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Connectem points to virtualization as solution to 4G/LTE network signaling storms

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Harmeet
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SANTA CLARA, USA: Results from testing on the VMware platform by network functions virtualization (NFV) startup Connectem have demonstrated the capability of virtualized solutions to manage unpredictable surges in LTE traffic up to ten times more efficiently than physical infrastructure.

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In tests leveraging Connectem's virtual core for mobile software (VCM) and VMware vSphere 5.5 Hypervisor, engineers were able to achieve exceptional efficiencies, using a single x86 XeonTM blade to process traffic levels that would require up to 10 purpose built blades in a custom, non-x86 hardware environment.

New mobile devices and applications are generating far greater levels of signaling traffic than even their 3G counterparts. Such signaling traffic tends to peak and decline without warning, leading to an overload on mobile operators' core equipment.

Signaling traffic is consuming a disproportionate amount of network capacity which in turn has a negative impact on operating cost and has led to some high profile network outages over the past 12-18 months. Operators are grappling with the conundrum of how to provision against such peaks without over-investing in resources that will be required only at irregular intervals.

By using a virtualized environment, mobile operators are able to deploy NFV architectures to add and remove capacity dynamically to handle peaks and troughs of signaling capacity. This enables carriers to manage the signaling storm phenomenon in a cost effective and predictable way.

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