Heterogeneous network support from Birdstep
Birdstep today announced enhancements to its existing SmartANALYTICS portfolio in support of heterogeneous mobile networks. Building on its existing data-collection platform, the enhancements are focused on data correlation and visualization. The platform will enable network operators and virtual network operators to manage quality across Wi-Fi and mobile networks that make up hetnets. Today most operators have a good set of information available for only their own networks.
“Operators have to recognize that only 20-40% of the total mobile data consumed on mobile devices is now carried over cellular networks, with the remainder going over Wi-Fi networks of some kind,” said Lonnie Schilling, Birdstep CEO. “Furthermore, in cellular networks, at least 40% of the information about the service can only be retrieved from the devices themselves. SmartANALYTICS gets all the information operators need from the device itself, hence reflecting the actual user experience and enabling operators to correlate this with network data to analyse the overall quality of service and identify how best to improve it.”
Going forward, performance data can be gathered and compared between the end-user device and the operator’s network infrastructure. In other words: Does the network view give you the same perception of performance as the end-user device? That is key to ensuring that the customer experience is at the level expected by both the customer and the operator, as well as to identify and address performance gaps. Of the data gathered, usually 40% comes from the operator’s network while the remainder is driven by the handset. The information gathered from the device will address both the location of use and apps used, helping to understand not only if performance varies based on where the user is, but also the apps being used. Performance issues can then be more accurately attributed to the network or the device.
SmartANALYTICS collects information such as the end-user location, amount of data consumed, how much time is spent on any given network, app usage and general traffic patterns. In the future, that information will allow operators to define and offer new services based on the user’s location – basically “crowd-sourced” service requirements. If you consider how you roam between mobile networks today and your experience isn’t always what you expect; then think about it for Wi-Fi networks where there is even less control. Birdstep envisions a world where operators can offer a consistent experience as users roam not only between traditional mobile networks but also spend time on operator-managed Wi-Fi in the course of these movements.
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Claudia Bacco, Managing Director – EMEA for RCR Wireless News, has spent her entire career in telecom, IT and security. Having experience as an operator, software and hardware vendor and as a well-known industry analyst, she has many opinions on the market. She’ll be sharing those opinions along with ongoing trend analysis for RCR Wireless News.
