Broadband, video spur mobility growth: Cisco

BANGALORE, INDIA: At the 2009 GSMA Mobile World Congress, Cisco would demonstrate how service providers worldwide were embracing the 4G mobile Internet transformation strategy with Cisco Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) mobile transformation solutions.

Spurred by the dramatic rise in demand for mobile broadband and video, mobility had become the fastest growing IP segment for services providers worldwide in terms of overall traffic. Service providers today search new revenue opportunities in mobility that would reduce time to market, by delivering a wide range of new and differentiated services, many of which incorporate video.

Facts:

Cisco last week announced the results of a Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Mobile Forecast for 2008-2013, providing key findings on a variety of IP networking trends driven largely by increased use of mobile broadband applications.

These projections, such as mobile IP traffic expected to increase 66 fold from 2008-2013, reflected the evolving transformation to the fourth-generation, or 4G, mobile Internet that would enable consumers to experience a connected life through a variety of video and rich media applications and broadband services.

Cisco offered an end-to-end portfolio of advanced, 4G-ready mobile Internet technologies, which were also 3G-capable, in the four key areas impacting mobile operators’ IP NGN transformation - efficient connectivity, intelligent control, coverage expansion and client applications:

o   Efficient Connectivity with Cisco 7600 and ASR 9000 Series Routers:

The availability of new Radio Access Network (RAN) technologies like HSPA+, WiMAX and Long Term Evolution (LTE) were potential enough to create bottlenecks in RAN backhaul networks. The key technology to address this problem was Mobile Transport over Pseudo-wire (MToP), which could easily handle today’s legacy traffic and scale to meet the future demands of an all-IP world. 

Cisco MToP solutions included cell site routers such as Cisco MWR 2941, Cisco 7600 Series Router and Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers. 

The following announcements were made in support of this initiative:

§  IP/MPLS Forum Announced Cisco as the First Vendor Certified in its “MPLS in Mobile Backhaul Certification” Program.

§  IP Networks deployed Cisco’s MToP solution, including the new cell site router, Cisco MWR 2941, to off-load data to carrier Ethernet.

o   Intelligent Control for 3G, LTE, WiMAX and Femto with the Cisco 7600 Series Router:

Cisco would extend its portfolio of mobile gateways by announcing support for theLTE gateway on the Cisco 7600 Series Router. This extension would expand Cisco’s market leadership by offering the only 4G-compatible line card/platform in the industry.

The Cisco 7600 Series routers, with more than 80,000 nodes installed to date, would offer service providers functionality and investment protection. All commercially available major access technologies, including WiMAX and ASN Gateway, are supported merely by adding a single line card.

Cisco would also launch Cisco Wireless Security Gateway, as part of its offering to support the security needs of various in-home licensed and unlicensed wireless broadband technologies, such as UMA and Femto, which would enable service providers to scale their service offerings. 

This Cisco Gateway solution would be based on Cisco 7600 Series Router and could support upto 900,000 IPSec sessions.

Cisco IP NGN integrated the intelligence and scalability required to meet the rapidly expanding needs of today’s mobile operators and better position them to deliver new, revenue-generating services.  Customers that have successfully scaled their platforms to offer new data services include 3 Scandinavia and Network Norway.