increasingly characterized by 4G-like user demands. Most cell sites will combine 2G, 3G and 4G technologies for at least a few years. So, operators need a multi-generational mobile infrastructure prepared to satisfy the emerging 4G environment.
An intelligent mobile packet core platform effectively paves a migration path for 3G networks. It does so by serving as a distributed 4G/LTE gateway.
Operators can offload up to 70% of Internet traffic at the network edge. This capability increases core network efficiency and reduces capital expenses. Simultaneously, they can route traditional traffic through existing 3G packet core to their internal servers. This upgrade helps them maximize return on their embedded 3G packet core investments.
As operators migrate their networks, the intelligent mobile packet core platform can eventually serve as the 4G/LTE packet core. Such a platform also fits the needs of operators who choose a transition path to 4G via an overlay network. This innovation is the heart of the personalized mobile Internet.