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ALSO INSIDE:
NETWORKINNOVATION>> Four key areas that
you need to be awareof in 2013
DIAMETERSIGNALING>Why this emerging
technology is the talkof the town
OTT SERVICES>Which operator-led
services are mostlikely to succeed?
MWCPREVIEW
Special reportlooking in-depth at
the 2013 event in itsnew venue
Issue no. 226 � February/March 2013 � www.mobileeurope.co.uk � @mobileeurope
EUROPEMOBILE
E U R O P E ’ S W I R E L E S S M A G A Z I N E
P44
P32
P38
WOMAN OF POWERJuliet Shavit on the increasing collaborationbetween the communications and utilitiesindustries
SmartMark Communications Special Promotion
REGULARSEDITORIALChanges to both Mobile World Congress and MobileEurope for 2013
NEWSAll the latest news from the first two months of 2013,including WiGig, NFC, 4G spectrum, HD voice and
much more
MWC 2013 PREVIEWMOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2013 PREVIEWOur preview features five key themes to look out for plusinterviews with the GSMA and Mobile World Capital
FEATURESMOBILE NETWORK INNOVATION: WHAT DOES 2013HAVE TO OFFER?David Chambers looks at four key areas of network
innovation and analyses what they mean for mobile operators
TIME TO GO OVER THE TOP?More and more mobile operators are experimenting withOTT communications services, but which are most likely
to succeed, wonders David Pringle
DIAMETER SIGNALING: WHY THE BUZZ HAS ONLY JUST BEGUNPeter Jarich looks at this emerging technology and
explains why we can expect to see and hear a lot more about it this year
go to www.mobileeurope.co.uk for the latest information on mobile Mobile Europe | 3
Contents
04
06
19
February / March 2013
pic from page11 32
44
38
Mobilenetworkinnovation
HD voice
Juliet Shavit on smart gridsOTT service success
Mobile World Congress 2013
What can we expect from the old show in the new venue? That is the question
we attempt to answer in our annual Mobile World Congress Preview.
First up, the new venue. The GSMA’s Michael O’Hara explains why
delegates can expect an improved congress experience thanks
to more space and, crucially, better WiFi. Better networking is
also promised alongside “green spaces”.
Aside from the logistics, MWC has gone supersize on NFC and
a Connected City. The bet on NFC is a bold, some would say
foolhardy, move given the troubled birth that particular
technology has had. Nevertheless, with many more NFC-enabled
devices expected to launch and ship this year
the GSMA clearly believes it has a future – we will check on that.
The Connected City is more of a certainty, but what role telcos
will play in it is less sure. Again, we will be checking out what’s in
it for you and report back.
We have picked out five key themes that you can expect to hear
most about during MWC this year. From the threats of new
entrants to the opportunities provided by new devices, the
enterprise market, M2M and m-payment, we look at what you can
expect to learn this year.
Barcelona is no longer “just” the host city for MWC – it is now the Mobile
World Capital as well. We talk to Jesus Moreno Pinar, one of the men charged
with communicating what this actually means, about what impact this will have
on the European mobile space.
Whatever you do at Congress this year, we hope you have an enjoyable, fruitful
and safe time.
A new start for Mobile Europe
It’s the start of a new year and there is a new team forming at Mobile Europe.
Marc Smith, editor of Mobile Europe’s sister title European Communications, is
the new group editor of both titles. Mary-Ann Russon, meanwhile, joins us as
the new deputy editor.
You can find contact details for both in the panel to the right and both will
be at Mobile World Congress. We look forward to meeting you all and hearing
your views over the coming months.
But it’s not just a change of personnel. You will also begin to see some
editorial and design changes in our next issue and moving forwards. We will
communicate the nature of these changes in due course but, for now, we look
forward to serving our loyal readers and welcoming new ones in the coming
weeks and months.
Aside from your MWC preview, this issue also features some of the latest news
since the turn of the year. There will be less news going in the magazine
moving forward, so make sure are signed up to receive on e-newsletter by
visiting www.mobileeurope.co.uk and follow us on Twitter @mobileeurope to
keep abreast of all the latest happenings in the European mobile space.
Finally, we have three excellent features this issue: David Chambers looks at
what changes will affect mobile networks over the next 12 months; David
Pringle analyses which OTT communications services will prosper; and Peter
Jarich reveals why we will all be hearing a lot more about Diameter Signaling
moving forward. Happy reading!
4 | Mobile Europe
editorial
Group Editor: Marc [email protected] tel: +44 (0)20 7933 8990
Deputy Editor: Mary-Ann [email protected]
Direct tel: +44 (0)20 7933 8990
Design: Tania King
Account Director: Rosie [email protected] tel: +44 (0) 20 7933 8980
Publisher: Justyn [email protected] tel: +44 (0) 20 7933 8979
Publishing director: Chris Cooke
ISSN: 1350 7362
Free SubscriptionsMobile Europe is a controlled circulation bi-monthly magazine
available free to selected personnel at the publisher’s discretion.If you wish to apply for regular free copies please register online
at: www.mobileeurope.co.uk/subscribe
Paid SubscriptionsReaders who fall outside of the strict terms of control may
purchase an annual subscription.1 year UK subscription: £96
1 year International subscription: £120To purchase a subscription please call: +44 (0)1635 879361
Subscription QueriesSubscription enquiries should be sent to:
Free subscriptions: [email protected] subscriptions: [email protected]
Tel: +44 (0)1635 879 361
Printed ByPensord Magazines & Periodicals, Pontlanfraith, UK
Follow us on Twitter@mobileeurope
Join us on LinkedInhttp://linkd.in/K4M40F
EUROPEMOBILE
The views expressed in MobileEurope are not necessarily those of
the editor or the publisher. Mobile Europe is published by Saint
John Patrick Publishers Ltd, 6 Laurence Pountney Hill,
London EC4R 0BL.
ALSO INSIDE:
NETWORKINNOVATION
> Four key areas that
you need to be aware
of in 2013
DIAMETERSIGNALING>Why this emerging
technology is the talk
of the town
OTT SERVICES
>Which operator-led
services are most
likely to succeed?
MWCPREVIEW:
Special report
looking in-depth at
the 2013 event in its
new venue
issue no. 226 � February/March 2013 � www.mobileeurope.co.uk � @mobileeurope
EUROPEMOBILEE U R O P E ’ S W I R E L E S S M A G A Z I N E
P38
P32
P44
WOMAN OF POWERJuliet Shavit on the increasing
collaboration between the
communications and utilities
industries
SmartMark Communications Special Promotion
6 | Mobile Europe
News
With the signing of a memorandum of
understanding in January, the final barriers for
a merger between the Wireless Gigabit
(WiGig) Alliance and the WiFi Alliance have
come down.
Under the banner of the WiFi Alliance, the
plan is to develop a 60GHz wireless
interoperability programme by end 2013.
This marriage will further compatibility and
interoperability between devices and
accelerate adoption of higher speed
standards.
The goal is to transfer technology
development activity and WiGig assets to the
WiFi Alliance by this summer while the first
interoperability certification for WiGig
products is due later this year.
The merger is the result of two years’
collaboration in which the WiGig Alliance
developed technology specifications,
including the Mac-Phy and Protocol
Adaptation Layers (PALS), while the WiFi
Alliance worked on interoperability
certification for 60GHz products.
Combining the joint expertise of the two
organisations is expected to accelerate the
availability of fast, high-performance,
seamless 60GHz solutions resulting in a
seamless, faster and more efficient experience
for users.
WiGig technology supports short-range,
multi-gigabit connectivity for applications
ranging from high definition display
extensions to peripheral connectivity and I/O
cable replacement.
Communications between enabled
handheld devices, consumer electronic
equipment and PCs uses readily available
unlicenced 60GHz spectrum.
The overall aim is to increase efficiency by
harmonizing connectivity and application
layer solutions and integrate WiGig
technologies into the entire range of WiFi
products.
“This is an exciting technology, and has
been an important highlight of our
certification roadmap for some time, so we
are delighted to take this step,” said Wi-Fi
Alliance president and CEO Edgar Figueroa.
ABI Research expects annual shipments of
devices including both WiFi and WiGig
technologies to reach 1.8 billion by 2016.
“It’s clear that 60GHz technology is an
important part of the future of wireless
connectivity and a significant complement to
traditional Wi-Fi networking,” explained Peter
Cooney, practice director for semiconductors,
ABI Research.
“With so many devices expected to
incorporate both traditional Wi-Fi and WiGig,
it just makes sense for activities to consolidate
under the Wi-Fi Alliance organization.”
WiGig / WiFi Alliance merger l GeoMarketing deal l
Alcatel-Lucent and value-addedsoftware provider Intersec have signeda global partnership agreement tocreate location-based advertisingsolutions for operators and retailers.
The “GeoMarketing service” willenable mobile operators to connectbrands and retailers to consumers viatheir mobiles based on their permission,preferences and location to drive in-store traffic.
The service combines two solutions.Intersec’s IGLOO tool collects and
aggregates anonymised network data inreal-time to provide efficient “in area”and “proximity” detection of all opt-insubscribers at a defined moment of theday.
A-L’s Optism Mobile Marketingproduct will be embedded with IGLOOto gather and analyse this location datato provide customers with relevantoffers to drive in-store traffic.
The two firms said the solution willenable operators to deliver servicesincluding walk-in rewards, location-based targeted coupons and deals.
“We will be able to provide one ofthe most efficient location-basedadvertising solutions available forbrands looking to communicate withtheir consumers via mobile devices,”commented Intersec CEO YannChevalier.
Alcatel-Lucent andIntersec announcelocation-basedadvertising tie-up
WIGIG TECHNOLOGY GETSBOOST AS BODIES MERGE
First, the Sweden-based vendor has won a
contract to test and verify the performance of all
devices within the US-based operator’s Global
SIM Program.
Launched in 2012 the Global SIM Program is
designed to support AT&T’s corporate strategy
of expanding international business and take
connected devices to what it describes as the
“next level”.
Second, AT&T announced it is using Ericsson’s
innovative IMS-based web development
platform which allows any connected device to
be accessed from an existing mobile number.
AT&T’s Global SIM Program offers a single
SIM solution designed to simplify market entry
for device manufacturers worldwide.
As the number and complexity of connected
devices accelerates operators are insisting on
standards based device verification and carrier
certification to guarantee all equipment does
what it says on the box and works first time.
The goal of the new test and verification
contract is to ensure each connected unit
complies and is compatible with regulatory and
international carrier requirements prior to
installation.
It is designed to give operators the confidence
that newly integrated equipment and
applications will behave as advertised thereby
minimising device returns, reducing customer
service calls and the number of often surprising
network alarms.
New devices and applications are expected to
perform to specifications first time and be
properly supported by networks at installation.
Explaining the benefits, Timothy Manahan,
head of consulting at Ericsson said: “Our end
goal is to help operators improve the customer
experience by providing best quality and time to
market for new devices and applications while
reducing operational complexity.”
He expects manufacturers: “…will enjoy lower
service and return costs through more rigorous
and upfront testing.”
Ericsson will leverage its global expertise to
verify and test AT&T’s global SIM devices in its
international labs.
It will work with the operator to help make
devices and networks more compatible with
each other.
Commenting on the agreement, Glenn Lurie,
president of Emerging Devices, Resale and
Partnership at AT&T said: “Ericsson’s global
market leadership makes it a true one-stop-shop
for device and application verification. The result
is additional enhancement for our customers
wherever in the world they may travel.”
The two companies subscribe to a common
vision of a networked and connected global
society and expect their collaboration to make
new launches seamless and efficient.
Furthering that shared vision, AT&T
announced at its Developer Summit that
Ericsson’s new IMS Innovation Platform, which is
now in Alpha testing, is powering the operator’s
Call Management API.
This new IMS-based web real time
development platform allows any connected
devices to become always-open communications
units, which can be reached by existing mobile
numbers.
Consumers and business users can therefore
increase the value both of their mobile services
and devices.
Developers can be more creative, either
reinventing services or creating new ones since
applications are no longer bound by the
technology platforms upon which they are built.
“Developers will take the concept of the
existing phone call, see it as a digital stream
and innovate accordingly,” said Geoff
Hollingworth, head of Business Innovation at
Ericsson America.
“Recording, transcribing, contextualising,
translating on any connected device, using
people’s existing phone number – all are just
the beginnings of possibility.”
go to www.mobileeurope.co.uk for the latest mobile news Mobile Europe | 7
Ericsson - AT&T global SIM deal l NFC focus
News
ERICSSON ANNOUNCES AT&T WINSERICSSON HAS ANNOUNCED TWO KEY TIE UPS WITH AT&T
Operators ‘focusing on the wrong things’ in NFC, says new reportIn a world where data is the ‘new oil’, telcoscould lose out if they cede control of theircustomer information to OTT players,according to a new report.
This is especially true in the growing NFCsector where telcos concentrate on thewrong things, suggests “Mobile NFC – what’sall the hype about”, a report frommanagement consultancy Arthur D Little.
Although they don’t have to changeanything about networks, instead focusing onstandardising critical systems andcollaborating, operators may miss out.
“Telcos still believe they are a key enablerjust because of the tag ‘mobile’ and seem tohave learned close to nothing from thenegative app store experience,” NicolaiSchattgen, report author and Global Head of
ADL’s M-Commerce Competence Centre, toldMobile Europe.
“Whoever manages to enable theecosystem has the opportunity to take acontrolling gatekeeper role.
“There are no opportunities for operatorsto get a slice of the transaction pie. SIMrental fees are small and not sustainable. But,there are huge NFC opportunities fromlocation-based services,” Schattgencontinued.
“Operators can leverage existing dataabout who and where subscribers are andwhat they’re buying to send very targetedadvertising. If they provide clear value,subscribers won’t turn off phones.Operators can provide a powerful, flexibletool,” he added.
Mobiles can be at the centre of a wholenew suite of valuable and flexible servicesfrom couponing, to loyalty cards, retailingand beyond.
Applying to more than payment,Schattgen believes NFC is moving intohealthcare, authentication, identity and fleetmanagement, promotion, shopping, smartcities and sharing.
The NFC market is ready to take off nowand operators can exploit the trust andphysical relationships they already have withcustomers, the report believes.
“The coming two to three years will be achallenging battlefield in which there will belots of losers and failures but it will settledown after that,” Schattgen said, addingmost of the critical standards are now set.
8 | Mobile Europe
News
Mobile operators and banks must develop
new product offerings if they are to succeed in
meeting the demand of a projected one
billion mobile phone users with m-banking
experience in 2017, according to a new
report.
“There are mutually beneficial opportunities
to collaborate and both players must develop
new product offerings which are secure, fast
and easy to use,” said Nitin Bhas, report
author and senior analyst at Juniper Research.
Specifically, Bhas believes the two players
need to create more interoperable ecosystems
and explore and integrate common
functionalities.
“Mobile banking and payments are merging
into one platform,” explained Bhas.
“The key for banks and operators is to
collaborate, increase the scope of service
offerings by launching VAS to decrease churn
and attract new customers.”
The report found that there are two
different mobile banking models: one is
operator led, where telcos sell comprehensive
financial services and support virtual accounts
over their own networks with banks playing
almost no part in daily account management.
The other is where the two sides create joint
ventures to increase the scope of service
offerings and leverage each other’s expertise.
“JVs between banks and operators are the
best models for operators, especially in
developing markets,” said Bhas.
“They can leverage resources and
knowledge, exploit brand recognition and
their existing consumer bases to mutual
advantage.”
Unsurprisingly, in the developed economies
of Western Europe uptake is highest among
the youth sector where people organise their
lives around mobile devices, the report found.
Said Bhas: “Banks should be wary about
limiting access to the internet by allowing
users to do everything via their mobiles and
need to convince customers that security is
equal to that of other systems.”
Juniper expects apps to dominate in
developed markets – already banks are seeing
increasing numbers of people using them for
access each month.
The potential is clear.
One billion people globally will have used
mobile devices for banking information
purposes by 2017 compared to 590 million
by end 2013, according to the report.
Around half of all mobile subscribers are
“unbanked” currently with limited access to
traditional financial services.
Further, the overall number of people using
mobile devices for banking accounts for over
15 percent of the total mobile subscriber
base.
MNOS MUST DEVELOPM-BANKING PRODUCTS
M-Banking product demand rising l Nokia investment l GSMA privacy framework
Nokia has announced it is committing€185 million to its venture capital armNokia Growth Partners.
The money will be used to launch thefirm’s third fund, which invests in highpotential businesses within the mobileecosystem around the world.
"Our ongoing commitment to NokiaGrowth Partners reinforces Nokia's supportfor a vibrant mobile ecosystem and ourdetermination to collaborate with industryinnovators to build great mobile products,"commented Nokia’s EVP and CFO TimoIhamuotila.
NGP was founded in 2005 and offersindustry expertise, capital and networkingto entrepreneurs looking to builddisruptive, industry-changing companiesand take them to the global market.
Managing partner John Gardner said thefirm had, in the last 12 months, realizedseveral successful exits, including IPOs ofMorpho and Inside Secure as well as salesof Swype, Summit Microelectronics andNetmagic.
Nokia commits millionsto venture capital arm
GSMA URGES EU MOBILE INDUSTRY TO ADOPT NEW PRIVACY FRAMEWORKThe GSMA has reinforced its commitment toprotecting the privacy of mobile app usersby introducing its new AccountabilityFramework.
The industry body said it hopes theframework will be adopted by all players inthe mobile ecosystem.
Eight major European operators arealready implementing GSMA Guidelines thathold them directly accountable for securingthe privacy of all customers using their own-brand mobile applications.
The Accountability Framework adds teethto the Guidelines introduced in 2012.
The core elements of the Frameworkinclude: organisational commitment bysenior managers to ensure Guidelines areimplemented consistently throughout thecompany; internal programme controls toinform employees on how to implementpolicies and for customers to report privacy-related complaints and incidents;enforcement for noncompliantorganisations – continuous non-complianceor serious breaches will lead to appropriatesanctions.
The Accountability Framework is in directresponse to calls for greater responsibility
and accountability in app. privacy explainedTom Phillips, chief government andregulatory affairs officer, GSMA.
“If adopted across the mobile ecosystems,the Guidelines and Framework would helpensure consistent and comprehensive levelsof protection for consumers across multipleplatforms.”
The aim of both initiatives is toincorporate privacy protection into themobile apps design and developmentprocesses and address growing user concernabout personal data on social networkingsites and cloud services.
go to www.mobileeurope.co.uk for the latest mobile news Mobile Europe | 9
News
Telefónica Digital and Bango have announced
they are to create a direct-to-bill payment
platform for mobile app stores.
The partnership will combine Bango’s
frictionless payment experience with
Telefónica’s BlueVia Payment APIs, meaning
over 314 million chargeable customers
worldwide will become connected to the Bango
Payments Platform.
This single, common platform will support
operator billing and other payment methods,
negating the need for customers to enter
personal information or leave the payment
session.
The two companies said a key goal of the
partnership is to accelerate the availability of a
standardized and open payment platform for all
app stores and content providers and to
dramatically improve the customer experience.
Further, the platform aims to generate higher
payment conversion rates, especially from WiFi-
connected and other “off-network” devices.
“At the heart of every great service is first
class customer experience and both Bango and
BlueVia share the vision that mobile payments
must be seamless and low friction for the
customer,” commented Jose Valles, head of
BlueVia at Telefónica Digital.
“Through this partnership, we are delivering
a mobile billing ecosystem that empowers the
app store and content owners to achieve mass
scale in their business through global reach and
a payment method far broader than credit
cards.”
Telefónica is rolling out direct-to-bill
capabilities in its operating businesses and
earlier this year announced global, framework
agreements with Facebook, Google, Microsoft
and RIM.
The Bango platform automates all settlement
processes, including tax reconciliation, local
currency support and provides analytics and
reporting, which the companies said would
expand the attractiveness of operator billing to
third parties.
“We will standardize on BlueVia to connect
with Telefónica’s 314 million subscribers around
the world and look forward to welcoming other
operators who join this initiative, as Telenor has
done,” added Bango CEO Ray Anderson.
M-PAYMENT SYSTEM BYTELEFÓNICA & BANGO
Telefónica payment platform l Wikipedia Zero l Open APIs
Vimpelcom to offer free WikipediaVimpelcom has announced a new partnership
with the Wikimedia Foundation, operator ofWikipedia, to offer its mobile customers freeaccess to the web-based encyclopedia.
The Netherlands-based operator hasaround 212 million mobile subscribers, mostlyin Russia.
It will offer the service thanks to WikipediaZero, an initiative of the WikimediaFoundation that enables mobile access, free ofdata charges, to Wikipedia in developingcountries.
Wikipedia Zero will be rolled out inVimpelCom operations across the globestarting this year, focusing on emergingmarkets in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa.
"The world’s sixth largesttelecommunications company and fifth largestwebsite globally are coming together to offerour customers a better mobile experience and
greater access to free knowledge, particularly
in emerging markets,” commented MikhailGerchuk, VimpelCom chief commercial andstrategy officer.
“This is a win-win partnership that helps usto promote the mobile internet to ourcustomers while contributing to Wikipedia’smission to bring free access to the entireworld's knowledge.”
Both partners said they expected to jointlydevelop additional Wikimedia services totarget emerging markets in the future.
The deal echoes one made by Telenor lastMarch.
According to researchers at comScore,Wikipedia and the other projects operated bythe Wikimedia Foundation receive more than483 million unique visitors per month, makingthem the fifth-most popular web propertyworldwide.
OPERATORS MUSTOPEN APIS TO BENEFITFROM RISE IN MOBILECOUPONSThe rising popularity of discount couponswill be boosted by the ability to redeemthem using mobile phones or tablets.
A new report from Juniper Research –‘Mobile Coupons – The Smart Way to Shop’- estimates growth will double last year’sfigures reaching 10 billion coupons this year.
Redeeming coupons via mobile devices ismore successful than traditional printed orPC coupons – 10 percent of mobile couponsare redeemed compared to one per cent orless of more traditional coupons.
Tied to the growth in mobile advertising,mobile coupons are a value add for MNOs:Facebook results show Q4 2012 revenuesfrom mobile advertising accounted for 23percent of total advertising revenuescompared to 14 percent in Q3 – significantgrowth considering it launched mobile adslast Spring.
“Social couponing is becoming popular,”Windsor Holden, Juniper research directorand report author explained to MobileEurope.
“Operators can monetise big data and,once refined, offer it to advertisers andmarketing companies for targeted ads.”
MNOs must find a role in the mobilewallet market,” Holden continued.“Coupons are pushing adoption - operatorsneed to open APIs to win a role in the widerm-payment market.”
Offering something of a lifeline toincreasingly endangered high streetretailers, Juniper suggests outlets supportingmobile delivery channels will drive retailfootfall, enhance the relationship withconsumers and reduce churn.
“While we’ve heard online retail is killingthe High Street, mobile offers a means ofengaging with the consumer at every pointin the retail lifecycle, from product discoveryto product purchase,” Holden adds.
By refining, tailoring and personalisingoffers to individual habits, mobile couponsgive retailers additional opportunities tocreate more productive relationships.
10 | Mobile Europe
News
UK-based mobile operator O2 has
partnered with Mach to launch direct
operator billing (DOB) on its new Charge
to Mobile (CM) platform.
Integrated into the O2 CM platform,
Mach’s Direct Billing Gateway aims to
reduce billing barriers for trusted content
partners and merchants, cutting drop rates
and increasing conversion rates.
Further, streamlining billing and
introducing real time processing will make
it easier for O2’s content owners to
monetise and sell apps, improve security,
reduce revenue leakage and improve
customers’ experience, according to the
vendor.
Retailers and app stores, meanwhile, can
access the flexible pricing, real-time
charging, debiting and crediting plus direct
refund capabilities on O2’s UK network.
The news follows the announcement last
September that Vodafone, Everything
Everywhere and Three had purchased the
Mach system.
Michael De Jongh, global head of sales,
Mach commented: “We provide the glue
that unites application stores, content
providers and merchants with operators
and simplifies the apps ecosystem.
“To maximise revenues, app stores and
merchants must make the billing process as
simple as possible.
“The more complicated the payment
process is for consumers the less inclined
they are to see purchases through. DOB is
seen as an increasingly vital part of
growing the apps market.”
DOB authorisation, purchasing and
refunds become a one-click affair. It’s
easier to buy apps regardless of the
network, contract type or payment
method.
Danny Barclay, head Interactive sales O2
said the new platform will help open up
the apps economy for on-line services
while simultaneously supporting a healthy
ecosystem with competitive revenue splits
for partners.
Mobile apps are a promising new
revenue stream: Mach quotes Gartner
statistics showing global app store
revenues are estimated to rise from $5.2
billion in 2010 to $58 billion in 2014.
DOB may convert mobile operators into
true m-commerce payment service
providers, able to win market share from
major credit card brands and other
dominant payment systems, whilst
supporting flexible pricing for developers.
O2 JOINS REST OF UK MNOS ONMACH’S NEW BILLING SYSTEM
O2 joins Mach billing system l MLL to build hetnets on 4G
Several surprise companies are bidding forspectrum in the UK’s long awaited 4G LTEauctions – one of which is little knownmanaged services provider MLL Telecom.
The company specializes in designing,building and managing bespoke mobilenetworks and infrastructure for Britishoperators as well as public and privateenterprises.
Its goal in bidding for spectrum is tocomplement existing its existing 32 and40Gbit spectrum which it uses to buildwireless networks.
MLL now wants to expand its capabilitiesand, by offering enhanced services, “helpmake its carrier customers more successful”.
Ofcom prevents detailed discussion ofplans, bidding methodology or commentabout other operators but MLL’s aim, CTOPeter Jennings explained to Mobile Europe,is to use new spectrum to build hetnets.
“We are not looking to launchcompetitive networks. We will useadditional spectrum to build theinfrastructure which enables operators toenhance services, do their job most
efficiently and to help reduce their opex.”Jennings suggested the biggest challenge
going forward is for operators to have thenecessary capacity to handle data demand.
Delivering more capacity most costeffectively he believes depends on rollingout small cells, taking them closer to usersand building hetnets.
“We are experts in delivering morecapacity cost effectively. A key challenge liesin linking cells, for which wireless is ideal.For us, getting more spectrum will open upa new raft of options,” continued Jennings.
MLL TELECOM CTO WANTS TO BUILD HETNETS IF IT WINS 4G LTE SPECTRUM
go to www.mobileeurope.co.uk for the latest mobile news Mobile Europe | 11
Claiming a first, Orange is extending
interoperable high-definition (HD) voice services
to international and roaming calls.
HD voice is accessible in several European
countries but Orange now supports
international high-definition HD voice calls
between two operators on fixed and/or any
mobile network.
Orange is making HD voice available
wholesale for all operators using the Group’s
international voice hub.
“HD voice has become a must-have service
for operators and service providers that will
enable them to increase their revenues and
offer their customers significantly improved
quality of service,” claimed Alexandre Pébereau,
EVP, International Carriers, Orange.
The France-based operator manages the
complexity of routing HD voice traffic across
multiple networks for third party carriers and
service providers using a single IP
interconnection point and full IP routing.
End-to-end HD voice is based on AMR-WB
and G722 protocols and is compatible with
fixed and mobile networks.
Stephen Sale, principal analyst Analysys
Mason, told Mobile Europe that by allowing
international HD traffic to interconnect,
Orange’s new service is a key enabler to making
operator services more competitive.
“HD voice can differentiate the services of
one network operator or services on a new
network against previous generations
(eg.VoLTE), or operator-provided services from
over-the-top services like Skype,” he said.
“It is in international calls that operators have
been worst hit. Widespread support in IP
exchanges is required - operators need to
interconnect HD voice ‘islands’. Orange’s new
service is a major move forward in this regard.
“Operators still have some way to go in
countering the disruptions from OS and
application providers. HD voice is just one of
the changes operators need to make to their
portfolios," he added.
A GSMA survey suggests approximately 40
percent of users would change calling
behaviour making longer and/or more calls if
HD quality is guaranteed.
However, Ovum analyst Jeremy Green told
Mobile Europe that there are various obstacles
across networks and international boundaries
some of which are reduced by standards.
“It is very difficult to add value to voice
generally,” he commented.
“HD voice is a pleasant surprise supporting
remarkable quality but it is unlikely to happen
very often.”
Developing markets battleground l Orange pushes HD voice services
ORANGE AIMS TO MAKE HD VOICE AWORLDWIDE REALITY
News
New Pyramid Research forecasts globalmobile phone subscriptions will reachseven billion by December this year –representing 100 percent penetration.
Most growth will be in Africa and theMiddle East.
Given the stagnation, intensecompetition, disruptive business modelsand consumer choice characterising mostdeveloped markets, Pyramid anticipatestelecom service revenue growth indeveloping markets will overtake that indeveloped countries by a factor of 5:1.
Around 90 percent of the two billionsubscribers coming online in the next fiveyears will reside in emerging markets.
For the first time, mobile servicerevenues in these regions will be largerthan those in developed markets in 2015.
In comments to Mobile Europe, anOrange spokesperson reinforced the pointanticipting significant growth in the 20African and Middle East countries where it
has approximately 80 million customers.Orange aims to increase revenues in
developing markets from the current €3.7billion to €7 billion by 2015.
Its revenues in France, its domestic andbiggest market, are €22 billion now; inPoland €3.6 billion and €3.9 billion inSpain.
ABI Research statistics show base stationexpenditures in Asia Pacific alone in Q32012 were $7.6 billion (double the previousyear), representing over half the totalmarket and four times that in WesternEurope or North America.
In comparison, North American spendgrew 27 percent year-on-year in Q3 2012.
The total wireless infrastructureequipment market continued a downwardtrend in Q3 2012 reaching $15.4 billion – a3.1 percent decrease from Q2 and 18.9percent down on the same period in 2011.
Pyramid believes that while developingcountries are comparatively slow in
allocating 4G spectrum, when they doaward licences, they will be in a goodposition to complete the processsuccessfully having learned from others’experiences.
Relatively rich emerging market carrierswill continue to exploit the economicclimate to acquire European assets.
Despite stagnant European markets thereare still opportunities especially in dataservices.
ABI Research suggests an enterpriseMVNO targeting “specific industry verticalsand offering a range of VAS includingtelecom expense, mobile device andapplication development management,combined with overall managementservices, could yield attractive margins,contributing around 25 percent of revenuesper employee."
This rises to a 34 percent high if M2Mconnections and management are added,the firm added.
DEVELOPING MARKETS TO BE BATTLEGROUND FOR MOBILE REVENUES
12 | Mobile Europe
News
Operators and networks are commonly blamed
for poor performance and coverage but a new
report from Strand Consult estimates around 70
percent of bad coverage is due to modern
smartphones and their usage.
“Smartphone penetration is increasing and
operators investing heavily in network
infrastructure but people getting worse
coverage,” John Strand, CEO, Strand Consult
told Mobile Europe.
“Smartphones don’t perform as well as older
feature phones. Operators may have to double
mast numbers and increase investment in areas
where many bad phones are connected.”
Quoting an independent study in Denmark,
conducted by Aalborg University’s Professor
Gert Frolund Pedersen, Strand’s report
concludes phone manufacturers are evading
responsibility by neither informing users about
the affect phones have nor optimising them for
networks.
The Danish study measured the performance
between phones’ antenna and networks,
evaluating how nine of the most popular
phones affect users’ experience in GSM 900
and 1800 and UMTS 900 and 2100 networks.
Depending on models and network
frequencies, it found major differences between
phones and coverage quality.
Older phones perform better than newer
generations in lower frequencies.
Buying the latest generation of popular
phones increases the likelihood of bad network
coverage.
Coverage can be improved if users choose
phones optimised for their carrier’s network but
such information is rarely available.
Handset manufacturers should disclose
phone strengths and weaknesses, but said
John Strand: “There is no transparency –
many phone manufacturers gag operators so
they can’t inform users. Consumers are in a
bad position now.”
The report, “How Mobile Operators can
reduce the cost of mobile masts and improve
mast regulation”, calls for uniform global
disclosure addressing relevant factors of phone
coverage quality.
It states: “Phones are launched rapidly and
from many manufacturers making it
challenging for independent testing, not to
mention the testing handset manufacturers fail
to do themselves.
“Fierce competition means phones launch
with unfinished product development - errors
are corrected through software updates after
phone purchase - which reduces development
costs but puts the onus of product quality onto
operators and consumers.
“Optimising phones for networks takes a
back seat to getting phones to market;
manufacturers do little to solve these
challenges.”
Perennial debates about mobile coverage
must include the role of phones and
manufacturers take more responsibility, there
should be more transparency the report
concludes.
Consumers ultimately need more information
on which to base purchases.
Smartphones cause bad coverage l FT-Orange, SFR 4G roll-outs
SMARTPHONES TO BLAME FOR BADCOVERAGE, NEW STUDY CLAIMS
FT-ORANGE AND SFR ANNOUNCE 4G LTE ROLL OUTSFrance Telecom-Orange and rival SFR haveannounced new 4G LTE roll outs in Paris.
SFR launched its commercial service in LaDéfense area of the French capital, whichfollows the roll out of 4G LTE services in Lyonlast December.
The operator added that it was deploying
Nokia Siemens Networks' Liquid Radiosolution to help with its roll out.
FT-O, meanwhile, said it plans to extend its4G LTE network coverage to the Paris Operaregion in April – the first stage of plans toexpand coverage across the whole of Parisby the end of the year.
A further 15 cities are also set to receive
FT-O's 4G LTE services this spring, includingBordeaux, La Rochelle, Chartres, Orleans,Dunkirk, Nancy, Metz, Clermont-Ferrand,Grenoble and Annecy.
FT-O launched its first 4G LTE network inMarseille in June 2012, as well as instalmentsin Lyon, Nantes and Lille in November of lastyear.
To coincide with the expansion of itsFrench 4G network, FT-Orange hasconfirmed it will offer customers a range of4G/H+ devices, including severalsmartphones, a tablet and a 4G/H+ pocketmodem.
FT-Orange said these devices will enablecustomers to take full advantage of its 4Gcapabilities, with the firm offering them onthe new Origami, Open and Let's Go 4G/H+contracts.
go to www.mobileeurope.co.uk for the latest mobile news Mobile Europe | 13
FT-Orange, EE’s parent with Deutsche
Telekom, told Mobile Europe there is no
prospect of selling the UK joint venture to
AT&T and sees no credibility in articles
suggesting this.
Numerous recent articles in national and
trade publications discuss the possibility of
AT&T buying either EE or Dutch operator KPN.
Both FT-O and DT are happy with the way
the company is performing, with its
management and have consistently stated that
view.
AT&T made no comment.
Buying a retail operator, let alone a European
mobile one, could bring more problems than
assets for the American giant.
It would be a significant culture shock for
AT&T requiring negotiations with EU regulators
determined to stimulate competition; operating
in unfamiliar fiercely competitive and price
sensitive markets; and handling the
complexities of European mobile networks
which largely operate in different frequencies to
those in the US.
All a far cry from its relatively cosy US mobile
market where telcos hardly have to fight to
attract or keep customers.
Ovum analyst Steven Hartley told Mobile
Europe that a more likely move for the
American firm would be to buy a wholesale,
backbone or global provider.
That would be a better fit with AT&T’s
strategy of supplying global enterprise
communications for US based corporations.
Hartley suggested: “It would be more logical
for EE to go to an IPO especially as it’s being re-
branded as an independent company. T-Mobile
and Orange joined forces in the UK because
things were not going their way in what is a
highly competitive and saturated market.”
DT spokesperson Andreas Fuchs said both
itself and FT-O are “very confident in the
management strategy which aims to strengthen
EE’s leading position in the UK, leverage on the
largest 3G network and first LTE network roll-
out, further progress the integration of T-Mobile
and Orange and increase the profitability of this
business in the coming years.”
He added: “In that respect, DT and FT-O
have decided to conduct a strategic review of
the asset and consider all options which could
include an IPO.”
An FT-O spokesperson expressed a similar
view adding it is very happy with the EE
business, which is going very well.
In the event of an IPO, both parents would
likely retain a significant stake in EE.
FT-ORANGE QUASHES RUMOURS OFEE SALE TO AT&T
EE sale to AT&T just rumours l Emergency mobile alert systems
News
European mobile operators are doingtheir bit to mitigate the effects of naturaldisasters or emergencies by making iteasier to alert people of possible dangerand find them if they are in trouble.
In something of a ‘big brother’solution, European governments are
asking mobile operators to deploy theinfrastructure and technical solutionsable to broadcast simple mobilemessages to all their subscribers therebyimproving emergency responses andpublic warning systems.
In conversation with Mobile Europe,Intersec CEO Yann Chevalier said:“European governments are increasinglymandating public alerting systems andpaying mobile operators to supportthem. People need and want reassuranceand to understand what is happeningaround them – it’s natural to receivemobile messages.
“Among the major challenges is notonly determining which channel to use -SMS is familiar but could be slower inreaching the entire subscriber population
than less well known mobile broadcastchannels - but transmitting volumes ofmessages to large numbers of people.”
Governments want sustainable,interoperable systems that reacheveryone, according to the CEO.
“France, Germany and Holland are
running such systems already. The bigquestion is who pays for it – mobileoperators will only run altering systems ifgovernment mandate and pay for them,”he added.
Working with Brussels based NGO theEuropean Emergency Number Association(EENA), Intersec is developing thenecessary and efficient alerting systems.
It has combined real time locationintelligence systems with geo-locationcapabilities thereby allowinggovernments and emergency services tocollect network location data from theentire subscriber base.
As a result they can identify wherepeople are going and learn something ofhow and where they are moving.Advanced geo-fencing capabilities
identify and track people in real time asthey move through or enter a dangerzone.
EENA executive director Gary Machadosaid: “With the development of newtechnologies, mobile alerting solutionsare one of the logical next steps incommunicating effectively with a largenumber of people expeditiously.”
Using mobile broadcast technology orubiquitous SMS, appropriate messagescan be sent to large numbers of peoplein seconds regardless of the network towhich they are connected.
EMERGENCY MOBILE ALERTING SYSTEMS GAIN MOMENTUM
Sponsored Interview
14 | Mobile Europe
THE RISE OF THE SMART GRIDJuliet Shavit of SmartMark Communications talks about the rise of smart energyand the opportunities that lie ahead for mobile operators
ecently named the “Smart Grid Queen” by
European Communications, Juliet Shavit,
President and CEO, sat down with Mobile
Europe at the start of Mobile World Congress to talk
about the future of smart grid, smart energy, and
the bridge between communications and utilities.
MOBILE EUROPE (ME): We’ve been hearingyou talk about opportunities for collaborationand convergence between the communicationsand utilities industry for some time, what’s new?
JULIET SHAVIT (JS): I have been on a pedestal
calling for increased collaboration and
communications between the communications and
utilities sectors for some time, and I get tremendous
satisfaction when I see the realization of that vision
through smart grid initiatives globally. But I think
what is truly different in my vision of this
collaboration is the greater opportunity now
emerging from smart energy and not just smart grid.
I remember hosting a workshop at a telecom event a
few years back with Time Warner Cable and
wondering what the two of us had in common. I
now understand much greater the opportunities for
service and solutions providers in smart home, smart
energy management and the overall smart energy
lifestyle.
ME: Can you expand on that?
JS: These are exciting times. Throughout history we
have seen major transformations in industry. We
have all witnessed the transformation of the
communications sector, and the impact of the
mobile phone on the consumer’s digital life. Today
we watch how the smart meter transforms not only
the relationship between utility and consumer, but
the consumer with energy management. The smart
meter is the gateway for home area networks, and
ushers in a new era of smart energy management
applications and solutions. And of course the
application of M2M in the home cannot be
overlooked.
ME: Why is this important? Are we talking aboutsustainability and being green?
JS: Well, that’s certainly part of that, but it is not
what’s driving the billion dollar investments in
energy technologies.
The electrical infrastructure that we know and
use daily has not been seriously upgraded in over a
century. New advancements in energy
management technologies and tools not only help
us live more efficiently and sustainably, but more
securely and more affordably. Not only are we
balancing and securing our newer, smarter
R
Sponsored Interview
Mobile Europe | 15
electrical grid, but we now have an opportunity to
save money and impact how and what the utility
offers us. A good analogy is how the image of the
telecom service provider has changed, and what the
impact has been on things like bundled service
packages, customer self-service and provisioning, and
the customer experience. And that’s not including
the fact that utilities are most simply building large
wireless networks to support the new grid.
In addition, imagine starting to price out how
much energy big businesses use and could save
annually. Imagine what type of savings a large
enterprise can see through greener construction,
smart energy reduction and management as utilities
introduce smarter thermostats, load control devices,
and dynamic pricing options.
ME: Tell us about SmartMark Communicationsand what you do. Where does this passion stemfrom?
JS: I guess you could say my own company has seen
its own explosion around smart energy. We are a
thirteen year old company that coincidentally was
born through ties to both telecom and utilities. Our
first client was a small OSS start-up with investors in
the energy sector. When one of the investors left to
take over a utility billing company, he called me up
and asked me to help support them. I guess you
could say I grew up in telecom OSS and utility
billing, which have surprising ties today.
ME: How so?
JS: Well, telecom OSS and operational support
systems have expanded these days to include many
BSS solutions. And things like provisioning and web
services have a very strong impact on customer
experience. Similarly we have seen and continue to
see CSPs focused strongly on the quality of the
customer experience—paying strong attention to
reducing churn, increasing loyalty and long term
relationships with customers.
Utilities may not be motivated entirely for the
same reasons as CSPs to make customers happy, but
today –thanks to smart grid—utilities have their eyes
set on engaging the customer. Utilities need to
deploy many of the same technologies, services and
applications, to ensure that customers not only
accept new technologies, but use new tools and
applications available to reduce their energy use.
They also need to market to consumers in a way
they never have before.
SmartMark has a division called SmartEnergy IP
entirely focused on the utility customer
experience.
ME: Are you working with anycommunications companies to cross over andtake advantage of market opportunities inenergy?
JS: Yes, in fact I am getting more and more calls
from companies who are seeing the light – many
of them floored with the opportunities and
uncertain on how to penetrate the market.
ME: How do you help them?
JS: Mostly a blend of strategic consulting,
industry focused marketing and introductions.
Sponsored Interview
16 | Mobile Europe
ME: Who are the clients of Smart Energy IP?
JS: We work with utilities across the world to help
develop, oversee and run customer education
programs. Because we have a strong background in
telecom, we are able to bridge the gap between
marketing strategies and investments in technology
infrastructure necessary to enable and improve the
customer experience. We also are the solutions
provider selected by the U.S. Department of Energy
to help run the U.S. DOE Smart Grid Customer
Engagement Working Group and are working with
utilities across North America to help collect best
practices in smart grid customer engagement and
develop a framework from these best practices.
The goal is to publish a model in the spring time
frame.
ME: Sounds like you’ve been busy.
JS: The company is seeing tremendous growth
and I am finding personal satisfaction in seeing
two industries I care for deeply converge and
benefit from stronger relationships. I have always
been big on cross industry collaboration, and I
believe telecom utilities convergence is prime
time. Though I really should be careful about the
word telecom; the cable MSOs are incredibly
visionary in the space and are bringing to market
more home energy bundled solutions than ever
before.
We are also working globally with government
in introducing programs to promote smart grid.
ME: So what else is on the horizon forSmartMark?
JS: We continue to support our range of clients
and help develop strategic communications
programs to make them true thought leaders in
the industry. That’s what we really do at heart.
And we continue to put on provocative events like
GridComms in London last year and the smart
Grid Customer Education Symposium in the
States, to bring diverse players in the room to talk
about relevant topics and promote collaboration.
And we continue to help utilities and energy
companies build groundbreaking new
relationships with customers based on better
communications choices and smarter customer
facing technology investments.
ABOUT SMARTMARK COMMUNICATIONSSmartMark Communications is a global leader inproviding communications solutions for a growingroster of international clients. Today the companyprovides end to end solutions for both public andprivate companies who benefit from thecompany’s strong strategic communicationsbackground and experience that spans multipleindustries, including telecommunications, utilities,financial services, energy and transportation. Tolearn more visit www.smartmarkglobal.com
SmartEnergy IP™ is leading the industry inproviding strategic communications, strategy andsolutions for utilities across the world. From thedevelopment of specialized customer educationprograms to the implementation of thoseprograms, SmartEnergy IP™ provides a wealth ofknowledge and experience to improve thecustomer experience.To learn more visitwww.smartenergy-IP.com
MOBILE WORLDCONGRESS 2013 PREVIEWEUROPE
MOBILE
IN THIS PREVIEW
20 The GSMA’s Michael O’Hara introducesthe “new” MWC and highlights thethings you need to know
22 Mobile Europe marks your card withfive key key topics to be discussed atMWC this year
27 With Barcelona now Mobile WorldCapital, Jesús Moreno Pinar explainswhat this all means for the industryand the city
20 | Mobile Europe
hile Mobile World Congress is
as an essential part of the
calendar for the mobile
industry as Christmas, this year delegates
can expect a ‘new’ Mobile World
Congress, still in the familiar city of BCN –
as the locals call it, not Barca, that's the
football team – but in a new venue about
2km down the road.
The change of venue is set to offer
delegates a much better experience and is
allowing the GSMA and its partners to
really up the ante in terms of the show’s
scope and impact.
“The biggest change is going to be
space,” explains Michael O’Hara, Chief
Marketing Officer at the GSMA. “In 2012
we had some 70,000m2 of exhibition,
this new venue is already offering, in
2013, 94,000m2, with around 100 extra
companies exhibiting, in a purpose built
venue that will make for better
conferencing and enhanced capacity all
round.”
As part of this enhanced capacity, the
new venue offers some less tangible, but
equally important new developments.
There will be more restaurants, better
wifi, a bigger media village and, to help
re-create the aspects of the old venue
that people have come to know and
love, the GSMA has “invested heavily in
green spaces and enhanced networking
areas, to bring the best of the old out to
the new site,” says O’Hara.
On the ground this is going to mean
much more of what makes MWC such a
great and all encompassing mobile event.
It is also going to offer some great new
experiences that really put the best of
what mobile can do in the increasingly
connected world on show.
The NFC Experience is perhaps the
biggest stand-out of the new venue. Here
visitors will be able to see all the latest
contactless technology in action and try it
out. “There will be smart posters and
tags, as well as all the latest technology in
NFC,” says O’Hara. “There will also be
some restaurants and bars – both on site
and in the city – that are going to be
taking NFC payments and, for those with
NFC phones, there is the ability to have
their badges on mobile and expedite
their entry and exit to and from the
show.”
The new site also offers the space to
extend the GSMA’s Connected House
concept from previous years to offer, in
the new Hall 3, a Connected City.
“This will feature a car show room, a
department store, an electrical store, a
hotel, an office, a town hall and a café
that allow visitors to see how connected
technology is set to revolutionise how we
live,” says O’Hara.
This will give people the space to see
how technology – provided by GSMA
partners AT&T, KT, Telenor, Vodafone
and a host of other companies – works in
the real world and what our digital future
looks like.
While NFC and the connected world
are clear themes for this year’s MWC, the
event is also covering everything from
LTE and network deployment to the
cloud, to big data and on to the role of
mobile in vertical sectors, especially
transport and health, both key subjects
for the Mobile World Capital project.
But O’Hara is keen to point out that
the show is also a major opportunity for
two great “learnings”: strategies for the
developed and developing markets – and
what they can learn from one another –
and bringing in government and
ministerial policy wonks to help ensure
the development and sale of spectrum to
continue the development of mobile
broadband.
“We make sure that developed telco
markets can debate and discuss strategy,
as well as allowing the same for
developing markets, so that everyone
gets the best out of the show,” says
O’Hara. “Q-Tel, AT&T and all the major
operators will be part of this, as well
those from developing markets in Africa
and Asia and elsewhere. China Mobile is
also there, straddling the two.”
O’Hara adds that 140 ministerial
delegations will also be attending
MWC13, with aim, under the GSMA’s
auspices, to bring them together with the
top CEOs of telcos and other interested
parties to tackle spectrum needs and
make sure the mobile broadband can
develop at the pace and scope needed to
make all that MWC13 is showcasing a
reality.
“We are going to see a lot of device
launches at the show,” stresses O’Hara.
“Which for anyone into mobile is always
exciting.”
W
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2013 PREVIEW
INTRODUCING THE ‘NEW’ MWC: MORE SPACE, TIME AND… FOOD
MWC HAS MOVED TO A NEW VENUE IN BARCELONA. PAUL SKELDON TALKEDTO THE GSMA’S MICHAEL O'HARA ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
NEW YEAR, SAME OLD THREAT FROMNEW ENTRANTS
The move towards OTT will show no
sign of abating this year, with the number
of companies touting their services to the
mobile community increasing.
But on the back of the launch of joyn at
last year’s show, there is a major fight
back from operators. It makes sense – why
lose all that SMS traffic if they can use it
to help people update social networks
when WiFi lets them down or there is no
3G?
But as fast as operators are catching up
with the OTT boom, they are being
threatened by non-MNOs looking to take
even more voice and messaging traffic
from them this year.
The main threat for 2013 is Facebook.
“Facebook, under increasing pressure
from its shareholders and with its growing
base of mobile users – now more than
half of all users – will make moves to
monetize revenue from mobile beyond
advertising,” says John Strand, founder
and lead analyst at Strand Consult.
“Keep in mind that most of Facebook’s
ad revenue comes from North America,
but its user base is growing in Africa, Asia
and Latin American, where Facebook’s
mobile ads for Americans are not relevant.
We expect the world’s largest
communication platform to look more
seriously at monetizing opportunities in
mobile products and services, both in
acquisition of mobile technology firms
and with business models including VoIP,
MVNO and more.”
In early January, Facebook began
testing free calling over WiFi and cellular
data for all Messenger for iPhone users in
Canada, and said that a US launch could
be coming soon.
The tests appear to have gone well – a
new free calling button has appeared in
the app in Canada. Facebook has
confirmed that the feature began rolling
out to US users this month, and requires
no update through the App Store. To
make a call to another Messenger for
iPhone user, all you need to do is open a
conversation with that person, tap the "i"
button in the top-right corner, and tap
Free Call.
“If you live in the US, you can now call
other Facebook users for free over WiFi or
using your phone's data connection”, said
a Facebook spokesperson.
A trip round MWC13, in its shiny new
venue, should be undertaken with an eye
on who else is muscling in. Skype, like
Facebook, is a natural threat, but one that
has been kept at bay thus far, while the
likes of WhatsApp, and countless
proprietary messaging technologies
provide operators with a challenge.
And its not just telecoms services that
will eat into operators bandwidth. “While
operators have absorbed shocks from VoIP
to their long distance revenues, new
internet players such as Netflix now
challenge their bandwidth, taking first
place as the traffic hog in many
countries,” says Strand.
To add insult to injury, this type of new
service not only erodes voice calling for
operators, but pumps a load more data
onto their networks, prompting Victor
22 | Mobile Europe
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2013 PREVIEW
Is Mark Zuckerberg planning an MVNO this year?
FIVE KEY THEMES FOR MWC 2013PAUL SKELDON HAS PICKED OUT FIVE KEY THEMES THAT SHOULD BEFRONT AND CENTRE OF MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS THIS YEAR
Mobile Europe | 23
Basta, managing director of Magister
Advisors, M&A advisors to the technology
industry, to call MNOs “the digital drug
mules of the 21st century”.
AN EVER EXPANDING ARRAY OFDEVICES AND OS
According to GSMA Marketing Chief
Michael O’Hara, one of the highlights of
this year’s MWC will be the launch of a
range of new devices and operating
systems aimed at the developed and,
perhaps more importantly, the developing
markets of Africa, Latin America, Asia and
China.
The MEF’s Andrew Bud likens it to the
development of a “third mobile
ecosystem”, with the likes of Windows
Phone 8, BlackBerry 10 and Firefox OS
taking centre stage at the show.
The show is also going to see the arrival
of devices targeting new demographics,
such as Docomo’s smartphone developed
for the burgeoning pre-teen (9 to 12 year
old) market of m-commerce users in
training.
The rationale behind the device – made
by Sharp initially just for the Japanese
market – is that in wealthier markets the
mainstream of those aged roughly 16 to
60 years old is so highly penetrated that it
makes sense to look at demographics at
either end of the scale.
Docomo has demographic handset
form. Last summer, it launched a Fujitsu-
built smartphone targeted at older users.
But while many handset makers and
telcos are looking to exploit as yet
untapped demographics, and with
smartphone sales skyrocketing – 671
million smartphones shipped worldwide in
2012, according to Juniper Research – the
real big developments in devices,
particularly around services, apps,
payments and commerce, is set to be
played out on tablets.
According to the Pew Research Centre
in the US, 25 percent of US adults own a
tablet computer of one form or another
and in the run up to Christmas 2012, 59
percent of mobile retails sales in the UK
and US were made using an iPad, says
Affiliate Window.
Tablets offer their own set of challenges
to mobile networks and developers.
Consumers are still ‘deciding’ how they
are going to use them, with many already
opting for them as an at-home mobile
device for shopping and surfing in front of
the TV – so called “couch commerce”.
This year’s MWC will offer some insight
into how this can be exploited.
But while much attention is focussed on
rapidly expanding tablet use, it is
smartphones that are still consuming the
most data – and are set to be given a run
for their money by LTE dongles – believes
Arieso, a provider of intelligent, location
aware solutions. According to its research,
smartphone users are consistently
consuming more mobile data than tablet
users. Out of the top 10 most voracious
devices (excluding dongles) six were
smartphones, three tablets and one a
“phablet”. Tablet users placed 4th, 8th
and 9th.
“This is pretty counterintuitive, but it
seems the capabilities of the newest
smartphones – not tablets - are
unleashing even greater user demand.
Once you move away from raw
consumption statistics, the most
remarkable finding is the way in which
people use smartphones and tablets,” says
Arieso CTO Dr Michael Flanagan.
“Regardless of device type and
operating system, there is very little
variation in the usage ‘signature’ between
smartphone users and between tablet
users. From this we discover that voice-
capable phablets – like the Samsung
Galaxy Note II - are currently being used
like smartphones, not tablets. If you can
use it to make a phone call, the ‘phablet’
won’t be much like a tablet at all.”
DO TELCOS HAVE AN ENTERPRISE APPFOR THAT?
The enterprise is, considering its
potential worth for operators and
developers, much under exposed to the
best of mobile technology. Recent
research by Vanson Bourne found that
organisations are not moving fast enough
to develop and deploy mobile apps for
staff, customers and partners, missing out
on business benefits and creating an “app
gap”.
Out of the 600 organisations surveyed,
95 percent said that their employees use
personal mobile devices for work,
however, only 29 percent of organisations
have begun a formal mobility
programme, despite 92 percent of
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2013 PREVIEW
The real big developmentsin devices are set to be playedout on tablets
Apple's iPad goes fromstrength to strength
Mobile Europe | 25
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2013 PREVIEW
organisations saying they believe that
adopting mobile apps will not only give
them a competitive advantage, but that
not doing so will put them at a
disadvantage.
The main roadblock to organisations’
use of apps to interact with their
employees and customers includes
concerns around security – in fact, 54
percent of organisations surveyed cited
security concerns as the main barrier to
increased enterprise app adoption.
But that is all set to change. “This year,
we’ll increasingly see enterprise apps take
centre stage as technological innovations
such as cloud computing, BYOD, and the
rising use of business tablet devices
become increasingly commonplace across
workplaces globally,” says Ian Schenkel,
CEO and co-founder of enterprise app
developer EuroSmartz.
“While companies know that they need
to innovate to keep up with these new
business/IT trends, this gives rise to
companies’ concerns around security.
Fortunately, the enterprise app is a means
through which companies are able to
control the manner in which employees
access information on their mobile
devices, maximising security.”
For example, enterprise apps can be
tethered to a location/network for security
and/or can exist solely in the cloud, not
permitting downloads to a device so that
documents cannot be accessed in the
event of a device theft. Securing a balance
between innovation and security is crucial,
especially because today, having an app
presence is what having a web presence
was for companies 10 years ago – it
shows legitimacy and a commitment to
the latest cutting-edge technology
innovations and tools. In this way, having
an app demonstrates B2B credibility and
can be a very valuable marketing tool for
any company.”
One company that is hoping to corner
the business mobile market is BlackBerry.
It has lost market share to rivals Apple and
Samsung and is now hoping that its new
BlackBerry 10 OS and new smartphones
will help the firm to gain ground.
According to Dan Wagner, CEO of
mobile payments firm mPowa, the battle
will be lost or won in how well the new
devices and operating system will engage
the business market.
“In its quest to gain a larger slice of the
consumer market, BlackBerry mustn’t lose
sight of the core business customer base
that it initially built its products around.
Business has evolved drastically since the
launch of BlackBerry’s first smartphone in
2003, and business users now want to do
more with their hand-held devices,
effectively turn them into mobile offices
with which they can do far more than
merely access their calendars and emails.
Many have jumped ship and have opted
for rival devices which have much more
compelling offerings. Blackberry needs a
dynamic platform that supports additional
services that make businesses more
efficient and mobile – if it is to hang onto
its customers.”
PARTNERS TO THE FORE AS INTERNETOF THINGS GATHERS PACE
One of the highlights of previous
Mobile World Congresses has been the
GSMA and partners Connected House.
This year they are going one better and
showcasing a Connected City, featuring a
Town Hall, department store, café and
more to show how the internet of things
is truly coming to life.
And it’s set to be a big market. A study
from Juniper Research found that the
Telematics and Consumer Electronics
sectors are rapidly becoming the two
anchor industries for the M2M market,
challenging the position of smart metering.
The report forecasts that the market for
M2M and embedded devices will reach
400 million by the end of 2017, up from a
little over 110 million at present.
One of the key areas is the connected
car, with the automotive industry starting
now to embrace mobile technology. In
fact, the head of General Motors will be
addressing conference at MWC13,
cementing how much the car industry
now sees mobile as a key part of what it
offers consumers.
This year we willincreasingly see enterprise appstake centre stage
BlackBerry is hoping its newoperating system will wooback enterprise consumers
26 | Mobile Europe
The automotive sector is also going to
be a huge market for 4G chipsets, believes
Juniper, as they find their way into new
cars to start to offer the connectivity we
all crave.
But the issue that hangs over M2M is
that operators do not yet see the full
ARPU and RoI.
“It is clear that M2M ARPU for
operators is never going to be as high as
operators are used to from human
subscribers,” says Usman Haque of Cosm,
a platform provider for the internet of
things. “They are nevertheless nervous of
the connectivity price pressure that will
result from a horizontally segmented
market. They would, ideally, prefer to
offer – or work with partners who offer –
end-to-end M2M solutions.”
M-PAYMENTS – IS THE OPPORTUNITYGOING, GOING, GONE?
Glance through the conference
programme for MWC and you would be
forgiven for thinking that m-commerce
and m-payments were of fringe interest –
restricted mainly to NFC.
But perhaps the biggest challenge
facing the mobile industry is the use of
mobile devices to buy things. The value
of digital and physical goods bought
using mobile phones topped $200 billion
globally in 2012, according to Juniper
Research, spurred by increasing security
and decreasing user concern over
security, better devices, and user-friendly
apps and third party payment services.
But the mobile operator industry could
still miss out. NFC is increasingly unlikely
to take off as it’s too complicated;
instead, operators should be looking at
how consumers are using mobile to buy
and pay for things.
There are a raft of third party payment
solution providers, not to mention banks
and card companies already making
headway in this space. It’s already a very
competitive market, with thoughts about
who “owns the customer” now irrelevant.
Barclays PingIt, Visa Europe’s V.me and
even, potentially, Apple’s Passbook, are
all starting to gain traction among
consumers, while established payment
intermediaries such as iTunes, Amazon 1-
Click and PayPal are already gaining vast
revenues through mobile web users
shopping on apps, iStores and Amazon.
And this is the problem faced by
operators: consumers will associate these
brands with m-payments and translate
that into how they actually do in store m-
payments in the coming months.
“Operator billing will be overtaken by
other mobile payment systems in
developed markets,” warns Andrew Bud,
global chair of MEF, the trade body of
the mobile media and entertainment
industry.
Windsor Holden, research director at
the analysts Juniper Research, agrees:
“The market is still very much wide open.
While we have a number of mobile wallet
solutions now being deployed, as far as
adoption goes it is still a nascent market.
The level of awareness about the various
options is still low. What is absolutely
critical is educating the public that
phones can be used in this way, and the
winner will be the businesses who
succeed in doing this and convincing
both shoppers and vendors that it is easy
to use.”
Of course, services such as Barclays’
PingIt and other mobile wallets require
the mobile number as a proxy for bank
account details and the SIM offers pretty
much unrivalled security, but operators
have been slow to capitalise on their
unique billing relationship with
consumers.
The pitiful amount of time devoted to
m-commerce and m-payments at MWC is
an indication that this isn’t about to
change.
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2013 PREVIEW
While we have a number of mobile walletsolutions deployed, the market is still nascent
M-payments services such as Barclays PingIt are gaining traction amongst consumers
Mobile Europe | 27
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2013 PREVIEW
art of what landed Barcelona
the winning bid to host
Mobile World Congress until
2017 was its outline for realizing the
GSMA’s vision to extend the reach of the
congress through the year.
This vision included a desire to touch not
only the business to business community
serviced by the show, but also to
showcase to consumers and ‘prosumers’
the reach of mobile.
The formation of Mobile World Capital
is getting underway this year in what the
GSMA hopes will be a global initiative to
widen the development of mobile
technology, produce a connected world
and – for Spain – place Barcelona right at
the centre of mobile development.
But what is Mobile World Capital and
how will it work? It is, in reality, a
collection of ideas that aims to service the
needs of the mobile industry through a
programme of events and collaborative
programmes of development with vertical
industries, while showcasing what it can
do to the public.
“It is essentially a martrix with four
zones,” explains Jesús Moreno Pinar,
marketing & communications director of
Mobile World Capital. “Two temporary
events, one for B2B, one for consumers,
and two permanent activities, again one
for B2B and one for consumers.”
For the business community there is
already Congress, which offers an annual
opportunity to talk shop. “There will also
then be the Mobile World Hub,” says
Moreno Pinar, “which will be a
permanent base for a programme of
collaborative projects working on realizing
goals in development of m-wallets, m-
health, m-travel, content and
entertainment and community and life.”
In the consumer space, Mobile World
Capital matrix offers a mobile festival as a
one-off annual event and the mobile
world centre, which will essentially be a
permanent exhibit of hands-on
technology demos and lectures about
mobile life.
“Within these programmes, Barcelona
seeks to offer expertise and mobile
technology, mobile law, news, talent,
interoperability and clustering, which
wraps it all up,” says Moreno Pinar.
By way of example, Moreno Pinar offers
a programme in the mobile health sphere
where doctors, insurance companies and
mobile experts are working together to
create personal health folders to help
patients manage their health notes and to
help doctors improve treatment and
pharmaceutical needs and improve
patient care.
On the consumer side, the GSMA is
planning a music festival featuring top
acts and leveraging mobile social
technology to engage users both in
Barcelona, where the festival will take
place in September – “because,” says
Moreno Pinar, “unlike February and
congress, the weather is better” – to
promote the entertainment aspects of
mobile and show the world how
connected mobile can make us all.
On a more permanent basis, Barcelona
will also be home to the Mobile World
Centre, which seeks to offer a permanent
exhibition of mobile technology to
attract in pro-sumers from all vertical
industries to let them see and try out the
latest in mobile technology and to
attend lectures and conferences that run
throughout the year.
It is all a very worthy stab at
showcasing mobile to those lucky enough
to find themselves in Barcelona, but what
about the rest of the world?
“Barcelona will simply be the centre,”
says Moreno Pinar. “We will be looking at
‘sister cities’ that will also start to run their
own programmes, festivals and other
events that tie in to what is happening in
the Mobile World Capital. This way we
can develop more and make it a truly
global collaboration. This is what being ‘a
capital city’ is all about – we are the
inspiration for others.”
Commercially, Mobile World Capital is
funded by a consortium of Spain’s
national government, region government
and Barcelona City Council. The GSMA
and the Fira de Barcelona provide
logistical support, know how and venues.
“But we are looking for support from the
industry through sponsorship, but also
through less tangible support such as
donations of expertise, time, equipment
and knowledge, resources and
infrastructure worldwide,” says Moreno
Pinar.
So far the programme for 2013 is a
small start to realizing this ambitious goal
for the industry, with three m-Health
projects, one m-wallet and one mobile
social community programme already
underway and the inaugural festival
planned for September. “But it will grow
and we hope that next year there will be
much more and in the years after that
even more,” says Moreno Pinar.
And it will be global, he adds. “Spain
really needs this right now and we can’t
waste this opportunity. It is an investment
in our future as much as it is an
investment in the industry’s future.”
P
MOBILE WORLD CAPITAL INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF THEINDUSTRY AND SPAIN BARCELONA IS NOW CONGRESS HOST CITY AND MOBILE WORLD CAPITAL. PAULSKELDON ASKS WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE INDUSTRY AND THE TROUBLED COUNTRY
Sponsored Interview
28 | Mobile Europe
Tektronix Communications has augmented its traditional business with new actionableintelligence solutions to establish a new business category in the telecoms space
s the services that both mobile and fixed
network operators provide become more
complex, and potential challenges of
increased loads on networks and data storms become
an ever greater threat to customer experience, the
need to keep a clear and detailed handle on the
performance of voice, data, and video services is
becoming increasingly urgent.
In today’s 4G world, the scale of electronic
communications surging down networks is becoming
mind-boggling.
Indeed, Lyn Cantor, President of US-based Tektronix
Communications, says such traffic is reaching
unparalleled levels.
Speaking as his company prepares for Mobile World
Congress 2013, Cantor told European Communications
that some of his company’s larger carrier customers
already generate between 30 and 40 billion customer
records daily: “Our forecast for these businesses is
growth over the next 12 to 24 months to 100 billion
records a day,” he adds.
That is an immense amount of data. For telcos
wanting to harness this surge, really smart and focused
data collection and analysis is required.
This is precisely why Tektronix Communications has
augmented its traditional business with new actionable
intelligence solutions to become the first full-service
Telecoms Intelligence Provider (TIP), building on its
established reputation as a market leading telecoms
network diagnostics and service assurance specialist,
and effectively establishing a new business category in
the telecoms space.
Says Cantor: “We are able to extract information
historically, and in real-time, giving an unparalleled
breadth and depth of insight across all four dimensions
of a carrier’s business, namely the subscriber’s
behaviour, the services and applications they’re
consuming, the performance of the network they’re
using and the different technology standards it
supports.”
Simply put, the company’s systems enable telcos to
see subscribers and the devices they are using; monitor
service and application use; check the network
technology being employed; and assess the
performance of networks.
But it wants to grow the use of its middleware to
make sense of this growing flood of information, not
only to identify potential problems with service, but to
indicate where a telco could do better.
“Helping create clarity out of chaos is really the
key,” says Cantor. “It’s not only helping customer
care and streamlining that work.” It is about
moving from being “reactive to being proactive.”
This is the key message of a report recently
released by Tektronix Communications. Called the
TekComms’ 4D TIP Report, it says telecoms
intelligence providers have a vital role to play in
interpreting and monetising the data available to
mobile operators.
Inside, Cantor comments: “The combination of
‘Big Data’ and the granular detail that we can
provide has presented the carriers with more
intelligence about their business, and their
customers, than they have previously had access
to. Using this information the operators are
developing new business models rooted in security
and quality of service.”
Lyn Cantor, President ofTektronix Communications
A
INTRODUCING THE INDUSTRY’S FIRST FULL-SERVICE TELECOMS INTELLIGENCE PROVIDER
Sponsored Interview
Mobile Europe | 29
He says that for telcos to manage this work
effectively, they have to approach it on a micro level,
rather than as indicative trend data. And potential
revenue can be missed or losses made if operators do
not analyse all their data: some apps or services
might simply consume resources without yielding
sufficient income and others might become a cash
cow if only they were allowed to grow.
“A miss can be as big as a mile if operators fail to
follow and analyse every path of the data journey;
valuable insights lurk as much in those parts of the
network they can’t currently see as in those that may
be more obvious but will never deliver the full story,”
says a separate briefing note released by the
company.
It goes on: “Hidden problems in the network can
now be easily located to drive better experiences.
Without a view of precisely what’s going on, from a
user perspective, there can never be a truly end-to-
end solution that eradicates the glitches. With the
heightened demands of LTE, glitches will become
inefficiencies, which will turn into complaints, which
will become a negative and time-consuming drain on
resources.”
The company’s core telco customer base is
increasingly offering new services to compete with
OTT services – such as video comms that have been
the preserve of Skype, Apple and others.
By adopting a four dimensional approach to its
customers’ businesses, Cantor adds: “We are now
uniquely positioned to help carriers identify new
revenue streams, reduce churn, and critically,
mitigate the risk posed by OTT players.
Using Tektronix Communications services, telcos
can better leverage their built-in competitive
advantage of controlling network quality by routing
their own services though the best in-house networks.
By monitoring subscriber behaviour through
Tektronix Communications systems, telcos can
maximise the potential and efficiency of such services,
while pushing OTT services through weaker lower
bandwidth networks.
And this will help operators keep clients because
there will always be two markets, notes Cantor: the
youth and other cash-poor markets who want to use
free OTT systems, and maybe do not worry if the
service quality is patchy; and the business and higher-
end customers who are prepared to pay more to
ensure reliability.
Having sophisticated data user analysis will enable
telcos to get the revenue equations right – pushing
wealthier customers towards their own systems,
while keeping the younger and poorer customers in
play through adequate, yet cheaper networks.
“Operators are realigning their business models to
offer the same agility as OTT players, the same
range of exciting user services and the same thrills
of discovery for users in the new, exciting and
enriching experiences they access at the device
level,” the company note goes on.
“Operators can now offer competitive
propositions, but with added security and quality of
service. As the migration to 4G gathers pace, how
operators can now gain full visibility: seeing
everything and being everywhere, gaining a real
competitive advantage over OTT players.”
This trend, predicts the TekComms’ 4D TIP
Report, even extends to popular cloud-based sync
services like Google Drive, Dropbox and Mozy,
where operators will offer tougher competition in
future through private clouds.
“Users will no longer have to depend on the ‘best-
effort’ of the internet to access music files, video
clips and other personal material, operators will
provide consumer and business-class sync services
over their own dedicated cloud architecture.
Business models will vary, but expect to see basic
Sponsored Interview
30 | Mobile Europe
free services and additional bandwidth and security
available at a premium,” adds the report.
Looking ahead, the company is confident of a
solid future. Telcos are most unlikely to abandon
their strategy of using multiple vendors across their
services, to achieve competitive economies of scale.
To monitor and analyse user data from such a
variety of equipment, a third party technology-
independent service is always going to be of value.
To this end, Tektronix Communications tries to
be comprehensive, integrating its systems into user
access networks, core networks and the data
centre.
“We give the operator very significant visibility
over what’s going on [in] the subscriber
experience,” says Cantor.
With so much change in the sector at present
and so many roll-outs of new kit that telcos might
want to use, having a data system able to assess
and play a key role in road-testing new equipment,
has great value.
Such work also creates historic data that can be
used to show how a system has been rolled out at
other operators, helping vendors and telcos iron
out technological wrinkles in advance of going live
with new equipment.
In this regard, the increasing dominance of smart
phone apps and all their built-in complexity has
made the need for sophisticated surveillance all the
more important.
Subscribers will want to know why an app might
have suddenly stopped working, or is performing
more slowly. There may be a network explanation
and customer care will want the data diagnostics
to give them an answer and hopefully a solution,
helping reduce subscriber churn.
Tektronix Communications aims to provide
information enabling level one and two of
customer care services to offer effective assistance,
for identifying and solving problems.
“This is a sweet spot for us,” stresses Cantor.
So how do Tektronix Communications systems
work? In short, they are smart. They use data
mining probes – soft probes, core probes, routers…
The key is the middleware, offering effective
mediation and correlation.
“This is what’s important to the users. There’s so
much data in the network,” says Cantor. “It’s
actionable intelligence or as we like to call it
“analytics with purpose”. Unless the data has been
organised and correlated in a way that brings its
use and application to life… it’s of limited value.”
As a result, Tektronix Communications systems
are designed to be useful to their key telco
customers: engineering, operations and the radio
access network managers. They are designed to
enable these professionals see how a network is
operating in real time, assess usage quality, uplink
performance and latency. And even as application
upon application is piled onto an operator, having
an effective monitoring and analysis system helps
telcos assess how they work – and that matters,
because for customers, it’s the app that matters.
And if it doesn’t, then they might stray.
Tektronix Communications aim has long been to
offer solution-based data collation and analysis
systems that are sufficiently flexible to be honed to a
telco’s individual needs, netting user data and
streaming it into channels.
Its specialists work with telco clients to customise
its systems to take account of their technical
idiosyncrasies and business needs.
Cantor stresses the company will “continue to
evolve while being the best-in-class as telecoms
intelligence providers,” before adding: “People can
do part of this – but there’s no one [else] who
brings this together.”
The Tektronix Communications briefing note
underlines this noting that a good intelligence
system “helps operators understand their entire
environment and what goes on in it; the four
dimensions, or 4D, of 4G: subscriber behaviour, the
services they consume, the network environment
itself, and the technologies in play. Real-time end-
to-end data collection and analysis across each of
these dimensions can give operators the visibility
they need, to deliver the experience and services
their customers want.”
Moreover, telcos are in an ideal position to
deliver, not the least because they are not as
plagued by security as those harming OTT players
(identity theft especially) and can ensure greater
interoperability through initiatives such as joyn, the
commercial GSMA rich communication suite
compliance brand. But they’ll need confidence.
The TekComms 4G TIP report takes operators to
task warning “joyn may not live up to its promise
unless operators become more aggressive in their
approach to marketing the service, and take full
advantage for what it has to offer.”
Telecoms intelligence systems such as those
offered by Tektronix Communications just might
give the telcos the push they need to make services
such as joyn a real success.
ABOUT TEKTRONIX COMMUNICATIONSTektronix Communications accelerates the advancement of communicationsby optimizing the experiences of the connected world. We provide serviceproviders and equipment manufacturers an unparalleled suite of networkdiagnostics and service assurance solutions for fixed, mobile, IP and convergedmulti-service networks. www.tekcomms.com
32 | Mobile Europe
Network innovation
his year is gearing up to be one in which
mobile networks undergo major disruptive
change with significant innovation coming
onstream in several different areas.
With data traffic now the primary focus, we’re seeing a
dramatic shift in the type of equipment that operators are
planning to invest in.
Small cells introduced for capacityIn recent years, the emphasis has been about adding
capacity to meet dramatically growing traffic levels, which
have been doubling annually.
Japan’s NTT DoCoMo, for example, predicts a further
12x network traffic growth overall in the next three years,
while Telefónica forecasts a requirement for up to 50x
capacity growth in cities, of which the improved spectral
efficiency of 3G and 4G will only satisfy up to 8x.
Several European operators point to the large installed
base of 3G smartphones, saying that this is where the data
capacity problem lies today. For at least the next two years,
they need to find ways to increase capacity to serve
growing latent demand from this technology that has
doubled annually.
Small cells appear to be the most serious contender to
satisfy the most demanding traffic capacities in a controlled
way. Having evolved from their original focus on residential
use, various mature enterprise and metrocell products are
available for indoor and outdoor applications.
Unlike earlier residential femtocell products, these are
much higher capacity (up to 32 channel), have higher RF
power and are suitable for unsupervised outdoor locations,
thanks to more robust construction, wider temperature
tolerance etc. Some are already 3G/LTE multimode capable
using separate boards or plug-in modules, leaving the
option for an easy future upgrade.
These benefit from earlier innovation arising from mass
market consumer femtocells, such as zero-touch
deployment, remote upgrade, self-optimisation and
constant adaptation to changing external environment.
Extensive deployment in many live networks has meant
they now meet the five nines performance (99.999
percent) demanded for widespread commercial use.
For this reason, a layer of small cells will be introduced to
provide high capacity in peak urban areas, with most
interest on metrocells today. The short range of small cells
provides a high signal/noise ratio, allowing higher
modulation schemes and achieving closer to the 21Mbit/s
rates promised by HSPA+.
It’s likely to be 2014 before 4G metrocell deployments
begin in earnest, although Virgin UK have already
completed successful trials in Newcastle and Bristol with a
view to offering this “small cell as a service” wholesale to
UK operators.
Mike Schabel, VP for Small Cells at Alcatel-Lucent,
warns that the industry shouldn’t be focussing so much
on the box itself. The wider issues are around how to
deploy and manage large numbers of small cells in the
field. Site acquisition, obtaining planning permission,
power and backhaul – especially over the last few
hundred metres – are all critical aspects. These will lead to
both technology and commercial disruption and
innovation.
Beam-forming radios that shape the footprint of each
small cell to match its unique environment allow
positioning much nearer existing macrocells due to lower
interference.
David Chambers looks at four key areas of network innovation and analyses what theymean for mobile operators
MOBILE NETWORKINNOVATION: WHAT DOES2013 HAVE TO OFFER?
T
NSN’s flexi base station
Mobile Europe | 33
Network innovation
Backhaul for small cells, especially the last few hundred
metres to the lamppost or street location, has become a
hot topic. A wide-range of new wireless technologies
appear to address the issue, pushing the boundaries of
useful spectrum beyond 60, 70 and even 80 GHz.
However, no single technology satisfies every scenario,
leading to a “toolbox” approach combining non-line-of-
sight, microwave, millimetre wave and even optical
transmission into a comprehensive mixture.
Intel has been touting a radical approach to reduce
backhaul bottlenecks for small cells by installing a local
data cache, while Ubiquisys demonstrated this concept in
their Smart Cell last year, serving content shared through
both 3G and WiFi.
Altobridge, meanwhile, believe their experience with
cellular systems using very limited satellite backhaul
might also be reused in this context.
While the capacity problem isn’t going away, the
emphasis is shifting to ensure that the quality of
experience of each customer improves and matches their
expectation.
Improving the quality and speed of WiFiNowhere is variable quality of service more visible
today than for public WiFi access, where quality can be
much better or worse than 3G for many reasons.
The rush to adopt WiFi, both by mandating it for all
smartphones and investing in service provider WiFi, has
reduced the pressure on the cellular networks. Telefonica
O2, for example, reports that their own London WiFi hot-
spots offload 5-10 percent of data traffic from their 3G
network.
A major concern generally is the resulting “blind
handoff” to WiFi. The operator has no visibility of what
service their customer is using, or what
quality/throughput they may be receiving and this may
create longer-term issues.
Early, subjective feedback from Korea suggests that
many smartphone users actively choose to remain on the
new LTE network rather than switch to free WiFi because
it gives noticeably faster performance, for both speed and
latency.
Other major drawbacks when using WiFi have been the
need to enter login details on a webpage, and the drain
on battery consumption if left on all day.
During 2013 we can expect to see visible evidence of
improved, seamless access to WiFi. The HotSpot 2.0
specification allows smartphones to identify which WiFi
hotspots are compatible with their service provider, and to
use authentication and billing based on their SIM card
and mobile phone account.
While these concepts are not particularly new, their
active support by mobile operators and the ease of
deployment through smartphone software updates,
should reduce time to market.
Huawei, meanwhile, has developed a solution that looks
up the location of smartphones based on the serving cell
in a database. If a compatible WiFi hotspot is known to be
within reach, it remotely turns on the WiFi in the
smartphone.
Then there is the potential of Wi-Gig, the friendly name
for 802.11ad, which is a superfast very short range
wireless technology.
Now part of the WiFi family, with the Wireless Gigabit
Alliance having merged with the WiFi Alliance, and
operating in unlicenced or lightly-licenced spectrum at
60GHz, it offers multi-Gigabit throughput across a range
of a few metres. It’s ideal for downloading or
synchronising huge amounts of data quickly.
Mass-market domestic use, where it can replace the
unsightly wiring between TV’s and set top boxes, should
drive down costs that will make it easy to extend to office
and public environments. Its very limited range facilitates
high re-use and limits interference.
Overall, WiFi – both delivered directly by a service
provider and privately in the home or office – will
continue to evolve into an essential component of the
comprehensive mobile network service.
Further innovation to manage the quality of service
even when using unlicenced spectrum should allow the
balance to be made between lowest cost and appropriate
quality.
The rush to 4G LTE and beyondOne reason that the evolution of the radio network
attracts the most attention is because it attracts 80
percent of the capital investment. The industry has a clear
roadmap which evolves to LTE and LTE-Advanced, with all
major RAN vendors investing heavily in the new
technology.
Having replaced older standalone 2G and 3G
basestations with the latest SingleRAN products, 4G LTE
Huawei demonstrating
their indoor base station
femtocell
The industryshouldn’t befocussing so muchon the box itselfwhen it comes tosmall cells
34 | Mobile Europe
Network innovation
capability can be added in some cases by simply
plugging in a new RF module.
UK operator EE’s accelerated rollout at 1800MHz for
competitive advantage is just one example of the much
shorter timescale required to deploy a radical new
technology.
While most of today’s 4G LTE networks are designed
for wide area coverage using lower spectrum at 700 and
850 MHz, we may see some unusual use of the higher
spectrum at 2.6GHz. This has been sold at much lower
prices, typically 10x less, due to its short range and
unsuitability for wide area coverage.
Speculation exists about how this might be used for
indoor applications, providing high quality coverage and
capacity in areas that a traditional approach might not
solve.
Being slightly later to deploy LTE might not necessarily
be a long-term commercial disadvantage. For example,
while T-Mobile USA is the last of the four major American
networks to rollout 4G LTE, they will be using 4x2 MIMO
rather than 2x2, giving them a predicted 60 percent
efficiency gain from the same smartphones.
LTE Advanced is also just around the corner. Embodied
within the later 3GPP standards releases, LTE-Advanced is
a toolkit of several different features from which
operators and vendors can select the most attractive
options.
HetNetsThe combination of different radio technologies (3G,
4G and WiFi) and different cell sizes (small, micro and
macro) are often termed heterogeneous networks or
Hetnets.
Samsung, a relatively new entrant into network
infrastructure, lists the greatest challenges in this area as:
self-organised network (SON), interference management,
mobility management and traffic management.
Without good solutions to these challenges, the
vendor believes it is impossible to deliver an efficient
Hetnet.
SON: SON can improve both the efficiency of network
deployment and operation and user experience. The
technology involves self-configuration, self-optimisation,
and self-healing. The important SON features include
Automatic Neighbour Relation (ANR), Coverage and
Capacity Optimisation (CCO), Mobility Load Balancing
(MLB) and Mobility Robustness Optimisation (MRO).
All of these need to be fully integrated under a well-
designed architecture in order to work properly.
Interference management: The main interference
management methods include Enhanced Inter Cell
Interference Coordination (eICIC) , Inter Cell Interference
Coordination (ICIC) and Coverage and Capacity
Optimisation (CCO).
Mobility management: MRO is a good method to deal
with two typical problems in Hetnet: the increase on
handover failure rate caused by high-speed terminals, and
the increase on unnecessary handover attempts.
Traffic management: MLB is the preferred solution to
deal with the problems on traffic imbalance between
macro and small cells, and there are several methods to
offload the traffic, such as LIPA/SIPTO and WiFi offload.
All these features place tighter demands for timing and
synchronisation, specifically introducing a phase timing
tolerance of less than one microsecond. By contrast, 3G
WCDMA allows each cell site to operate asynchronously
with no phase alignment requirement.
In turn, this needs careful attention to the choice of
synchronisation methods ranging from GPS (which may
not work indoors), Synchronous Ethernet (which provides
only frequency synchronisation) and PTP (more commonly
used in edge devices).
While the industry grapples with the issues of how best
to tame the beast of data traffic by building ever faster and
higher capacity networks, it may see better commercial
returns by taking a wider view of how best to satisfy the
customer.
This will drive innovation across many aspects of the
business from introducing different commercial models,
from how the customer experience is articulated and
managed, as well as the underlying technology.
It’s easy to become too focussed on radio transmission
technology alone – the end-to-end system also needs to
evolve to match the needs of society that are evolving
rapidly from voice to data and continue to do so.
WiFi willcontinue to evolveinto an essentialcomponent of themobile networkservice
An Ericsson 4G/LTE
site in Sweden
Sponsored Article
henever mobile networks are discussed, we
invariably focus on the communication
technologies and challenges of transporting
large amounts of data. Radio spectrum, cell site designs and
the use of Ethernet and IP in the mobile core are popular
topics and are also important as mobile data traffic will
continue to grow exponentially.
But, the real challenge that mobile carriers are facing is not
a communication technology challenge, but a business
challenge and it is not a new one either! It is the challenge of
making money in an over-the-top world. What strategy can
carriers adopt that will increase customer loyalty and drive
higher revenue per customer that can be used to offset the
investment that has to be made in network bandwidth,
speeds and reliability?
Many now agree that the best approach is to focus on
providing compelling, high quality services that are customer-
centric. This requires an understanding of what is important
for users and an end-to-end view of quality of experience. It is
also requires the ability to react quickly and potentially tailor
services to customer needs. In short, it requires real-time
service assurance and optimization capabilities.
Qosmos and Napatech have combined forces to provide a
platform that can form the analytic foundation for mobile
service assurance and optimization. The Qosmos DeepFlow
Telecom appliance enables a wide range of analytics solutions
to be developed quickly and easily to support exactly the
strategy that a particular carrier needs to implement.
Based on a Common-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) approach, the
DeepFlow Telecom appliance provides a reliable, high-
performance, pre-integrated platform. The complex,
specialized integration of packet capture, application
recognition and quality of service monitoring technology,
which is essential for service assurance and optimization, has
already been taken care of, allowing developers of telecom
management solutions to focus on the specific management
and big data analysis task that needs to performed.
This enables specialized solutions to be developed and
deployed quickly, safe in the knowledge that the platform is
reliable and up to the task.
THE MOBILE “DEATH SPIRAL”Carriers have been aware for some time of the “scissor
effect” of rising costs due to growing data traffic and flat
revenues due to all-you-can-eat service offerings. For mobile
carriers, the introduction of mobile data access and smart
devices has aggravated the scissor effect and led many
carriers to investigate new ways of increasing revenue and/or
controlling bandwidth-related costs. However, the first
attempts at solving this dilemma have introduced a “death
spiral” effect, where customers are alienated and actively
seek alternative solutions.
To understand this effect, consider that the growth in
smartphones and tablets is not only driving more data traffic,
but also fuelling the explosive growth in apps. These are
accessed over Internet connections or “over-the-top” leading
to an increase in mobile data traffic, but no extra revenue for
the carrier unless limitations are implemented. To make
matters worse, some of the applications actually substitute
voice and SMS usage leading to lower carrier revenues.
Early efforts to address this were based on traffic shaping
and throttling of “undesirable” application usage. But, this
negative approach only results in dissatisfied users who feel
like they are being penalized. This leads to lower loyalty and
an even greater desire to use the very applications that
carriers do not want these customers to use. Thus, a “death-
spiral” effect ensues that not only fails to address the scissor
effect, but actually exacerbates it.
BREAKING THE “DEATHSPIRAL”
An alternative is to take a
more customer-centric approach
where there is more focus on
trying to understand what
customers are trying to achieve
and how they are achieving it
and then providing services that
better match this need with high
quality.
This involves understanding
customer behaviour,
understanding when and how
Mobile Europe | 35
ENHANCING MOBILE SERVICE ASSURANCE AND OPTIMIZATIONDan Joe Barry explains how Qosmos and Napatech have combined forces to provide aplatform that can form the analytic foundation for mobile service assurance and optimization
W
Sponsored Article
36 | Mobile Europe
they are using various services and then optimizing services
to better suit this behaviour. This can potentially include
tailoring services to suit individual customer needs leading to
more loyalty, potentially more revenue or at least the same
revenue, but with more efficient use of network resources.
The key to driving more revenue is the ability to offer a
superior product that is compelling for customers. This in
turn requires that you deliver on this promise, so assuring
quality of experience is critical.
By focusing on understanding customer needs better,
meeting those needs in an innovative way and assuring that
users get what they pay for then there is the potential to
break the mobile “death spiral”.
UNDERSTANDING NEEDS AND BEHAVIOURMobile networks are now migrating to an all-IP
infrastructure. To understand customer behaviour and needs,
service usage needs to be monitored. But, since IP networks
are bursty and dynamic by nature, it is not enough just to
poll the network once in a while to find out what’s going on.
You need to monitor it in real-time, analyze each and every
IP packet and build a picture of what is going on.
This requires dedicated monitoring probes (otherwise
known as appliances) that have the capability to capture and
analyze all packets traversing the network connection in
question and then understand what kind of service or
application is being used. This is often referred to as Deep
Packet Inspection (DPI) as the payload of each IP packet
needs to be examined in order to determine what kind of
service or application is being used.
With real-time monitoring and DPI capability, it is possible
to analyze subscriber service usage and behaviour over time
and build a profile of service usage by customers, which can
provide the key to understanding what kind of service
offerings could bring value to different sets of customers.
MEETING CUSTOMER NEEDSWith big data analysis of real-time information provided by
DPI, the knowledge is now available to design compelling
services that better suit customer needs. These can be
“upgrade” services that can be offered when customers
reach limits under their current
plan or can be tailored services
based on time-of-day, device,
location or application usage.
For example, if a customer likes
to use their iPad to check their
Facebook account from 6pm to
8pm, but otherwise is not a big
user of mobile data, then there is
the opportunity to offer a service,
which assures excellent
connectivity for Facebook usage
during this time window, but
much lower bandwidth the rest of
the time. This could be offered at
a lower price, but allows the excess bandwidth to be
offered to more demanding users perhaps at a premium.
The possibilities are endless and only bounded by
imagination. This is made possible by the availability of
accurate information and the ability to react in real-time.
A customer does not need to be a subscriber either. It
could also be a cloud service provider who needs to ensure
that their cloud service has excellent connectivity for their
customers and that their SLAs can be honoured.
ASSURING SERVICE QUALITYOne of the strengths of mobile carriers is their ability to
assure quality. The processes, back-end systems and the
mindset are all in place to deliver on demanding SLAs.
What is missing, is the end-to-end visibility in real-time of
service quality. With real-time monitoring and DPI
capability, you get end-to-end visibility and with intelligent
packet capture technology, you have the real-time quality
of service measurement capabilities to measure jitter, delay
and other critical service parameters.
THE QOSMOS DEEPFLOW TELECOMAPPLIANCE
Qosmos DeepFlow provides visibility on nearly all
applications consumed by mobile subscribers, including
http-based applications like Facebook, and also non http-
based applications like Skype or other VoIP/IM rich
applications that devices like http proxies are unable to
identify. Unlike inline DPI devices, Qosmos DeepFlow is a
passive probe designed for analytics, able to perform DPI
analysis and to generate a constant and reliable stream of
detailed data records including time-based metrics (e.g.
volume of data per user, per application and per minute).
Beyond standard application classification, DeepFlow
provides extensive metadata that can help carriers in
understanding how applications are being used by
subscribers. For example, it is possible to identify the most
popular videos on YouTube, or to tell how many messages
are being sent by a Facebook user.
These capabilities can be leveraged by developers of
mobile data analysis solutions to provide a powerful tool for
Sponsored Article
Mobile Europe | 37
both service assurance and optimized service creation. The
information provided by the inbuilt capabilities of the
DeepFlow platform, which are not available through existing
network devices, enables the mobile data analysis solution
provider to bring more value to its carrier customers,
providing a new level of subscriber insight that opens up
entirely new avenues for carriers to monetize their network.
ASSURING RELIABLE ANALYSIS DATAAccurate DPI analysis requires reliable and complete data.
Assuring that all relevant data for analysis is available when it
is needed is crucial. Qosmos DeepFlow probes use intelligent
adapters from Napatech to ensure that all relevant data is
captured and available for analysis at speeds up to 40 Gbps.
Napatech network adapters are designed for use in
standard servers and guarantee delivery of data to Qosmos
DPI software no matter the network load. In addition,
Napatech advanced features pre-process data to identify
common telecom protocols including tunnelling protocols
used in mobile networks, such as GTP. These traffic flows can
be intelligently distributed to up to 32 cores available in the
standard server allowing multi-threaded Qosmos DPI software
to scale performance with demand.
Each packet captured is uniquely time-stamped by
Napatech hardware with nanosecond precision providing
precise data for delay and jitter measurements that are
crucial for end-to-end quality of service assurance.
Napatech performs all of this with zero packet loss and
very low CPU load.
A POWERFUL PLATFORM FOR MOBILE DATAANALYSIS SOLUTIONS
To illustrate the power and value of the DeepFlow Telecom
probe, consider the case of a leading provider of big data
analytics for mobile operators, who successfully deployed their
solution, using the DeepFlow Telecom probe. Their core
competency resides in developing and integrating analytics
solutions, and not in developing DPI probes to analyze IP traffic.
The company therefore selected Qosmos DeepFlow probes to
leverage detailed network intelligence within a few weeks.
Thanks to the insight provided by the combination of big
data analytics tools and Qosmos DeepFlow probes, the
vendor’s solution can now help carriers to evolve from pure
Communication Service Providers to Content Service
Providers.
The detailed understanding of the interest, lifestyle, trend,
profile and habits of mobile subscribers over the internet
enables carriers to convert usages from off-net OTT services
(e.g. Netflix, YouTube) to new on-net OTT service (provided
by operator) and maximize the ARPU. This is possible with the
detailed understanding of the behaviour of mobile subscribers
through Qosmos DPI analysis combined with the subscriber
information from other data source (billing, Radius, etc.) using
the vendor’s Business Intelligence tools.
The monetization of mobile subscriber traffic becomes
possible by converting subscriber behaviour information into
marketing activities like new services, personalized
marketing campaigns and targeted advertising.
Furthermore, the precise understanding of service usage
enables operators to design subscription plans in line with
specific subscribers segments. The segmentation through
mobile service consumption enables carriers to create tiered
and customized services and move away from flat fees
strategies.
FAST TIME TO MARKET In this example, the system integrator was able to
integrate Qosmos DeepFlow probe, an off-the-shelf DPI
probe designed for mobile analytics in a matter of weeks.
This enabled the first customer implantation within six
months, translating into exceptionally fast time to market.
The Qosmos DeepFlow probe was provided to the
customer’s product team, who used the standard interface
feeding the existing big data analytics software with
standard CSV records.
Fast time to market was achieved because the customer
did not have to develop complex DPI technology internally,
and not worry about multicore processor integration, real-
time packet handling or high speed packet capture
technologies which only specialists can master.
SOLID PARTNERSHIPBeyond delivering best of breed DPI probes, Qosmos acts
as a long-term technology partner for this tier one solution
vendor, who can focus resources on their core business.
Qosmos updates the DeepFlow probe roadmap with inputs
from the vendor, including requests for regional protocol
plugins, and also manages continuous protocol and
applications updates, providing the vendor’s team with a
future-proof DPI technology.
A PLATFORM FOR THE FUTUREAs this example shows, building a complex mobile
analytics solution does not need to take years, but can be
successfully integrated and deployed in a matter of weeks
thanks to the powerful, pre-integrated capabilities of the
DeepFlow probe.
In addition, the continuous protocol, metadata and
applications provided by Qosmos combined with the ability
of Napatech to guarantee data delivery for analysis at
speeds up to 40 Gbps, provides a future-proof solution that
helps mobile data analytic vendors to deploy their solutions
with confidence and provides re-assurance to carriers that
we can support their strategy far into the future.
ABOUT NAPATECHNapatech develops and markets the world's most advanced programmablenetwork adapters for network traffic analysis and application off-loading.Napatech is the leading OEM supplier of Ethernet network accelerationadapter hardware with an installed base of more than 100,000 ports.www.napatech.com
38 | Mobile Europe
OTT services
n the increasingly competitive digital
communications market, economies of scale and
scope are becoming a major source of competitive
advantage.
As a result, the quaint concept of mobile operators only
offering voice and messaging services in markets where
they have physical infrastructure is becoming increasingly
outdated.
In many markets, telcos’ voice and messaging revenues
are already in decline. Research firm Ovum estimates that
$23 billon in messaging revenues were lost in 2012 alone
to SMS alternatives.
Mobile operators are now focused on retaining a
presence in a market that is ebbing away from them and
there is already a shift by some operators towards offering
data plans with basic voice and messaging services bundled
in for free.
But adding unlimited SMS messages and voice calls to
bundles may not be enough.
Acknowledging that their biggest competitors in the
voice and messaging market are now WhatsApp, Skype,
Facebook and other global players, major mobile operators
are breaking the umbilical cord between their networks
and their services.
Consumers are attracted to OTT services because of their
flexibility and their functionality, as well as their low prices.
Skype and Facebook, for example, can be used on PCs
and tablets connected to WiFi networks, as well as mobile
handsets, while WhatsApp offers neat features, such as
notifications that your message has been sent successfully
and then read by the recipient.
Facing this kind of competition, mobile operators are
looking to create differentiators for their own OTT services
and apps.
Telefónica, T-Mobile and Orange are among those
offering OTT services designed to work across the internet.
In recent months, Orange has launched Libon, a free
communications app offering HD-quality calls over 3G and
Wi-Fi networks in 80 countries, while T-Mobile has
enhanced its Bobsled OTT service and partnered with
specialist Vopium to trial mobile VOIP services under the
Clever Connect brand in the UK.
Telefónica, one of the first telcos to realise that it needed
an OTT play, says that, in December 2012, its TU Me OTT
app had approximately one million users.
Clearly, such free services could reduce demand for the
conventional, paid-for voice and messaging services
provided by mobile operators, but Telefónica decided that
an OTT offering will help it retain a strategically-important
presence in the digital communications market.
“We wanted to be part of an ecosystem that is growing
and to learn what our customers are doing,” says James
Finn, director of communications product design at
Telefónica Digital. “People want to communicate more
and there is no reason we shouldn’t continue to
participate in the market we created.”
Finn adds that Telefónica will begin to monetise TU Me
in 2013. “There are 50 or 60 different things we could be
doing in monetisation. We will test two or three in the
short-term,” says Finn.
Mobile operators should, at least in theory, be able to
optimise their networks and apps to work well together
and provide a high quality of service.
“We own both the “can and the string,” so that gives
us unique capabilities and enables us to offer a
differentiated service,” says Finn.
However, he maintains that Telefónica doesn’t prioritise
TU Me traffic, even at very busy periods, such as New
Year.
Orange’s Libon communications app, developed by
Orange Vallée, a “disruptive innovation unit” within the
Orange Group, can convert a voice message into text and
enable the user to greet different callers with different
voicemail messages.
Libon users can also buy an in-app subscription,
providing a full hour of international calling every month
to landlines or mobile numbers in 31 countries. Orange
adds that Libon will be compatible with services based on
the Rich Communications Suite (RCS) standard, which is
designed to make mobile operators’ IP-based
voice and messaging services, such as group
chat, file transfers and on-call content sharing,
fully interoperable.
Indeed, Orange, Movistar and Vodafone
launched the world’s first fully interoperable
RCS services in Spain in November 2012.
Branded joyn, a certification trademark of
the GSMA, the services enable the operators’
customers to chat and exchange images or
video during calls across networks.
The GSMA says that joyn services are also
available now from individual operators in
Germany and the US. “With desire and
effort and a commercial deal, any OTT
service (from an operator or an OTT
Internet Player) could interoperate with
the global joyn network,” adds Graham
Trickey, senior director - commercial and
technical mobile Internet solutions at the
GSMA.
More and more mobile operators are experimenting with OTT communications services,but which are most likely to succeed, wonders David Pringle
TIME TO GO OVER THE TOP?
I
Telefonica’s TU Me app
Mobile Europe | 39
OTT services
RCS is also being touted as a potential platform for
enabling automated, multimedia communications
services between companies and their customers. SMS is
sometimes used for this purpose today, but the richer
functionality of RCS means it could enable a much
broader range of use cases. To make that happen, mobile
operators will need to open up their networks by
exposing application programming interfaces (APIs) that
developers could use to initiate RCS sessions.
This approach is advocated by Solaiemes, a Madrid-
based start-up which provides a RCS-e (Rich
Communications Suite – enhanced) gateway that enables
web services and apps to make use of telco infrastructure.
Rather than speaking to an interactive voice response
(IVR) system, for example, a consumer could use RCS to
start a chat session with a company, which could be
handled by an automated bot.
“Customer care is a winning enterprise use case,” says
José M Recio, co-founder of Solaiemes. “Consumers can
use RCS to perform self-service capabilities, which is
much more pleasant than using an IVR… with IVR you
need to focus, but with chat you can be multi-tasking.”
But Recio says that mobile operators need to move
quickly. “No OTT has an API that can be used by
enterprises, but they will because that is where the
money is,” he adds.
Recio says that Solaiemes is working with three out of
the five mobile operators steering the development of
RCS-e (Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telecom Italia,
Telefónica and Vodafone). “They are already exploring
these kinds of enterprise use cases,” he adds. “This idea of
RCS being in a fight with OTT is wrong. That is only the
case, if you see RCS as being about peer-to-peer.”
One of the factors that has held RCS back has been the
perceived need to deploy IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem)
technology in the mobile network, but RCS can now be
deployed using a hosted IMS solution from a vendor.
In this case, operators are likely to deliver a hosted
solution to their customers as an operator-owned joyn
service, according to Graham Trickey at the GSMA,
“exhibiting all the normal benefits of an operator service
rather than an OTT service: Ubiquitous availability, global
interoperability, security, privacy, comprehended in
operators pricing tariffs/bundles.”
But operators don’t necessarily want to put all their
eggs in the RCS basket. “If people like TU Me, we will go
after that,” says Finn at Telefónica. “If people like RCS,
then we will go after that. We are a big enough company
to have a few strands to our strategy.”
Existing OTT players aren’t surprised by the new
competition from operators. “It is difficult to build a
differentiated brand if they don’t have services and regular
contact with customers,” says Andreas Bernström, CEO of
Rebtel, a leading provider of OTT mobile VOIP services.
As well as developing OTT services in house, many
telcos are looking to work with specialists, such as Rebtel.
“We have had three RFPs from tier one European
operators asking us to build mobile VOIP for them,”
Bernström says.
Partnering with players who have already built a
successful OTT communication service is often done on
the basis that the operator will be able to sell dedicated
tariff plans and other add-ons.
Ovum notes that operators 3 Hong Kong and RCom
have both partnered with WhatsApp, for example.
Such partnerships may enable mobile operators bring
an OTT offering to market faster than they could build
their own service. Rolling out a latency-sensitive OTT
service, such as mobile VOIP, can be an expensive and
time-consuming process, requiring dedicated data centres
in locations near customers.
Bernström says Rebtel, which has 20 million customers
around the world and made almost $80 million in revenue
in 2012, is open to working with other mobile operators
to provide co-branded OTT services, contending that
operator’s own OTT services and joyn are struggling to
gain traction.
“Joyn is trying to do 12 things well,” he adds. “Single
purpose apps, such as WhatsApp, seem to be the way to
go.”
But Telefónica’s Finn is wary of partnering with OTT
players on communications services: “We looked at that
option, but it is very difficult to partner with a company in
your core business… the trade-offs are humongous.”
Finn is more positive about using standards, such as the
WhatsApp is well
ahead of operator-led
initiatives
We are a bigenough companyto have a fewstrands to ourstrategy
Mobile Europe | 41
OTT services
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), to build interoperability
with other OTT services: “There are some interesting
companies in this space, but we haven’t gone through
with any deals… we need to grow up our own user
community first.”
Mobile operators are, of course, much more open to
partnerships that keep their brands front and centre.
In the US, AT&T has struck one such partnership with
Twilio, which provides a web-based API that enables
developers to build voice and SMS applications that “will
connect to carrier networks all over the globe”.
Twilio’s cloud communications services and API
platform underpins AT&T’s new Advanced
Communications Suite - a web portal that enables
businesses to use voice and SMS-enabled applications to
interact with employees, partners, suppliers and
consumers.
The ready-made apps include appointment reminder
services, survey data collection tools, business continuity
solutions and geo-targeted messaging.
Twilio has done a similar deal with KDDI in Japan and
James Parton, Twilio’s director of European marketing,
says that his company is confident that European telcos
will also resell its API platform in the same way.
“It will drive incremental traffic on their network and
make them more relevant to the developer community,”
says Parton. “Twilio’s API works, it is simple and reliable…
it has validation and credibility in the developer
community.”
Parton adds that the diversity of telcos’ IT architecture
can make it difficult for them to create in-house a single
voice and messaging API that will work across their
group.
He also notes that many telcos lack the relationships
with the developer community that are needed to ensure
widespread use of their APIs. Moreover, many web
developers, in particular, still aren’t aware that they can
easily add communications to their software. “The
perception is that telephony is hard,” says Parton.
Still, there is a danger that as telephony and
messaging are integrated into more and more apps, the
telco’s brand gets obscured by others. T-Mobile originally
launched its Bobsled service to enable Facebook users to
make free VOIP calls to their friends on Facebook, but the
operator has since turned Bobsled into a standalone OTT
service.
Although some commentators believe that Facebook
could eventually take a major chunk of the peer-to-peer
communications market, Finn believes that the market
for social communications, such as that provided by
Facebook, will remain distinct from the market for secure
and private personal communications.
“If you really need to reach someone, you aren’t going
to use Facebook,” he says.
FT-Orange launched a
range of new innovations
at a glitzy launch in
November 2012
Sponsored Article
42 | Mobile Europe
RENESAS MOBILE AND ECRIO DELIVER VERSATILE PRE-INTEGRATED VoLTESOLUTIONS OPTIMIZED FOR LTE DEVICESThe Ecrio Inc. (Ecrio) and Renesas Mobile Corporation (RMC) collaboration is poised todeliver pre-integrated, pre-certified FlexIMS™ based LTE device solutions for OEM andODM vendors to rapidly accelerate the rollout of carrier-grade VoLTE and essentialmultimedia communication services.
volving from 3GPP-standardized
GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA, LTE, and its
subsequent improvement, LTE Advanced
(LTE-A), offer broadband speeds for the transformed
packet based unification of the mobile network supplying
all communication and data services. Ecrio recognized
the imminent paradigm shift from Circuit-switched (CS)
voice calling to Packet-switched (PS) voice and video
calling by developing FlexIMS Architecture, a novel
device software technology. Ecrio's FlexIMS architecture
fully addresses the migration needs to PS-based mobile
communication without compromising carrier-grade
quality and latency of these real time communication
services.
The VoLTE standard, covering voice and SMS
messaging, has gained worldwide operator support and
is officially adopted by GSMA as specification PRD IR.92.
The multimedia additions to IR.92 specify standards
profile extensions for conversational video and rich
communication services (standardized under the IR.94
and companion RCS specification) and ensure familiar
worldwide service interoperability and roaming
capabilities across 4G networks.
The combined Renesas Mobile and Ecrio turn-key
solution enables the OEMs to deliver richer service
experience with the highest quality multimedia
communication functionality.
Renesas Mobile has developed a number of world
leading LTE chipsets with unique quality and
performance. The focus of the developments has been to
provide a variety of multi-mode LTE platforms that can
address both the high-end market and the mid-tier
volume market. Thus, bringing LTE, and mobile
broadband, within the reach of all customers. Voice
service is a key function of mobile devices for both the
users and the operators. Therefore, enabling high quality
voice for LTE has been a very important design criterion.
VoLTE has two distinctive but equally important
components; the IMS protocols stack, and the transport
of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). In order to achieve
optimal quality, there has to be tight integration of the
IMS and voice stacks with the radio interface. It also
needs to include architectural flexibility to cater for future
use-cases. Hence, the VoLTE and further IMS services
solution architecture has to be designed carefully to
enable extreme flexibility for current and future services
on one hand, and on the other, optimized to ensure the
performance, quality, and power requirements can be
met for voice in a power constrained mobile device.
The Renesas Mobile chipsets, together with the Ecrio
solution, have been designed with these requirements in
mind – thus, it is designed with extreme performance
and flexibility in mind.
Extreme performance: The target was to significantly
increase battery life with VoLTE compared with previous
technologies – especially compared to 3G voice. In
addition, the voice quality was selected as one metric –
the voice quality has to be significantly better than the
one provided by cellular voice today. This has been
achieved by carefully integrating the Ecrio Mobile
Communication Client Suite (MCCS) based on the
Figure 1: OptimizedVoLTE solutions
E
Sponsored Article
Mobile Europe | 43
FlexIMS technology on the Renesas Mobile chipsets, and by
implementing the right technologies in the radio side to
ensure the optimal usage of radio resources and to
minimize the battery usage. The tight integration of
Renesas Mobile’s radio technology with Ecrio’s VoLTE
technology provides significantly better voice quality than
provided by current solutions. The voice transport is tightly
integrated to the Renesas Mobile chipset modem features
to reduce latency, improve quality using the Renesas
Mobile cellular audio quality algorithms, and power
consumption reduction features. This allows a leading
VoLTE platform with optimal “carrier grade” voice quality,
quality of service, and performance. As the tight integration
is a key aspect of the solution, it provides significantly
better performance, battery life and quality than non-
integrated solutions. Renesas Mobile is also introducing an
Audio Tunneling Solution (ATS), where the audio flow is
directly routed from the wireless modem to the audio
processing further enhancing performance and battery life.
Extreme flexibility: The Renesas Mobile and Ecrio
solution is based on the FlexIMS architecture and is
distributed optimally between the Modem processor
and/or the Application Processor delivering the best
performance in terms of audio quality, latency and battery
life. The Ecrio Mobile Communications Client Suite (MCCS)
based on FlexIMS architecture, in this native
implementation is tightly integrated to the Renesas Mobile
Radio Interface Layer (RIL) for maximum integration
benefits. The FlexIMS architecture allows for integration of
additional IMS applications and new services such as RCS-e
and Video Calling to be added in a modular fashion. This
architecture allows also full integration to the host
operating system, for instance Android, and its phone
application for seamless user experience. Due to the
architecture’s configurability, it can support the market and
operator variants needed for global solutions.
The most important factor of a solution is, obviously,
availability and maturity. The Renesas Mobile and Ecrio
solution is available today, and has been tested, and ready
for commercial deployment.
The FlexIMS architecture embodies state of the art
“SMART” design principles that provide flexibility,
robustness and maturity for the upcoming deployment of
rich IP Communication services, including the following
attributes:
Scalable – It offers a single network registration and
authorization shared across all IMS based applications and
services with very well defined routing criteria techniques.
A huge advantage for OEMs and 3rd party Application
Developers to reduce the time to market for IMS based
applications and services significantly.
Modular – The solution architecture offers the OEMs a
highly modular "pick and build" capability. For example, if
an OEM wanted to have only SMS and Voice for the initial
deployment and add RCS and Video functions later,
FlexIMS is ideally suited for these scenarios. Another salient
feature is a clear separation of signaling and
multimedia modules. The solution supports service
level configurations that can be customized by mobile
operators.
Advanced – The distributed FlexIMS Architecture
allows the integration of the communications stacks in
either the Modem Processor, the Application
Processor or split among them. OEMs and ODMs can
select the best of breed multi-mode LTE Modem chips
(e.g. Renesas Mobile), whilst taking advantage of the
most advanced multi-core Application Processors to
achieve best possible power consumption without
compromising service quality, and performance. The
solution supports UICC based strong security
mechanisms that these mission-critical
communications services require. It also enables third
party IMS and RCS services with a Back to Back User
Agent (B2BUA) and a SIP Proxy Framework that
integrates in LTE Baseband Processors.
Robust – The design and implementation of the
FlexIMS architecture was carefully chosen to be
platform-independent to cover all foreseeable
platform and chipset configurations. The FlexIMS
architecture has a proven base of cross-platform
deployments on mainstream OS (e.g. Android, Linux,
Symbian, Windows) for phones and tablets as well as
Real Time OS (RTOS) for connected devices and
appliances targeting the M2M vertical markets.
Tested – The FlexIMS implementation has been put
to test in several Interoperability Tests (IOT) sponsored
by Industry fora and mobile operator labs to perform
well under normal and abnormal network conditions.
In summary the Renesas Mobile platforms, with the
Ecrio FlexIMS technology provide a ready and mature
solution, which is available today. It delivers the best
performance in terms of audio quality, latency and
battery life. The extreme flexibility and extreme
performance provides an optimized solution for
handset manufacturers with clear and easy path for
future extensions, addition of new services and
performance improvements.
FlexIMS™ is a trademark of Ecrio Inc.
BACKGROUND ON RENESAS MOBILE PLATFORMS:The SP2531 is a triple mode Cat-4 LTE slim modem offering data rates up to150Mbps in the downlink with up to 7 LTE RF bands supported with thelowest LTE power consumption in the industry. The platform supports all theleading open application processors for use in super phones and high-enddevices such as tablets as well as finding application in areas such asautomotive connectivity and M2M.
The MP5232 is a highly integrated platform based on a single die multi-mode Cat-4 LTE communication processor targeting the mid-tier volume LTEmarket by enabling smartphones in the $150-300 range. It offers high-performance graphics with high throughput mobile broadband to enablecompelling high-end user experiences.
44 | Mobile Europe
Diameter Signaling
y any measure, 2012 was the year that
Diameter signaling and the Diameter Signaling
Controller (DSC) broke into the mainstream.
Early movers in the space, such as Acme Packet, Tekelec
and Traffix/F5, have brought new innovations to market,
while Diameter specialists like Diametriq and Ulticom
rolled out their own product introductions. Traditional
telecom infrastructure vendors have also moved into the
space by tying it to their work with LTE.
Interest isn’t going to taper off any time soon if you
consider the main sources of Diameter traffic generation
–policy messages, LTE service set-up and VoLTE.
None are expected to be on the decline through the
near-, medium- or long-term. This is why Exact Ventures’
forecasts of the DSC opportunity called out a market that
was approximately $10 million in 2011 growing an
average of more than 120 percent per year through 2016
– with shipments growing by 160 percent over the same
timeframe.
If the next few years are expected to witness blistering
Diameter growth, now is a good time to ask some basic
questions.
What is driving the Diameter Signaling Control market?
What are the sources of Diameter traffic? What are the
various products and functions used to deal with what
many have termed an impending Diameter signaling
storm? What do they do? How do operators need to think
about integrating all of these products into their
networks?
Diameter Signaling: What is it and whydo we care?
What is Diameter? If you asked the question of a school
age child, you might get the response, “twice the radius.”
While the context may be different – geometry vs.
telecom signaling – the answer is essentially accurate.
In the telecom context, diameter and radius are both
signaling protocols focused on AAA (authentication,
authorization, accounting) functionalities. Diameter,
however, is positioned as an improvement on radius.
AAA capabilities are enhanced while maintaining
backwards compatibility with radius. Hop-by-hop security
is replaced by end-to-end security. Reliability is improved
thanks to keep-alive messages and failure indicators.
Efficiency is improved by automatic peer discovery and a
32-bit alignment requirement that makes it easier on
processors.
Beyond the technical details of what Diameter is and
how it relates to radius, the current focus on Diameter
revolves around the sources of Diameter traffic – the
interactions, services and capabilities that generate
Diameter messages. While a laundry list of telecom
interfaces involving Diameter might seem like the
proverbial “alphabet soup,” a quick review of some key
ones (with an LTE focus) is useful:
� S6a: MME to HSS.� Cx: CSCF to HSS.� Sh: Application Server to HSS. � Gy / Gx: EPC to Online Charging System and PCRF.� Ro / Rx: CSCF to Online Charging System and PCRF.
The point here isn’t to describe an LTE network
architecture; rather, it is to highlight the role Diameter
plays in the EPC control plane, IMS architectures, policy,
VoLTE and simply getting users attached to (and billed
on) the LTE network.
In other words, Diameter is directly implicated in
most of what’s tied to mobile broadband services and
service enablement going forward. There are still
plenty of 3G networks delivering mobile broadband
services and Diameter plays a role in 3G policy and
Peter Jarich looks at this emerging technology and explains why we can expect to seeand hear a lot more about it this year
DIAMETER SIGNALING:WHY THE BUZZ HAS ONLYJUST BEGUN
B
Global Diameter
messages per second,
from the Tekelec
Diameter Signaling
Index, 2012.
Mobile Europe | 45
Diameter Signaling
IMS implementations as well.
Yet, with the Global mobile Suppliers Association
forecasting 234 commercial LTE networks at the end of
2013 (up from only 47 at the end of 2011, and 17 at
the end of 2010), it’s understandable that the interest in
Diameter is being driven by LTE and everything it
entails.
Diameter Signaling: The tools to dealwith an impending flood
While the growth in Diameter traffic is still, largely,
positioned as a function of LTE uptake, vendors must be
credited for toning down the early “signaling storm”
rhetoric; as DSC RFPs continue and Diameter makes it on
to the radar screens of most forward-looking operators,
vendors have begun talking up “good signaling.”
Rather than focus on the problems associated with
signaling bottlenecks, the ways in which Diameter
benefits the network and the carrier have come to the
fore.
What hasn’t received as much attention, however, is
the notion that the Diameter Signaling Controller is a
concept more than it is a single product type or network
function. At a high level, vendors describe the DSC as
filling a handful of distinct roles: serving as a relay, proxy
or redirect agent for Diameter interactions, helping to
scale an operator’s network to efficiently cope with
Diameter traffic and efficiently route diameter messages,
deliver Diameter traffic load balancing, session binding
and congestion control… all while interworking with SS7
and other Diameter networks.
“Under the hood,” however, it is more instructive to
think about the DSC in terms of the roles is plays and the
specific functions they require. Specialist DSC vendor
Diametriq, for example, categorizes these simply as
Diameter in the “home” LTE network vs. Diameter in
support of roaming.
� Diameter & the home network: As noted earlier, within
an operator’s own network, a number of different
products “talk” Diameter to one another: IMS (CSCF),
policy (PCRF), EPC (MME, P-GW) and subscriber
database (HSS) assets. Easy enough until a single PCRF
gets overwhelmed by a mass of point-to-point P-GW
links. Or, the same happens to an HSS or charging
system. Or, multi-vendor Diameter interoperability
issues between PCRF and IMS assets crop up. Or, the
presence of multiple PCRF instances makes “session
binding” of a given user’s Diameter interfaces a
necessity. Or, interworking is needed with legacy SS7
elements like an HLR. You get the idea. A mass of
complicated Diameter interactions makes binding
(connecting the right Diameter end-points), load
balancing and interworking critical. The DSC provides
that functionality.
� Diameter & network roaming: If interoperability, session
binding and load balancing are the roles a DSC plays in
the “home” network, the dynamic is different in
supporting roaming across LTE networks. To be sure,
interoperability plays an issue, whether it’s cross-vendor
interoperability or interworking between LTE and 2G or
3G networks. Perhaps more importantly, at the network
edge (of both the home and visited network) border
security and topology hiding are important for
minimizing the risk of network attacks. Again, the DSC
provides this functionality.
Diameter and the integration questionIn glossy vendor product brochures and PowerPoint
presentations, the DSC sits cleanly in the middle of the
other network components it needs to connect. In the
real world, integration of the DSC into an operator’s
network is a much more complicated question of how
and where the product gets deployed – how it fits into
existing network architectures.
From an architecture perspective, the discussion of
DSC deployment sometimes comes with the assumption
of an IMS implementation. The connection is logical. As
we noted, the HSS (subscriber database in an IMS
context) speaks Diameter. And where VoLTE is expected
to drive Diameter traffic, the assumption that DSCs and
IMS are connected is doubly understandable: VoLTE is
built on IMS. It’s also wrong. Diameter doesn’t assume
IMS. It can’t.
Remember that DSC use cases revolve around more
than the HSS. They involve load balancing and
interworking between a myriad of network elements,
Diameter signaling messages
by service type, from the
Tekelec Diameter Signaling
Index, 2012.
Vendors mustbe credited fortoning down theearly “signalingstorm” rhetoric
46 | Mobile Europe
Diameter Signaling
many of which are being deployed with or without IMS.
They involve service roaming security and interworking,
again, whether or not IMS is part of the equation.
If IMS isn’t necessarily implied in the context of a DSC
deployment, how are products deployed? How do they
fit in?
Where our earlier discussion pointed to load balancing
across elements like the HSS and PCRF, the DSC as a
front-end for those assets is an obvious deployment
model. Where the discussion pointed to support for
interoperability or security functions, deployment in
tandem with Session Border Controllers is an obvious
model.
It’s not surprising, then, that policy and SBC leaders
like Tekelec and ACME Packet are also DSC market
leaders, or that Ericsson would build its DSC on the
same platform that houses its IMS, HSS and policy
products – the Ericsson Blade System.
Of course, continuing with the vendor theme, there
are plenty of standalone DSC vendors (Traffix/F5 or
Diametriq, for instance) pointing to the fact that DSC
deployments don’t need to be linked to any adjacent
product deployments at all.
What may be more important, then, is the
functionalities supported by a DSC versus the role it’s
meant to play. While we might call a product a
Diameter Signaling Controller, the class encompasses
multiple functionalities: Diameter Routing Agent
(think load balancing and session binding), Diameter
Edge Agent (think security and roaming),
Interworking Function for roaming between LTE and
2G/3G networks… just to name a few of the functions
and their uses.
The key is to ensure that a given vendor and its
products are ready to support the functionalities needed
for an operator’s specific use cases, and that they have a
roadmap to support all of the functionalities the operator
might need going forward. Simply specifying in an RFP
that a product support “load balancing” or “session
binding” isn’t enough.
Where Do We Go From Here?The telecom world and telecom vendors, in particular,
are notorious for developing solutions in search of
problems when it should be looking for solutions to real
problems. How should we think about Diameter and the
DSC market through this lens?
The simple answer is based on how much we expect
Diameter traffic to grow going forward. How many more
messages can we expect? How quickly can we expect
them?
At a very basic level, integrator and R&D shop Tieto
makes a case for its Diameter signaling controller in terms
of network traffic and network usage. With the mobile
broadband user base expected to grow four-fold by
2020, and usage per user expected to grow by a factor of
10, the result is a 4,000 percent growth in signaling
network traffic. Other vendors – Tekelec and Diametriq –
have taken a more rigorous strategy, leveraging these
types of assumptions to develop and issue Diameter
signaling traffic model and, of course, justify the assertion
that Diameter traffic will increase.
At the same time (and, perhaps, more importantly),
Diameter traffic models are meant to lend insights into
why traffic will grow, allowing operators to tweak models
to their specific requirements and service rollout plans
while preparing for the impact of network and service
evolutions such as LTE roaming or 2G/3G interworking.
This last point bears repeating. As much as the
Diameter traffic models being developed by vendors, as
well as those that operators have developed themselves,
are tools meant to encourage investment in DSCs, they
are also important tools in helping operators understand
the nuances of the space.
After all, for every operator who believes 100 percent
in the need for a robust set of Diameter assets, there are
others who are dubious or don’t fully understand how
specific service plans will impact Diameter traffic.
In short, for all the hype surrounding it – justified
though it might be – the Diameter signaling control
market is still in its infancy. Vendors are still evolving their
solutions. Operators are still evaluating their options. Case
studies of successful DSC implementations, and failures
that could have been prevented by DSC deployments, are
still being collected.
While being attached to LTE and mobile broadband
traffic growth doesn’t hurt, this is why anyone who
expects the DSC buzz and messaging we saw in 2013 die
down in 2013 is destined to be disappointed.
For all thehype surroundingit the Diametersignaling controlmarket is still in itsinfancy
Diameter messages per
second, from the Tekelec
Diameter Signaling Index,
2012.
