Monitoring LTE Networks

Sponsored by:

A Light Reading Webinar

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Hosted by

Gabriel Brown Senior Analyst, Heavy Reading

Speaker

Philippe BessetProduct Marketing Manager

Tekelec

Agenda• Introduction

• LTE Network Monitoring

• Use Cases for Network Monitoring

• Summary

• Q&A

Timing LTE DeploymentLT

E N

etw

ork

Laun

ches

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Initial launch – Data OnlyDongles, Air Cards

Mass Market – Data Only

Netbooks, MIDs +

Dongles, Air Cards

Mass Market – Data + VoiceSmartphones

+Netbooks, MIDs

+Dongles, Air Cards

Global Support for LTE

• 39 LTE network commitments• 14 in service by end 2010• 31 in service by end 2012Source: GSA (August 2009)

Multiple Paths to LTE

• VZW: CDMA > EV-DO > LTE• DoCoMo: WCDMA > HSPA > LTE• Vodafone: HSPA > HSPA+ >LTE

Flat All-IP Architecture

Source: Alcatel-Lucent, Fibresystems.org

Why Monitoring Matters to LTETo Network Performance…

• LTE is All-IP and must support QOS end-to-end to ensure real time services

• Network outsourcing – means operators need to monitor SLAs committed by managed services providers

• Network sharing is increasingly part of LTE deployment decision – generates new monitoring requirements

• Automation is crucial to cost efficiency – self organising network technology is being introduced from the start of LTE deployments

To End User Services…

• New Internet services models emerging that require interaction with 3rd party providers

• LTE offers operators capability to offer more sophisticated SLAs for data services – e.g. to enterprise customers

• Network analytics can be integrated with subscriber data management to support new, targetted business models

• Enables rapid troubleshooting where end-users report service degradation or performance issues

Mobile Data Traffic Explosion

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

20

0

40

60

Gbp

s

80

HSPA+High Throughput

Compelling consumer &Corporate applications Alternative to ADSL

Flat Rate Plan

LTE3x BW Improvement

VoIP on MobileLow Latency

RANs interworking

Operator Traffic and Revenue Challenge

Time

Traffic

Revenue

Voice & SMS dominated traffic

Mobile Data Explosion

Operators need to move from « bit pipe model » to « content model »Operators need tools to help them in that shift

› Reduce CAPEX & OPEX› Imperative differentiation

through:› High value services› High Quality of Experience

(QoE) delivered

Complex Shared Value Chain

9 | Tekelec. For What's Next.

Tekelec

FIXBROADBAND

RAN OP2

RAN OP1

LTE Evolved Packet Core

mobile operators

A complex value chain shared by multiple actorsA multiple technologies interworking (GPRS/UMTS/LTE/WLAN…..)

Need for a new paradigm of network management

Roaming

M2M Machine To Machine

Corporate Applications

VoD

MMTel Multi-Media Telephony……..

Mobile TV

Customer Experience Management (CEM) Objectives

• Short term• Assure permanently good QoE at the lowest possible cost• Help meet SLA commitments with highest value customers • Assure surveillance of SLA commitments from content providers• Provide multi-dimensional view on network, services, customers,

and QoE, partners, handsets, geographic areas…..

• Long and medium term• Marketing analysis of customer profiles and service consumption

to optimize offerings and packages• Network planning to keep network aligned with revenue growth

objectives• …

QCI BEARER TYPE

DELAY PACKETLOSS

SERVICEEXAMPLE

1 GBR Low (< 50 ms) Low (<10-6) RT: gaming

2 GBR Medium (<100 ms)

High (<10-3) RT: voice, video

3 GBR High (<300 ms) Low (<10-6) RT: video playback

4 Non GBR Low (<50 ms) Low (<10-6) NRT: SIP/SDP

5 Non GBR Medium (<100 ms)

High (<10-3) NRT: web browsing

6 Non GBR High (<300 ms) Low (<10-6) NRT: bulk data transfer

subscriber• corporate• consumer• gold• pre-paid• post-paid• ….

service• corporate• public internet• premium• HQ voice• video• …….

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QoE can now be monetizedSLA will be a source of revenue and differentiation

LTE End-to-end QoS

Challenges for Customer Experience Management

• Control plane monitoring is not enough. End to end user plane is mandatory but huge bandwidth.

• Although huge amount of traffic, real time immediate reaction is mandatory

• A lot of various, heterogeneous and complex elements to be monitored at the same time:• Complex mobile devices• Network and service nodes with various technology interworking

(e.g. GPRS-LTE, GSM voice circuit-LTE/IMS packet voice, MME pooling….)

• Partners (RANs, other operators, GRX/IPX…)• Content providers (M2M, VoD, corporate applications, mobile

TV…)• A « daily » change environnement (services, customer usage,

network, partners, commercial offerings…)

LTE Network Monitoring

Non Intrusive Monitoring: a Cornerstone in CEM

• Independent from network elements and vendors• Released independly from network elements• No impact on network traffic• No impact on measurements capture in case of network overload• Access at any interface to both Control Plane and User Plane• Provide access to QoE with high precision on customers, services,

APNs, mobile localization, handset type, roaming….• Provides a end to end view and trace all over the network whatever

the technology is (GSM, GPRS, UMTS, LTE, IMS, VoIP, NGN, SS7)• Provide a top down approach from general view to in depth protocol

analysis

probeprobe

nodenodenodenode

GPRS UMTS LTE CDMAWLAN/WiMAX

HSSHLR

IP networksIP networks

SGSN

GGSN

MME

PCRF

OCS

OFCS

PDN GW

SGSN

S. GW

A «flat » IP network but a lot of interfaces involved in data session and IMS callFrequent inter-RAT handover adds to complexity

GRX/IPX monitoring point

Gb

Gn

Gi

Gz

Gy

Rx

S12

S6a

S1-U

S5

SGi

S1-CGb

S8

Gp

S6dGr

S3Iu-PS

Gxc

Gn

Gx

Control PlaneControl Plane + User Plane

S4

IMS

Monitoring Scope

Iu

Mobile Network

Circ

uit B

ased

IP B

ased

Net

wor

k

MSC

BSC

SMSC

Fixed Network

CO

PBX

SCP

TDM BearerTransport

MSS

eNodeB

RNC

MME

IP BearerTransport

IPX GW

IMT

Gateway

MG

CP

SS7CO

Softswitch

SIPSIP SIP

SIP

DIAMETER

DIAMETER

2G/3G

LTE EPC

SS7/Sigtran

SIP/DIAMETER

MAP/Sigtran

MAP/Sigtran

MAP/Sigtran

SS7 IN

SS7 IN

RTP

• Route• Manage• Mediate

• Monitor• Orchestrate• Migrate

RTP

T1/E1/PCM

T1/E1/PCM

• GSM MAP• ANSI MAP• BSSAP

• CAMEL• SMS• Sigtran

• SIP-I• DIAMETER• BICC

• Sigtran• SMS• GPRS

• DHCP• RTP/RCTP• MMS

• SIP• SIP-I• SIP-T

• H.323• H.248• DIAMETER

• RADIUS• RCTP• RTP

• ISUP• TUP

• AIN• INAP

Covering All Types of Networks

Mediation Data Feeds

TroubleshootingSurveillanceKey Performance Indicators

Performance Management

Probeless

Data Collection

PSTNGPRS UMTS / WCDMA VoIPIMS GSM

Networks Customers

Probed

3rd Party Apps, M2M

Services

WIMAX/LTE

Monitoring System Overview

Monitoring Huge Volumes of User Plane Data

Control Plane

User Plane

Network Traffic

IDM Intelligent Data Management monitor all User Plane but dynamically features differentiated information precision

according to traffic and customer value. Scalable Monitoring

System Growth

100% detailed information

Full proactive monitoring of VIP & high value services

On demand full monitoring (customer, smartphones….)

Traffic sampling

Full mobile activity summary and overall traffic statistics

Network access› Attach efficiency› Attach time

Customer perception

PDP context / EPS Bearer

› create efficiency› setup time› abort rate

AAA authentication› Efficiency› Response time

MMS› Efficiency› Send/receive time› Throughput› Abort rate

WAP/HTTP› Access efficiency› Page access time› Throughput› Retransmission rate› Abort rate

Streaming› Access efficiency› Access time› Throughput› Jitter› Packet loss› Abort rate

email› Access efficiency› Send/receive time› Abort rate

FTP› Efficiency› Send/receive time› Throughput› Retransmission rate› Abort rate

Voice call› ASR› Setup time› Drop rate

QoE Measurement Examples

Network Availability

Network Accessibility

ServiceAccessibility

Service Integrity

Serviceretainability

BROADBAND

RAN OP2

RAN OP1

LTE Evolved Packet Core

mobile operators Roaming

M2M

Corporate applications

VoD

MMTel

Mobile TV

QoE alert

Handover alert

QoE alert

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Be notified of QoE degradation before impact on end customers and

very rapidly pinpoint the fault origin

troubleshootingtroubleshooting

QoS alert

QoE: Time is Money!

Use Cases For LTE Network Monitoring

Overall Statistics

xDR/IPDRBUILDERS

Use Case #1: VIP Proactive Monitoring & Troubleshooting

PDUs

• Deep analysis and surveillance of high value customers (with possible SLA)

Problem: IP Service problems affecting VIP customers

2. Collect the traffic

8. Verify VIP issue is resolved

4. Create pertinent KPIs and alarms for each VIP

FILTER

1. Create VIP List

3. Filter all data associated to VIP customers

User Plane VIP

5. Corporate HTTP portal degradation alert

6. Customer activity, time to download and trace for details7. Operator sends details to 3rd

Party to resolve problemIs the issue my network or 3rd party content provider?

PROBE

Use Case #2: Customer Complaint Handling

Overall Statistics

xDR/IPDRBUILDERS

PDUs

• Complete IPDR & protocol decoding on traffic related to a given customer

• Provides “On Demand” full tracing of customerProblem: Customer

complaining about an issue on streaming

3. Ask customer to access video streming and collect traffic

5. Analyze related streaming IPDRs and Gn decode4. Filter all data associated

with “On Demand Customer”

On Demand Troubleshooting

6. Problem is found: Customer handset is configured improperly

1. Review customer activity summary

FILTER

2. Set Customer Filter for “On Demand” Tracing

7. Inform customer of issue and modify handset configuration (OTA)

8. Verify customer issue is resolved

PROBE

Tekelec Confidential

Overall Statistics

xDR/IPDRBUILDERS

Use Case #3: Newly Introduced Smartphone Surveillance

PDUs

• Deep analysis of a new smartphone• Generation of User Plane KPIs and

troubleshooting

Problem: new smartphone surveillance

2. Collect the traffic

8. Verify issue is resolved

4. Create pertinent KPIs and alarms

FILTER

1. Create smartphone capture

3. Filter all data associated this smartphone type

User Plane smartphone XY

5. retransmission rate

6. multi-interface trace for details

7. Operator sends details to manufacturer help desk

Detect problem in smartphone

PROBE

The Source for Business IntelligenceWe are drowning in data, but we are thirsty for knowledge

VALUE $

What happened?

Why did it happen?

What is happening?

Whatwill happen?

PROBE

Overall Statistics

xDR/IPDRBUILDERS

Use Case #4: Network Planning

Control Plane

Overall Statistics

PDUs

• Exhaustive traffic statistics according to cell, IP application, GGSN, SGSN, MME, Serving GW, PDN GW, APN….

Problem: plan network and services evolution

1. Collect the traffic

4. APN Traffic over network evolution analysis

3. Enrich and group data according to KPI needs

2. Filter and aggregate data as needed

FILTER

5. Change APN allocation over PDN GW or increase capacity of PDN GW

PROBE

Overall Statistics

xDR/IPDRBUILDERS

Use Case #5: Marketing Analysis

Control Plane

Overall Statistics

PDUs

• Exhaustive traffic statistics according to URL and localization

Problem: provide service usage information for marketing department

1. Collect the traffic

4. Traffic analysis3. Enrich and group data according to KPI needs

2. Filter and aggregate data as needed

FILTER

5. Adapt offerings according to customer consumption (e.g. TOP URL) vs. customer segments and localization

Conclusion

• LTE will really be the mobile broadband revolution

• Customer Experience Management is key in LTE

• Monitoring system will play a growing role in broadband mobile data:• Strongly contributes to OPEX and CAPEX reduction• Strongly contributes to increase operators’revenue• Strongly contributes to customer retention